NCADC news round-up, 11 February
Daily news round-up from NCADC
Today’s top stories:
- “It doesn’t make any sense”: Kafkaesque detention system
- Also senseless: Refusal but with no removal or appeal
- And to make matters worse, there’s no access to justice
- Meanwhile, at the borders of Fortress Europe…
MEDIA
Just a friendly face: Scottish Detainee Visitors
The Herald, Gordon Cairns, 11 February 2011
“It doesn’t make any sense,” she sighs. She is trying to understand the system which has kept asylum and immigration detainees in Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre in South Lanarkshire indefinitely, but says it can Kafkaesque.
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UK Border Agency tell Middlesbrough family to leave
Evening Gazette, 11 February 2011
THE BATTLE to keep an asylum seeker and her children in Middlesbrough has suffered a major setback. But campaigners trying to stop Arti Kumar and her children being sent back to Afghanistan say the fight goes on. Arti, 42, and her sons Ravi, 21, and Akash, 18, have been told by the UK Border Agency that they now have no basis of stay in the United Kingdom and they should make arrangements to leave without delay.
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Refusal but with no removal or appeal
Free Movement, 11 February 2011
There are many illegal immigrants who have come forward to the Home Office, made themselves known, made an application to remain in the UK and then been refused and politely asked to leave the country.
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Access to Justice
Free Movement, 10 February 2011
As you may be aware, the deadline for responding within the Legal Aid Proposed Cuts consultation is imminent i.e. 12pm 14.02.2011. If you have not done so already, may I urge all legal aid firms, not-for-profit organisations and supporters of legal aid generally to send in their responses. I will keep this post short for fear of nagging too much but as well as the ILPA response, the Law Society has now put together its own thoughts.
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Is your organisation experiencing funding cuts? Add your details to a new map of voluntary sector cuts across the UK
Can the voluntary sector deliver on David Cameron’s expectations that it will play a bigger role within a brave new ‘Big Society’? For many groups, the deep funding cuts underway mean that this looks like a political pipedream – rather than scaling up their work, many groups are faced with a serious reduction in services or closure altogether.
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BLOG
Shut out – Fortress Europe
Economist, Eastern Approaches, 10 February 2011
THE walls of fortress Europe have grown increasingly impenetrable of late. A planned fence on the Greek border with Turkey has received some attention. Not so the situation in western Ukraine, where there a growing community of refugees, mainly from Afghanistan and Africa, seeking entrance into the European Union have congregated. Effectively trapped in limbo, these asylum-seekers are subject to abuse, exploitation and torture.
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REPORTS AND RESEARCH
Children’s Commissioner report into experience of unaccompanied children: our response
Refugee Council, 10 February 2011
“At the Refugee Council we reveal findings in a report* today that show inconsistencies in education practices for unaccompanied children across the country, causing many to miss out on education they are entitled to. There is clearly much work to be done in education and other services to ensure these young people are fully supported to reach their potential. It is essential that the best interests of these children are at the heart of all policies and guidance that affect them.”
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EVENTS
Scottish Refugee Council has published it’s latest training calendar. Coming up:
24 February
An introduction to working with separated children
This one-day course examines key issues facing separated children today and discusses current legislation, entitlements and best practice.
http://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/training
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Free Asylum Support Training on the Destitution Test
16th February and 30th March in London
ASAP is running two half-day free training sessions in February and March focusing on how to prove destitution in asylum support applications, particularly in Section 4 cases. The training aims to help advisers make the best possible application for their service users.
Please email marie-anne@asaproject.org.uk if you want to book a place or have any questions
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FEMINISM, Law and Asylum
Debora Singer, Policy and Research Manager, Asylum Aid
Christel Querton, Women’s Project Legal Analyst, Asylum Aid
Anne Shamash, Immigration Judge
Gisela Thater, Legal Officer, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Tuesday 22 February 2011
6.00 -9.00pm
The Board Room, 309 Regent Street
University of Westminster, School of Law
(Oxford Circus tube)
Drinks and nibbles provided
Rsvp essential: Harriet Samuels H.Samuels@westminster.ac.uk
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Making your services more effective for Refugee Community Organisations
When: 22 Feb 2011 – 9:45 – 23 Feb 2011 – 16:30
Where: Charities Evaluation Services, 4 Coldbath Square, London, EC1R 5HL
This free two day course organised by Charities Evaluation Services course will help refugee community organisations to review their service provision, plan more strategically, improve your funding applications, demonstrate effectiveness and benefits to funders and others.
What will it cover?
The course is practical and down to earth. It will also use group work to help you learn in an interesting way. The course will cover:
- what terms like ‘outputs’ ‘outcomes’ and ‘impact’ mean setting aims and objectives
- collecting information on what you do
- demonstrating your successes
- improving your effectiveness.
If you would like to attend one of the training courses, please call Jill for booking form on 020 7713 5722 or email training@ces-vol.org.uk
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LGBT refugees in the UK: Life experiences of a legal limbo
A ’roundtable’ on ‘LGBT Refugees in the UK: Life experiences of a legal limbo’
When: Thursday, 24 February, 12.30-14.00,
Where: The Keepers Room, John Owen’s Building, University of Manchester (building no. 48 on the map on http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=6507).
Refreshments will be made available before the discussion starts.
If you would like to attend, either as a speaker or participant, please contact Nuno Ferreira (Nuno.Ferreira@manchester.ac.uk).
