Migration Matters - 23 February 2009
This important and high level Regional conference was organised by West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership (WMSMP) on 23 February 2009 at Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.
'Migration Matters - Mainstreaming Migration in the West Midlands' presented a unique opportunity for key stakeholders to consider together the impact of migration on the Children's, Cohesion, Health and Skills (employment and training) agendas and to identify key priorities and develop appropriate delivery mechanisms in the Region.
Liz Lynne, MEP, chaired the event and key note speakers included James Undy, Senior Policy Integration Officer at Communities and Local Government, who gave an overview of the changing policy context on migration and Rosie Paskins, Chief Executive of West Midlands Regional Observatory, who provided an update on existing migration data and its use in the Region. Snapshots were also given of the 4 key themes of the conference by relevant Regional agencies including presentations by Dr Jacky Chambers from HOBtPCT, Michael Kilduff from LSC and Aftab Rahman from GOWM.
With seminar sessions including 'Unlocking the Skills and Potential of new arrivals', 'Building Cohesive Communities' and 'Ensuring 'Every Child Matters' for new arrivals', the conference was also an opportunity to share best practice and inform commissioning, service provision and strategy.
The conference was a Regional partnership event and organised on behalf of a number of organisations who funded and supported it:
Advantage West Midlands
Care Services Improvement Partnership
Department of Health, West Midlands
Department of Children, Schools and Families (GOWM)
Heart of Birmingham PCT
Regional Efficiency and Improvement Partnership
Further information is available in the full conference report.
The Points Based System and Sponsor Licences Explained - 10 February 2009
West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership (WMSMP) held a training session for local authorities on the new Points Based System (PBS) introduced by the UK Border Agency in November 2008.
The system will replace over 80 existing routes to work and study in the United Kingdom with five tiers. Each tier has different points requirements where points will be awarded to reflect the migrant's ability, experience, age the level of need within the sector the migrant will be working. Underpinning the PBS is the principle of sponsorship, and employers who want to recruit workers from outside the EEA will now need to become a registered sponsor with UKBA.
The training event offered an opportunity to learn more about how the PBS will affect employers, and was an opportunity to raise questions directly with UKBA staff responsible for Sponsorship and sponsorship management in the Region.
Due to successful feedback, WMSMP hope to run more PBS training in the near future.
For more information on the new PBS, visit http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/points/whatisthepointsbasedsystem/.
Signs of Trafficking in the West Midlands - 12 December 2008
Through funding secured from Believing in Birmingham, CPS and Safer Birmingham Partnership, West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership joined together with several individuals and groups in the West Midlands to organise a Regional conference, 'Signs of Trafficking in the West Midlands', on 12 December 2008.
Key aims of the event were to provide information about the signs of trafficking, examine and challenge the culture in which trafficking takes place, and develop collaboration and joint actions in response to trafficking. The conference brought together participants from statutory, commercial and third sectors whose activities may bring them in contact with trafficked people. Actions were developed and 50 pledges were recieved which agencies and individuals were committed to progress.
A follow up meeting was held and it was agreed to establish a Regional Anti-Trafficking Network to progress the actions coming out of the conference.
For more information, please see the Event Report.
Regional Social Inclusion Strategy Review
West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership held two half-day events to review the 'Regional Social Inclusion Strategy for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the West Midlands' at:
- - Carrs Lane Church Centre in Birmingham City Centre on Thursday 13 November
- - Nishkam Civic Association, 6 Soho Rd, Birmingham B21 9BH on Tuesday 2 December
With a focus on Health, Skills, Cohesion and the Children's Agenda, these events formed an important part of the consultation period leading up to the Regional Migration Conference in February 2009.
The consultation focused on four key questions:
1. What has been achieved in relation to Strategy actions/action plans?
2. What key issues and work are still outstanding?
3. What new issues, policy and legislation need to be addressed?
4. What changes are now required in terms of actions, delivery mechanisms and partners?
For more information about the Review, please contact Clare Daley at: c.daley@wmlga.gov.uk or on 0121 678 1078.
West Midlands No Recourse to Public Funds Conference: Focus on Asylum Seekers - 30 April 2008
The West Midlands No Recourse to Public Funds Conference on Wednesday 30th April 2008 attracted 130 delegates from across the West Midlands to raise awareness of destitution; share information and good practice; improve cross-sector working relationships; identify key barriers and draw up recommendations for future action.
The conference opened with speakers from the voluntary and statutory sectors, who gave an insight into the impact of destitution through various perspectives, considering national policy and legislative context. Workshops in the afternoon focused on a number of key issues in detail, working towards developing recommendations for action in each area.
For more information, please see the Event Report.
Women's Rights, Concerns & Services: in New Communities in the West Midlands - 5 December 2007
A Regional information-based event bringing newly arrived women together with those working on issues concerning them from relevant sectors and agencies was held on 5 December 2007 in Birmingham by the West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership (WMSMP).
It was organised in response to specific and serious issues of concern experienced by women from refugee, asylum and migrant backgrounds in the West Midlands raised by newly arrived women themselves and those working with them through the Women's Issues Group. About 120 participants from statutory and voluntary agencies and women from new communities themselves participated and very positive feedback was received.
Critical issues raised by women themselves - domestic violence and sexual exploitation; female genital mutilation; pregnancy; mental health; child protection; employment and training - were explored and addressed and relevant services and practice were shared. Actions were developed to better tackle these issues for women from new communities in the region and have been taken forward by the Women's Issues Group .
For more information, please see the Event Report.
Communities, Change and Cohesion: A Practice-based Approach - 4 July 2007
This practice-sharing event that took place on 4 July 2007 in Birmingham aimed to share and develop cohesion practice in changing communities. It came out of the work of the Cohesion RIG and ran alongside the National Local Government Association conference but drew on cohesion work and initiatives in the West Midlands .
The event provided opportunity for participants to sample a range of cohesion initiatives (Befriending, volunteering, arts, awareness-raising, tackling hate crime, housing) involving people from refugee backgrounds, new migrants and established residents in the West Midlands. It also brought people together from different sectors who work in developing positive cohesion in communities of change to build practice-based solutions, engagement and collaboration and particularly looked at what role Local Government can play in building cohesion at a local level.
The event was successful in its aim to share, showcase and document cohesion projects involving refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants, make links between practitioners and organisations and develop cohesion roles and co-ordination in the Region. It was attended by over 50 participants from different sectors and local areas and received very positive feedback.
Please see the Projects Information and the Discussion Group Notes for more information.
Realising the Potential of Newly Arrived Children - October 2006
The Partnership held a conference in October 2006 which sought to raise the profile of newly arrived children within the context of the Every Child Matters and key targets for children's services. The event brought together a wider range of key stakeholders who considered the impact and aspirations of new arrivals with respect to the early years, education, child health and the youth, play and community agendas. The event also highlighted the way some agencies were integrating the needs of newly arrived children in the context of their children and young peoples strategic partnership arrangements.