Leeds refugee forum.

Leeds Refugee Forum
Address One Community Center, Cromwell Street, Lincoln Green, , , , LEEDS, LS9 7SG

Contact 1.

Phone 0113 244 9600

Email leedsrefugees@yahoo.ca

Description
Outline

Leeds Refugee Forum [LRF] is a voluntary organisation established in 2003 to act as an umbrella organisation for Refugee Community Organisations [RCOs] in Leeds. We provide structure and a collective voice for RCOs, catering to their social, educational, economic, cultural and development needs with a focus on community integration and the empowerment of its members. We:

* provide advice and information
* act as an advocacy group for RCOs
* provide a collective voice for RCOs
* build the capacity of RCOs and community members
* assist the integration of refugees into local groups
* work in partnership at strategic level with regional and national organisations
* liaise with community, volunteer and statutory organisations

We welcome all enquiries from organisations and the general public regarding our activities and possible partnership working.

LRF is supported by Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network and Refugee Action.

We cover the following areas Leeds

Organisation type
migrant/refugee community organisation
network, forum or partnership
voluntary sector or charity

About us

Yorkshire and Humber Regional Migration Partnership works with national government, local government, and others to ensure that Yorkshire and Humber can deal with, and benefit from, migration. We work with agencies across the statutory, voluntary, community and private sectors to help support the delivery of high quality services to migrants in a way that benefits everyone living in local communities.
What do we do?

The Partnership has four key roles:

Strategic leadership and coordination for Yorkshire and Humber around migration issues [also known as ‘the enabling role']. We convene and support the Strategic Migration Group, our main cross-sector advisory group - the place where local authorities, statutory agencies and the voluntary sector get together to discuss how migration impacts on our region and to agree ways forward.

Management of the public sector asylum accommodation contract We coordinate the delivery of the agreement between ten local authorities in this region [the ‘Public Sector Group’] and the Government for meeting the accommodation needs of asylum seekers.

Effective integration of refugees and other migrants We help individual refugees to access housing, services and employment, through the Refugee Integration and Employment Service [RIES]. We provide central support and support local authorities and others in their work to promote effective integration of refugees and other migrants at a local level, and provide a strategic link to government on this issue.

Intelligence and research We collate and share information about the nature and impacts of migration, to help make sure that the needs of all migrant groups are met in local strategies and plans. For more information, go to intelligence and research.
How do we work?

The Partnership, which is overseen by local authorities, brings together local partners from all sectors to help support their delivery at a local level. Our partners are diverse, and include the voluntary sector, the UK Border Agency, health, the Police and the TUC.

We maintain a clear separation, in terms of both governance and operations, between our strategic role and our management of the delivery of the public sector accommodation contract.
What are our key priorities for this year?

This year we intend to:

* Strengthen our links to localities and support local delivery – by linking practitioners together in a way that helps them deliver for local communities.
* Secure future contracts which enable Local Government, working with partners, to continue to play a key role in the coordination and delivery of services.
* Work within our new political structures to ensure speedy, robust and accountable decision making for all of our work.
* Deliver our current contracts to the highest standard in a way which recognises and responds to the financial pressures we all face.
* Provide leadership on discussions around the future delivery of asylum services and the procurement of new sets of contracts - including taking a lead role at national level.
* Work through change - managing the transition from current to future contracts, and putting a structure in place that allows us to deliver efficiently and effectively.