Working with East European Roma children and families: challenges and effective engagement
1 February 2012
Nottingham
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Purpose of the seminar
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Increasing numbers of service providers across many parts of the UK need to work with Roma people who have recently arrived from Eastern European countries. At present, there are very few established resources to assist service providers, who are faced with some new and difficult challenges.
Language and cultural differences (including differences between Roma groups), lack of documentation, a low level of literacy and education, and complex extended families all create considerable obstacles for service providers. Tensions often arise between newly settled Roma and established local communities. Organised criminal activity involving child exploitation and trafficking, with children used for street robbery and benefit fraud, have introduced new child protection and safeguarding challenges.
This seminar brings together individuals who have worked with East European Roma, and begins with a cultural awareness session from the well-established Roma Support Group. It will go on to look at identifying the needs of Roma families and some effective ways to engage with communities.
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Key learning outcomes
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- A better understanding of East European Roma culture
- Awareness of new resources to help shape services
- Practical information on how to engage with East European Roma families
- Addressing issues around identifying and protecting children
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Agenda (subject to change)
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| 9.30 - 10.15 |
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Registration and coffee |
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| 10.15 - 10.20 |
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Welcome and introduction
Claire Lockwood, Gypsy Roma Traveller Achievement Service, Leeds City Council; Chair of the National Association of Teachers of Travellers |
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| 10.20 - 11.30 |
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An introduction to Roma culture, language and experiences
Gabriela Smolinska-Poffley, Roma Support Group |
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| 11.30 - 11.55 |
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Coffee |
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| 11.55 - 12.20 |
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Roma SOURCE: a project to improve local and regional practice
John Donegan, Migration Yorkshire |
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| 12.20 - 12.30 |
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Open forum |
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| 12.30 - 12.55 |
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Engaging with Roma families
Roma Support Group |
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| 12.55 - 1.05 |
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Open forum |
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| 1.05 - 1.55 |
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Lunch |
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| 1.55 - 2.35 |
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Roma children and families: the challenges around identity and child protection
Chief Inspector Colin Carswell, Operation Golf, Metropolitan Police |
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| 2.35 - 2.50 |
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Open forum |
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| 2.50 - 3.00 |
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Breathing space and tea |
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| 3.00 - 3.30 |
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Promoting social cohesion: one city's approach
Philip Martin, Equalities and Social Cohesion Team, and Natalie Stables, Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service, Salford City Council |
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| 3.30 - 3.40 |
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Open forum |
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| 3.40 - 3.45 |
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Last questions or comments and close |
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Who should attend
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- Children and families social workers
- Child protection specialists and Local Safeguarding Children Boards
- Family support services including Children’s Centres
- Other organisations working with children at risk
- Refugee support organisations
- Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Services
- Criminal justice system
- Community health professionals
- Education services and schools
- Housing services
- Advocacy services
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Programme
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Delegate rates
• Standard delegate rate £165 + VAT
• Reduced delegate rate £140 + VAT
(Limited number available to small community organisations with 10 or fewer employees)
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SPECIAL OFFER |
| Discounts available for multiple bookings. |
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To make a booking
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To make a booking
NOTE: the booking form on-line and paper format both include full terms and conditions of booking.
> CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Confirmation of booking:
Your booking will be confirmed by email where possible (and by fax or post otherwise), and you will be provided with directions to the venue and details on nearby hotel accommodation. If you do not receive such acknowledgement, please contact Central Conference Consultants Ltd on 0115 916 3104. |
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About the presenters’ organisations
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The Service has been in existence since 1975 beginning with a single teacher to support the Traveller and Gypsy communities. Over that period of time we have established strong links with the different Traveller communities and the Early Years Centres, Nurseries, Schools and Colleges that provide educational opportunities for these families.
One parent said, “if it wasn’t for [GRTAS] then none of these children would be at school – they’d all be running around [the Traveller site at Cottingley Springs] day after day”.
