1. Helping and supporting disadvantaged people from refugee, immigrant and national minority communities to find the right way.
2. Collection, management, organisation and distribution information on issues of interest to ethnic minority groups, refugees and asylum seekers.
3. Helping to access job training and work experience by networking with local employment services, colleges and other training organisations.
4. Undertaking social action research to minority ethnic issues and to identify the needs of asylum seekers, refugees and minority ethnic communities.
5. General advice, guidance and information provision on range of issues such as legal matters, housing, training, employment, education, health, social benefits, refugees' rights and entitlements, etc.
6. Referrals to local authorities and to mainstream services, follow-up and representation.
7. Raising the awareness within the refugee, black and ethnic minority communities of existing advice, guidance and mainstream services.
8. Drop-in and outreach services, casework and office appointments.

These include:

• Helping and providing advice to asylum seekers, refugees and minority ethnic communities on ways of having access to employment, education and training opportunities.
• Collecting, organising , managing and distributing information on issues of interest to ethnic minority groups, refugees and asylum seekers.
• Helping to access job training and work experience by networking with local employment services, colleges and other training organisations.
• Undertaking social action research relating to minority ethnic issues and identifying the needs of asylum seekers, refugees and minority ethnic communities.
• Providing general advice, guidance and information on range of issues such as legal matters, housing, training, employment, education, health, social benefits, refugees' rights and entitlements, etc.
• Organising referrals to local authorities and to mainstream services, follow-up and representation.
• Raising the awareness within the refugee, black and ethnic minority communities of existing advice, guidance and mainstream services.
• Providing refugees with opportunities to recognise and transfer their skills and qualifications, enabling them to better integrate into the U.K labour market, and to generally increase employability.
• Compiling and managing the information the user must be aware of with regard to services available and the means by which they can be accessed.

ASI's Employment Service is a unique service that proactively identifies targets and approaches, on an ongoing basis, professionals from minority groups and immigrants, builds a close and pro-active relationship with them, and gives them smooth access to employment opportunities that match their needs and requirements.

While in many Companies and institutions much is being done in a variety of ways to promote a more diverse work force, in general employers are still failing to attract a suitable number of applications from candidates from immigrant and minority ethnic groups. We believe that many organisations and companies have a genuine desire to hire more people from these groups, and that there is a substantial pool of quality professional candidates from immigrant groups which can be accessed.

However, existing recruitment methods are failing to attract applications from these people, and therefore failing to achieve the objective of diversifying the workforce. Immigrant workers are motivated workers. Their personal need to regain self-sufficiency, their interest in acquiring new skills and their desire to attain economic stability for their families make them excellent prospects for hire at all levels. Immigrants contribute to the growth of the economy by paying taxes and they spend most of their income in the country.

• To provide refugees and other immigrants with opportunities to recognise and transfer their skills and qualifications, enabling them to better integrate into the U.K labour market, and to generally increase employability.
• To increase the opportunities available to black and minority ethnic communities to take part in work, in learning, and in society more generally.
• To link with employers who are willing to provide work experience and job opportunities and vocational programmes.
• To organise training services for black and ethnic minority communities which offers courses that will help them to get back into the work force.
• To promote refugees, immigrants and minority communities' access to labour market and employment opportunities.
• To provide people placement into work experience.
• Top provide advice to clients on ways to have access to employment, education and training.
• To increase the awareness of immigrants on available employment and related training opportunities.
• To tackle the barriers to employment faced by ethnic minority groups, refugees and immigrants.
• To assisting skilled migrants and refugees of English and non-English speaking background in gaining employment, or self-employment, in their chosen occupation.

• Individual advice and guidance, work orientation, job search support, and referrals to job seeking courses that are tailored to the particular needs of clients.
• