8. Conclusions and recommendations
In this final section of the report, seven conclusions are set out, followed by 10 recommendations.
Conclusion 1: Asylum seekers and refugees face a number of intrinsic and situational barriers in accessing devolved public services Asylum seekers and refugees face barriers to accessing public services as a result of particular traits and characteristic or because of the situation they are in, although it must be recognised that asylum seekers and refugees are not a homogenous group and that barriers vary between groups and individuals. Language, literacy, and low levels of formal education are particular challenges. Trauma is also a key barrier for asylum seekers and refugees in accessing public services, because those who arrive traumatised are often unable to take in and act upon information about how to access public services. Asylum seekers and refugees often experience racism and face challenges integrating into an already divided society. A lack of knowledge of rights and entitlements and about how public services in Northern Ireland work also create access barriers. Cultural factors, including taboos over discussing issues around sexual orientation, mental health, female genital mutilation, or domestic violence, mean that some asylum seekers and refugees are less likely to ask for help from services they might need. Conclusion 2: The way in which public service providers are planning for and delivering public services gives rise to additional (or exacerbates existing) barriers a. The effect of the Home Office and Mears’ policy and practice The focus of this research is on access to devolved public services, but issues relating to the Home Office are included to the extent that they impact on devolved service provision. The hostile environment represents a deliberate effort to make asylum seekers feel unwelcome and as such it militates against integration efforts in Northern Ireland. There remains a lack of coordination between the Home Office and Mears and devolved public services, although this is improving. The Home Office does not sufficiently consider the impact of its policies on the devolved setting and this can result in very significant service delivery challenges. There is concern about the involvement of Mears, as a private company, in providing asylum accommodation and effectively mediating access to devolved public services.
b. Inadequacies in devolved policymaking and service provision
There is a perception that devolved public services provide “softer support” and a number of examples of good practice have been identified. These include: the Belfast Trust as the UK’s first “trust of sanctuary”, the Northern Ireland New Entrants Services (NINES) ran by the Belfast Trust and the Southern Trust, the Education Authority’s Inter-cultural Education Service, individual schools, and individual public servants and civil society organisation staff who often go “above and beyond” to support asylum seekers and refugee. However, good practice exists mostly in pockets and is often reliant on goodwill rather than carefully planned and executed policies. In terms of policymaking, there is an absence of strategic and proactive approaches being taken to address the challenges posed by the increasing numbers of asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland. The continued absence of a Refugee Integration Strategy is a clear example of this lack of proactivity and strategic focus. There are gaps in capacity, skills, and experience to allow public services to plan to meet the needs of asylum seekers and refugees, and this is compounded by short term funding cycles which do not allow public services to plan for the medium to longer term. While this has been improving, there is still a need for more joined up and coordinated policymaking, as well as better coordination between civil society and public services. More can also be done to ensure policymakers become more representative of Northern Ireland’s changing demographics and that policies take account of lived experience. In terms of service provision, lack of consistency in service delivery is a key issue, with good practices in some areas but often not across the board. Devolved public services need to become more trauma-informed and culturally competent in order to be able to address the needs of asylum seekers and refugees and reduce access barriers. While theoretically available, in practice interpretation services are often unavailable (particularly for certain languages or at short notice). There are also concerns about the quality and training of interpreters. The landscape for public service provision in Northern Ireland is complex even for those born here and there are challenges in making sure asylum seekers and refugees are provided with the right information, in the right format, at the right time. A common concern in terms of service provision is the need to balance providing additional support to asylum seekers and refugees in recognition of the access barriers they face, while not being seen to be treating one group in need more favourably than others.
Final report of the of Ombudspersons and the Protection of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (OPRAS) project | 59
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