The Sheffield City Council Asylum Seekers Team

The City Council receives government funding to support asylum seekers who come to Sheffield under the National Asylum Support Service (NASS).  This is a national scheme managed by the Home Office. The Council's Asylum Team is located in Howden House, 1 Union Street, Sheffield S1 2SH. The Asylum Seekers Programme Manager is Belinda Gallup. As well as having overall managerial responsibility for the Asylum Team she performs a regional role, in partnership with colleagues at Leeds City Council, co-ordinating delivery of the NASS contract by the Yorkshire & Humberside local authority consortium. Support Team Katie Drake is the Support Team Manager responsible for accommodation and support services to asylum seekers. The Support Team:

• welcomes those new arrivals that are the responsibility of the City Council under the NASS contract;
• introduces them to the city and the services on offer;
• settles them into their temporary accommodation, and;
• carries out an assessment of their needs.
• Assessment
• Planning
• Implementation
• Review of 'Children in Need' and those who have suffered and/or are likely to suffer significant harm.

With effect from 1 November 2005, all new applicants for naturalisation as a British citizen have to demonstrate knowledge both of English language and of life in the UK.

Applicants with ability in English below ESOL Entry Level 3 have to complete new ESOL with citizenship classes. These are language courses leading to nationally recognised qualifications that use learning materials incorporating information about life in the UK (Ufi is not directly involved in the delivery of these courses).

Applicants whose ability in English is at or above ESOL Entry Level 3 have the option of undertaking a short, online test of knowledge of life in the UK in one of 90 test centres located around the country. The test has been devised and developed by Ufi and is being delivered on behalf of the Nationality Directorate of the Home Office, supported by a helpline and a website. Successful completion of this test satisfies both language and life in UK knowledge requirements for naturalisation.

What is the test?

The test is taken on a computer and is based on the information contained in chapters 2, 3 and 4 of the handbook Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship .

The 'Life in the UK' test is delivered through 90 Life in the UK Test centres across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, located in those geographical areas with the highest number of applications for citizenship. The test centres were chosen for their expertise in offering existing online tests such as those for the adult certificates in literacy and numeracy (in England), and most were drawn from Ufi's existing network of e-learning centres.

More Information

Further information about the content of the test, how applicants can prepare for the test, and where they can find a test centre is available at the Life in the UK Test website www.lifeintheuktest.gov.uk , as well as the Life in the UK Test helpline (0800 0 154 245).

Thursday 21st July saw SPAT-C's open discussion forum on the theme “Employability of Refugees, BME Communities and the Long-term Unemployed: Issues and Challenges”

With 36% unemployment among refugees (7 times the national average), half of the UK's refugee jobseekers are unaware of Jobcentre Plus and New Deal, yet 30% brought professional skills and experience with them (Nurses, teachers, doctors). 80% have no English ability on arrival

Stealing the show, Employability Forum Director, Patrick Wintour and colleague Beryl Randall journeyed from London to speak on links with employers and JobCentre Plus strategy for refugees, and how Progress measured up to the plans set out in its new Refugee Employment Strategy, “Working to Rebuild Lives” .

It took the form of a lively interactive discussion - with contributors from the Sheffield refugee community – culminating in the Director's undertaking that their comments would be put to the Home Secretary on his visit to Sheffield the following day.

Strategic Aims of “Working to Rebuild Lives”:

•  move more unemployed refugees into Jobcentre Plus support quickly after they receive refugee status; and

•  ensure that Jobcentre Plus gives them the help they need to find sustainable employment

They concluded by saying the next steps in the strategy centred around local stakeholder partnerships, the transition to refugee status, more unemployed refugees into Jobcentre Plus offices with appropriate support into work, strengthening the role of NGOs and the voluntary sector to help refugee professionals and pilots with Home Office SUNRISE funding.

Introducing a local Sheffield perspective, Daljit Kaur (Black Community Forum) rounded the presentations off with the theme, “Local community experiences on the issue of employability”.

As an excellent demonstration of local practice, Sheffield project, Positive-Negatives, gave a screening of a home-produced video presentation: “Black communities & employment in creative industries”.

The Seminar took place at Forum House, Spital Hill.

SPAT-C Certificate / Diploma Course in

Would you like to improve your communication skills?
Would you like to attend course leading to qualification in Interpretation / Translation?

Then please attend Open / Enrolment Days on:

Courses offered by Spat-C would lead to:

• Certificate in English Language Skills OCN Level 2 / 3 July to Sept 2004
• Institute of Linguists “ Diploma in Public Service Interpreting “ Sept 2004 to June 2005

THESE COURSES ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL IN SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Contact: Amina at Spat-C on 0114 –281 2320 - Email amineh@spatc.org

SPAT-C inconjunction with the Refugee Housing Assocation participated in a multi-cultural refugee event held at Hillsborough Park, Sheffield on 19th June 2004

SPAT-C Stall - N Walayat - Finance Manager, and M Dickson - Events Co-ordinator	More indian dance

Face Painting for children	Open air and tent based activities

THE SPAT-C Music Class – Teaching Guitar and Electronic Keyboard playing.

The music class is taught by Mr Jamshid Kinani (who has some 30 years music experience). There are 15 places open primarily to Asylum Seekers and Refugees, (the course is open to anyone else, subject to demand and places).

The course started on 15th January 2004, and is scheduled to run for 12 weeks until 3rd April 2004. The classes are held twice weekly at 3 hours per session. Thursday 3.30pm to 6.30pm and Saturday 11pm to 2pm.

