In April, we welcomed Heather Petch to the NACCOM team as Interim Director. On joining NACCOM, Heather said:
“I have been entrusted with the Interim Director role to work with Naccom trustees, staff, member organisations and people supported by our members to find pathways out of destitution and use our collective experience, evidence and voice to campaign for change.
This is a critical time for destitute migrants and those at risk of destitution. As we move out of the Covid-19 crisis state to one of gradual recovery, there is widespread awareness that Covid has hit the population unequally. The poorest, including people seeking asylum, migrants with NRPF and those in precarious employment (and therefore at high risk of destitution) have been extremely vulnerable to the virus and the wider effects of the pandemic, but at least many have been accommodated. As a network, being prepared for the ending of emergency measures and the impact of this on those we support is a primary challenge.
We are also confronted by pernicious proposals from the UK Government for changes to the asylum system. The proposed changes do nothing to fix a broken system that fails to protect people seeking asylum in the UK and results in destitution for far too many. NACCOM opposes these proposals and will continue to support those the system fails to protect, and work towards a fairer, socially just and better functioning asylum system.
The recruitment for NACCOM’s permanent Director is currently underway, and the we’ll be updating you all as soon as the appointment has been made. In the meantime I look forward to working with you all.”
➡️ See related news: NACCOM appoints Heather Petch as Interim Director – NACCOM
