At this year’s annual conference we will be facilitating several workshops on topics around preventing destitution, capacity building and awareness raising. We are really excited by the range of workshops we’ve got on offer this year and hope you are able to join us to contribute!
For the full programme please click here, but in the meantime, here’s a quick round up of the workshop topics that we’ll be buzzing about in just over a month’s time…
So you think it is all over? The challenges and pitfalls of being granted refugee status and moving on – How can we help people transition from being an asylum seeker to independently living as a refugee in the UK? In this workshop we will take a look at some of the biggest issues that can be faced when granted leave to remain, and ideas on how to respond, including Accessing Housing and Benefits, Finding Employment, Managing Money and Managing Utilities. The session will be led by Anna Lewis from Open Door North East.
How to speak up for change – Do you want to call for change in the system? Do you want to support others to do so? Do you have questions about the engaging with the media? Do you want to know if it makes a difference, and what to expect? Join us as we explore all these topics and more, featuring expert input from Estelle Worthington (Asylum Matters), a press officer for the IMiX communications hub and members of the NACCOM Action Group.
The importance of immigration advice when working with those with no recourse to public funds and models of legal advice in service delivery – With the shrinking provision of immigration advice and the increase in the complexity of people’s cases, we would like to offer groups and organisations the opportunity to discuss how to best meet the needs of their client group whilst developing their skills and capacity and working in partnership. Carolina Albuerne from Refugee Action will be facilitating the session, where participants can find out more about the Frontline Immigration Advice Project and discuss issues that are affecting their clients and how they are able to support them in the current context.
Growing your Small Project – You have started, and you have a project up and running. Maybe you have a paid employee or two. You can keep going as you are, but how can you grow and get to the next stage? This workshop, led by Dave Smith (NACCOM Membership Capacity Builder and founder of the Boaz Trust) offers some simple tips that will help you think through what you need next, and how you might get it.
Information Gathering – how and why bother? – Panic-stricken by number crunching? Overwhelmed by Excel? Confused by CRMs? We know gathering information isn’t easy for everyone. This workshop invites you to listen in to a panel of members, including Ros Holland (Boaz Trust) and Rachael Bee (Bristol Hospitality Network), to learn more about how to collect information that is both useful to you as a project, and usable for awareness raising and advocacy work.
Starting and Running Night Shelters – This session, led by Alastair Murray (London Development Coordinator at Housing Justice) and Jonny Wilson (former night shelter coordinator at the Boaz Trust) will help members running or considering starting up night shelters. The session will be full of practical advice and top tips from experts in this form of accommodation provision.
A positive approach to safeguarding and risk management – Led by Jon Beech (LASSN), this session will draw on the collective experience and practice of NACCOM members. Jon will share examples and challenges from LASSN’s recent review of Safeguarding and Risk procedures, and invite reflections on how these were resolved. You’ll leave better informed and more confident in your approach to risk and safeguarding.
Increasing Your Accommodation Capacity – Is your project in need of more accommodation? Have you considered other ways of providing it? This workshop looks at a range of accommodation models used by NACCOM members, how they work, and the pros and cons of using them. It will be led by Paul Catterall (Open Door North East) and Dave Smith (NACCOM/Boaz Trust).
Developing creative communication techniques – We all want to share stories, whether it is to raise awareness about destitution, promote volunteering, inspire donations to our project, or celebrate a milestone. This practical and informative session will inspire everyone to get more social and connect in new ways, working with the tools you already have and others that are simple to pick up. The session will feature input from a range of members including Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre.
Attendees will be able to indicate their preferences for workshops in advance, although please note choices will be issued on a first come first served basis.
Tickets are on sale now and are available until the 7th September.
More details about the conference- including the full programme for the day- can be found here.
We hope you feel inspired to join us as we share our learning and experiences as a network, and develop new ideas to tackle destitution together!