For further inquiries, please call Amineh Salehi on 0114 2756815 Music Class

From 12pm Friday 21st November 2003
to 5pm Tuesday 25 November 2003.

AT
SYAC Centre - Room 12, , 120 Wicker, Sheffield S3

&
SPAT-C, The Forum House, Spital Hill, Sheffield S3

The exhibition organised by SPAT-C will have on display the exquisite paintings capturing the natural beauty of the Middle-Eastern Diaspora, and its cultural heritage. This in turn has impacted and influenced later day artistic styles and traditions in different parts of the world.

Vahid Sabaghian, the SPAT-C resident artist, is an asylum seeker himself, and his work is a sharp reminder of the immense talents that reside in the asylum seeker and refugee communities, often rarely acknowledged by society.

Also on display the work of SPAT-C trainees, taught by Vahid on the SPAT-C course on ‘Art as Therapy’ group and the ‘environmental art’ training group.

Further information, contact Amineh Salehi on 0114 2756815 / 2812320

SPAT-C’ s Women in Development Project which aims to Empower women for life organised an outing for mainly refugee and asylum seeker women to endcliffe park.

Mariam (left) – I really enoyed the day out, I felt very safe in the group in Endcliffe park, where I had not been before, despite having lived in Sheffield for 2 years

Womens Day Trip to Castleton

Two SPAT-C projects organised a day-trip to Castleton - 'Women in Development' and SHEBEEN (Sheffield Black and Ethnic Minority Environmental Network) - Support by SEED Fund and Home Office, European Union

The day trip to Castleton (Derbyshire) was organised to make refugee and asylum seeker women develop an appreciation for natural beauty of the Yorkshire environment and also develop an appreciation for stewardship of the environment.

The day-trip took in Castleton and its surround area, as well as a visit to the Peak and Speedwell Caverns.

Jezeria (an asylum seeker woman)- 'I have never seen caves such as these they were wonderful, and that the English countryside could be so diverse, I wish to thank the organisers of this trip'. The participants showed great appreciation for this event which was partly funded by the Home Office Purposeful Activities Program.

SPAT-C radio interview at BBC Radio Sheffield

SPAT-C staff Amineh Salehi (refugee integration officer - EU / Home Office Project ) and Maxwell Ayamba (Environment Officer) along with Sharin (an Iranian trainee) were interviewed by Andy of BBC Radio Sheffield

Amineh - Discussed the refugee & asylum services offered by SPAT-C and the womens group. “We are trying to bring ladies into society to to let them know about the various aspects of British society and what they can do here” Andy - "How can you do that ?" Amineh - "They don’t know anything i..e how to get a doctor, they need to know what to do. We are taking them to Castleton as an example to show the different types of activities that are available. It is very good for relaxation and peace of mind".

Andy – "How did they here about SPAT-C ?"

Amineh – "SPAT-C has a long history of over 10 years of working with the communities, and is well known through word of mouth, and there are no Iranian organisations in Sheffield".

Maxwell - Talked about the SPAT-C Environment Project (SHEBEEN)– “There is lack of information amongst ethnic minorities in Sheffield about the environment, so we are helping them to get information and get involved, organising environmental events and outings, to over come the barriers. To get people comfortable with the environment so that they can get involved in what is mainly a white enclave."

Sharin – A typical SPAT-C trainee, gave examples of what she is doing at SPAT-C – " I do English course, training course and art work course, I enjoy the outside trips a lot, that teach me a lot about this country, how people live here and what they can do. I am very greatful to SPAT-C for what they do for the community".

Sheffield Positive Action Training Consortium (SPAT-C) has a number of summer activities planned for Asylum Seekers and also under its Refugee Integration Programme.

These include:

• Children’s and young peoples’ activities (10 – 16 group and 16 – 24 years group): visit by young people to museums, children’s theatre, art and crafts classes, use of computers for artwork, educational, recreational purposes – e.g. design work and computer graphics. Also sports & recreation activities e.g. learning Karate, Volleyball, Football and Swimming etc.

• Language Classes for those with little or no knowledge of English, combined with computer training.

• Activities for Women, through the SPATC organised Women’s Development Forum: bi-weekly meetings on Saturdays where women share their ideas and traditional crafts, problems and solutions e.g. family life, bringing up children, women’s health issues, activities for women such as swimming, walking, jogging. Also a women’s health course, psychological support for stress etc through a qualified expert; women’s art classes etc

• Exhibition of multi-cultural arts and crafts, oil paintings, patina art, calligraphy and sculpting. Primarily reflecting the historical, cultural and current artistic achievements of the Persian/Arabic Diaspora (under the direction of Vahid Sabbaghian our gifted resident artist). Also art forms from different ethnic traditions e.g. African, Latin American, and Indian etc.

• Public multi-cultural musical performances: Mahfil Shaadi – 2003 our annual celebration of music from Iran and the Middle East in September 2003. Also, Festival of Somali dance, poetry and folkloric music – October 2003.

• Training in oil painting, textile design (e.g. Batik) and mural art as an 8 week SPAT-C course – open to children, teenagers and a women’s’ group.

• Training in citizenship/civic education for refugees and asylum seekers as a preparation to integrate in local society.

• Training in recording studio skills for amateur groups or interested individuals from the Asylum Seeker/ Refugee community (people interested in forming musical bands).

For registration, please get in touch with Ann Wells (tel 275 6815) or Amineh Salehi (tel 281 2320). Speak to Amineh for more information.

Click and print the poster below.