New Frontiers, New Partners: Migrant Action in South Yorkshire

4th March 2019 by ficheb

Dmitry Fedotov ( Enterprise & Communities Manager- Youth Association)
Florentine Bootha-King ( Manager- ELSH)
Fidelis Chebe ( Director-Migrant Action)
(Left to right)

Non asylum seeking migrants in Barnsley and Doncaster (South Yorkshire) encounter similar challenges as those in Leeds, however these challenges are made worse due to the significant lack of appropriate support. As such, vulnerability is even more entrenched amongst migrants leading to poor migration and integration outcomes.

Through building partnerships and working collaboratively with local community based organisations, Migrant Action effectively pursues its ambition of resolving their immediate concerns while empowering migrants negotiate pathways to integration. Through our partnership with ELSH (Education Learning Support Hub- Barnsley), Migrant Action will become an integral part of an increasingly vibrant hub in the heart of the community thereby rendering our services more accessible to people who need our support. Our partnership with ELSH would increase access to other vital services within the hub and widely.

Equally, our partnership with The Youth Association, opens new pathways for engagement with the Roma communities in Barnsley and Doncaster to support young new arrivals and their families. Migrant Action’s engagement with the ROMA community has particular significance as there is growing anxiety amongst EU citizens regarding their right to stay in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Identifying key stakeholders, building partnerships and working collaboratively to deliver support is central to Migrant Action’s strategy for consolidation, growth and social change. We look forward to working with our partners in South Yorkshire.

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Who we are

Service provision for non-asylum seekers is undefined and limited. In Leeds, migrants seeking information, guidance, advice, advocacy and integration support struggle to find where to go to for help. Many vulnerable migrants are confined to the ‘edges’ of society and face daily, the real risk of exploitation, destitution, child poverty, detention, forced removal and deportations without access to justice. Vulnerable migrants with entrenched complex needs encounter restricted access to service provision which has far reaching implications for their health and well being.

Migrant Action is set up in response to this gap in service provision working with other vulnerable migrants who are not asylum seekers.Migrant Action is an Advocacy and Rights based organisation providing information, guidance, advocacy support and direct practical assistance to vulnerable migrants. Our work is primarily focused on migrants who do not fit into the ‘neat’ categories of migration including those who have fallen through the cracks of the system. Through our work, we create a safe space and enabling environment for new and vulnerable migrants to explore their issues and options in order to make informed choices.

By delivering early and proactive interventions, we aim to reduce vulnerability across categories of migrants and navigate positive pathways to integration. Through the support we offer, we mitigate the impact of the government’s ‘hostile environment’ policies on vulnerable migrants.
We do not work with asylum seekers and refugees but signpost them to the appropriate agencies.

Working in partnership with other agencies, Migrant Action facilitates access to justice, social integration and contributes to wider migration advocacy and policy change.

How do we do this?

We adopt an early intervention, prevention and proactive in our work with migrants.

Provide a welcoming and safe space
Provide information and guidance to help migrants make informed choices
Help migrants to navigate and access good legal/immigration services
Provide advocacy support and facilitate access to mainstream services
Support integration- help migrants navigate community and social networks, training, volunteering, employment and other pathways for social integration
Activism- Working with other agencies to advocate and influence policy and social change

Who we work with

Migrant Action is set up to work with Migrants who are NOT asylum seekers.

Vulnerable migrants (trafficked victims, unaccompanied minors, refused asylum seekers, irregular migrants and others who do not fit into the neat migration categories)
New migrants ( EU and Non-EU migrants)

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