Our key focus is to work strategically in partnership with schools and settings and the GRT communities to mainstream the issues of GRT pupil achievement and attainment.
We work to ensure prompt and appropriate access to educational settings, and to raise the achievement of GRT pupils in schools by enabling them to improve attendance and reducing exclusions.
For Leeds maintained schools, we:
- provide advice, information and intervention programmes in targeted schools to raise attendance, attainment and reduce exclusions;
- deliver GRT history and cultural training and workshops for staff and pupils, including modular lesson planning and bespoke programmes to improve teaching and learning strategies in schools;
- facilitate access and promote safeguarding for GRT pupils, especially the highly mobile, to educational settings quickly and efficiently;
- provide generic advice and support on educational and cultural issues relating to GRT communities and their children, including signposting where necessary;
- provide information on GRT via the extensive GRTAS library loaning service for books, DVD's, CDs, work packs and artefacts and also through the nationally and internationally acclaimed Leeds GRT website www.grtleeeds.co.uk; and
- promote safeguarding for all GRT pupils in Leeds, particularly those who are highly mobile or new to Leeds, registered for elective home education, children missing education, persistent absentees, are excluded or are identified with child protection concerns.
The service can also offer (for a fee):
- delivery of GRT workshops for schools using GRT role models both during GRT history month and at other targeted programmes;
- delivery of targeted programmes, training and workshops to improve learning and teaching strategies across curricular areas and improve knowledge, skills and understanding of all staff with regards to the specific educational needs of different groups of GRT pupils; and
- selling of high quality GRT resources for schools, including books, work packs, posters, DVDs and the loaning of GRT art exhibitions.
For further information see www.grtleeds.co.uk
The Association was established in 1980 to support and encourage the work of teachers of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children. NATT is now the nationally recognised voice of Traveller Education Services. It represents and supports members at a national level by addressing Gypsy, Roma and Traveller issues with a number of organisations including the DCSF and other government departments.
It also provides a platform for teachers of Travellers and other professionals involved in the education of Gypsy, Roma and Travellers, to share good practice and resources and promote these through its activities. There is also the opportunity for members to participate in innovative and pioneering programmes of work aimed at raising the achievement, attainment and addressing the social exclusion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils.
To find out more see www.natt.org.uk
is a community organisation working with East European Roma refugees and migrants since 1998. It now works with over 850 Roma families in London (mainly in East London), offering them a variety of services, mobilising a community through volunteering schemes and promoting an understanding of Roma culture in the UK.
The mission of the Roma Support Group is:
- To improve the quality of life for Roma refugees and migrants by helping them to overcome prejudice, isolation and vulnerability.
- To make the public aware of Roma culture, heritage and current situation of Roma refugees and migrants in the UK through organising cultural and informative events; publishing newsletters, books, CDs, DVDs, etc.
In order to fulfil its mission, the Roma Support Group offers the following services:
- advice and support on welfare, debt, housing and employment matters
- organising volunteers’ activities, which promote health and well-being of the Roma community
- providing education support in accessing primary, secondary and further education
- organising social inclusion schemes for Roma children and youths, i.e. indoor and outdoor sport activities, visual art workshops, performance art workshops and individual mentoring schemes
- running art and cultural activities and schemes for Roma adults and children
- promoting the understanding of Roma culture through organising events, workshops, publicity and the dissemination of information
To find out more see www.romasupportgroup.org.uk
The Metropolitan Police set up Operation Golf, a 14 officer-strong unit, specifically tasked with dismantling child trafficking gangs. It has been partially funded with a £1m grant from the EU and was set up shortly after Romania’s accession to the EU. The police had become aware of a notable increase in street crime by Romanian children on the streets of London. More than 1,000 offences were recorded in the first six months of 2007, compared with 168 in the whole of 2006.
The unit worked closely with Romanian authorities, especially from the south east Tandarei district.
