With funding from City Bridge Trust, the Refugee Council is helping RCOs in London to develop skills and knowledge to champion the needs and aspirations of refugees and people seeking asylum in London. With this funding, we are working together with RCOs in London to establish an RCO-led advocacy forum to engage with policy and decision makers and to influence decisions that affect refugee communities in London. RCO members of the forum will have a stronger voice and the opportunity to participate in debates aimed at bringing positive change for refugee communities in London.

Programme for Afghan Refugee Community Support (PARCS) is a programme of learning and targeted grants in support of the refugee community sector in the UK. It aims to support Afghan-led Refugee Community Organisations (RCOs), and enable them to respond to the needs of people from Afghanistan including new refugee arrivals who came to the UK following the recent events in Afghanistan, as well as existing Afghan refugees in the UK.

Timely information is essential to the work of refugee community organisations. RCO Connect contains useful funding information, training and networking opportunities, consultations, campaigns and other opportunities to influence policy, strategic planning and services.

Please find copies of recent RCO Connect listed below:

• RCO Connect March 2022
• RCO Connect December 2021
• RCO Connect September 2021
• RCO Connect July 2021 
• RCO Connect April 2021
• RCO Connect January 2021

We provide free organisational development training to RCOs. This includes fundraising and other forms of income generation, partnership development and collaboration, and measuring and demonstrating impact.

We also organise pan-London events to facilitate debate, share best practice and address common challenges. Involving refugees, RCO leaders, mainstream providers, policy makers and funders, they give RCOs the opportunity to contribute ideas on how best their needs can be met.

The organisational self-assessment tool is a quality assurance resource for organisations that want to make sure that they are developing according to best practice. The tool is especially helpful for those that are developing or struggling to sustain their services in a more competitive and demanding funding environment. It also helps identify the best resources and support services available locally and London-wide.

The self-assessment tool is structured around standards in four quality areas: