Taking all the houses and jobs: why is it hard for refugees to access public services in the UK?

Many refugees do not know where to start when accessing public services which they are by law entitled to … The hard to reach label is nothing more than an excuse and an admission that centralisation has failed those it was supposed to help. As such excuses, neglect and the constant promise of learning from mistakes cannot form the basis of credible public policy. The other excuse of community division within the refugee groups which many … local authorities like to hide behind is now also dead as many of the community organisations are represented by larger umbrella bodies such as the Somali Forum in the case of the Somali community in Bristol. [T]he most vulnerable in society fall through the cracks because of poor public service provision and delivery. This creates greater poverty, isolation and withdrawal from society for many groups and this is not only dangerous but a clear breach of their Human Rights.

What does the European Court of Human Rights Judgement mean for the Somali people?

The ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that allowed two prolific serious Somali criminals to remain in the UK for fear of the breach of their Article 3 rights if sent back to war torn Mogadishu was predictable. This overturned the British Asylum and Immigration Tribunals decision that although a return to Mogadishu would and could expose deportees to torture, inhuman and degrading treatment as well as persecution, those with connections to the powerful people in Mogadishu might be able to live there safely. Despite the tough on foreign criminal’s stance the British government has adopted, the reality is that their policies are always subject to a compatibility test with European Union law of which the European Convention on Human Rights 1998 is one of. It is so important that if any member States policies do not comply they can be expelled from the Union after a period of financial penalization.

Every school can be a good school

Good inclusive school leadership, coupled with parental and community engagement, will inevitably result in successful local schools that communities can be proud of and rely on. Parents should not dessert local schools in times of difficulty and school leaders should not shut out external support service providers. The reality is that the majority of students are not going to get into these so called good schools because they are oversubscribed. However, what needs to be emphasised is that there are no bad schools. Schools are merely buildings. The interaction that takes place within them between all stakeholders is what makes some schools more successful than others.

Can charities finally make the Big Society pay?

The greatest advantage of the Big Society agenda is that the third sector is recognised for its valuable role within the policy process and now is more politically favoured by the current administration which gives them legitimacy and bargaining powers which they did not have before. Now instead of third sector groups justifying their roles and funding requests to the Local Authorities which administered and commissioned services, the Local Authorities have to almost justify why it should stay in house.

Europe: A place of broken dreams

Despite warnings of the difficulties ahead, sometimes even in the form of floating dead bodies in the treacherous seas, refugees risk everything to reach Europe in the hope of what they believe to be a good life; they believe that the grass is greener on the European side… The grass for many in Africa, naturally, especially in Somalia, will always be greener on the European side. But upon arrival reality will certainly surprise them. In fact, Europe’s lights do not shine as brightly when one experiences life here as when one does not.

Prevention strategy: local success but a national disaster

Bristol City, like every other major city in the UK with a Muslim population, has received funding as part of the Prevent strategy to tackle and deter extremism. However, despite all the criticism that has been levelled at Prevent, the way in which it has been implemented and continues to be managed in Bristol is a good example of how it ought to have been done everywhere else in Britain. The Bristol approach has been successful primarily because the local Muslim communities were engaged from the start and the Prevent strategy was renamed Building the Bridge which most Muslims felt was more appropriate. This sensible, sensitive and human approach coupled with key employees, partners and Board members of Building the Bridge been Muslims themselves and Bristol community members, ensured that the strategy worked better than in most other UK cities.