Category

• Promising Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Prevention
• Mitigation
• Reduction
• Awareness

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Poverty driver

• Increase income from benefits
• Increase employment income

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Keywords

• No Recourse to Public Funds
• Non-Uk Nationals
• Asylum Seekers
• Domestic abuse survivors
• Financial exclusion

Aim

Ensuring that individuals from ethnic minority communities with a status of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) facing or threatened with homelessness, domestic abuse and/or destitution are provided with suitable and high-quality guidance and assistance in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Moray.

Summary

The No Recourse North East Partnership (NRNE) was established to provide support and guidance to partner agencies assisting non-UK nationals with NRPF in the Grampian region. The original motivation in forming the group was to support survivors of domestic abuse with insecure immigration status.
With recent increasing numbers of people seeking asylum residing in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, and with significant concerns around inconsistent decision-making by public bodies on the entitlements of non-UK nationals, the need for NRNE’s work has never been stronger. NRNE has identified a clear lack of confidence and expertise in the public and third sector around NRPF and as a result is providing guidance and training through this project to different organisations in Aberdeen and the wider area to enable those within front line support organisations to provide consistent and quality information.
The Partnership and project also have a NRPF lived experience group supporting and steering the work of the Partnership.

What difference does it make?

At least 40 third sector and public organisations have received training.
The introduction of the subgroups has allowed key organisations to come together to rapidly address arising issues, share good practice and increase communication between relevant partners.
The formation of the Lived Experience group has allowed different individuals experiencing NRPF to connect, learn and have a safe space to be informed and share their experience.
A change in how organisations work and help those with NRPF has been seen due to the NRNE training and website.
We have seen improved relations between the third and statutory sectors and increasing co-operation at a regional level, as we expand our reach into Aberdeenshire and Moray.

Key take-aways

• Lived experience groups foster a sense of community, and help individuals living in wider communities to access help.
• Relationship building with relevant organisations, third party sectors and local authorities – it takes time, but is vital.
• It is important to keep trying to build connections even when initial attempts are not met well or ignored. Staff members change and new connections can be made. In addition, repeat visits to the same organisation keeps people updated and can reach new staff members.
• We would like to reinforce our training topics by planning for more practice-based guidance and training on how to deal with NRPF issues.

 

Organisations

• Aberdeen City Council Financial Inclusion Team • Aberdeen Cyrenians • Aberdeen Law Project • Aberdeenshire Council Money and Advice • Abernecessities • Action for Children • ACVO • Alcohol and Drugs Action • Advocacy Service Aberdeen • Citizen’s Advice Bureau Aberdeen • CFine • Citizens Rights Project Civil Legal Assistance Office (CLAO) • COSLA • Disabled Persons Housing Service Aberdeen • Ethnic Minorities Law Centre • Families Outside • Fountain of Love Church • Foyer Aberdeen • Grampian Housing Association • Grampian Women’s Aid • GREC • Home-Start Aberdeen • North East Sensory Services (NESS) • NHS Grampian • Osprey Housing • Penumbra • Rape Crisis Grampian • Red Cross • Robert Gordon University (RGU) • SACRO • Salvation Army • SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) • Scottish Refugee Council • Scottish Women’s Rights Centre • Searchlight Scotland • Shelter Scotland • Shelter (England) • Turning Point Scotland • University of Aberdeen • Victim Support • WEA (Worker’s Educational Association) Scotland

Location

Aberdeen City and the wider Grampian region.

Contact