In October 2010 officers from Operation Golf were presented with the Children's Champion Award from the charity ECPAT UK at the Houses of Parliament on Monday 18th October - UK Anti-Slavery Day.
ECPAT UK, which campaigns against child trafficking/exploitation, gives the Children's Champion award annually to the person/s or organisation or business which has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to children over the past 12 months which goes beyond their normal employment role. The award recognises those individuals and agencies who have demonstrated that they share the values of ECPAT UK, including an understanding of children's rights.
Operation Golf has been working for the last three years to uncover the trafficking of children for benefit fraud and street crime in the UK. This initiative, part funded by the European Commission, has substantially improved the way children forced to beg and steal have been protected as victims.
(Sharing of Understanding Rights and Citizenship in Europe) is a European project that aims to combat and reduce discrimination through developing mutual understanding between Roma and mainstream communities, promoting equal rights and highlighting best practice.
It is a two year project co-funded by the European Union’s Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme.
Migration Yorkshire is coordinating the European project as the lead partner, and is running one of the regional projects – Yorkshire and Humber Roma SOURCE.
The project involves eight organisations from six European countries, with each organisation working on different aspects of the project in their region:
Some of the partners work in regions of Europe which are traditionally home to Roma communities, others in regions which have more recently become a destination. Working with colleagues from areas in Europe where Roma are from and have traditionally settled will provide opportunities to share knowledge, skills and expertise that will both benefit Roma and also lessen the impacts on the local communities that they have moved to.
The overall European project focuses on a number of key areas, with different European regions leading on each:
- Conducting research and mapping Roma communities.
- Protecting the rights of children and ensuring that they are safe from harm.
- Addressing the health needs of Roma and the impacts of new arrivals on health authorities and providers.
- Addressing worklessness and tackling employer prejudice and discrimination.
- Effective participation of Roma communities in policy making and society.
- Working in schools.
Yorkshire Migration will be working with a range of partner organisations from different sectors that work with Roma. The work will include:
- Coordinating a regional network to share learning, knowledge and expertise around how local areas respond to Roma.
- Raising the profile of Roma issues, as identified by partners.
- Working on health and community engagement issues.
- Making sure local partners are supported in delivery by providing information and guidance on delivering to Roma.
Key priorities for this year:
- Establish regional Roma practitioner network and senior local authority advisory network.
- Work closely with all partners to identify needs and issues relating to Roma.
- Raise the profile of Roma at regional level.
- Start pilot projects on health and community engagement.
For further information see www.migrationyorkshire.org.uk
has produced a report on its Roma community which provides essential background information to service providers who work with Roma families.
The report highlights the fact that community cohesion problems are more likely to arise where Roma settle due to the extended family structure which often results in overcrowding within accommodation, and the swift settlement of a significant number of people in just a few streets.
In their countries of origin, many Roma experienced extreme prejudice, with children – sometimes unable to speak the national language - often placed in segregated schools and later forced into menial work.
Salford’s report stresses the complexities of the Roma ‘community’ which is in reality several communities. Romanian and Bulgarian Roma tend to be more traditional, for example, in dress and in continuing to speak the Romani language. They will also generally come from a background of extreme poverty and little education. This is far less the case for Czech and Polish Roma.
The report also points to the ‘street’ nature of Roma culture, which may appear threatening to other communities.
Salford City Council has acted proactively to manage Roma integration into the area. The Equalities and Cohesion Team has taken a number of measures to promote cohesion, including:
- Arts and community based events
- Providing a forum for dialogue between Roma and established local communities
- Conflict resolution measures with Neighbourhood Housing Teams
- Cooperative work with the education department to work with young people in schools
For further information see www.partnersinsalford.org
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Venue
The event will take place in Nottingham.
Directions and details of nearby accommodation will be provided following booking.
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Enquiries
If you have any queries about the event please contact the organisers, Central Conference Consultants Ltd, on 0115 916 3104 or email ccclimited@aol.com |
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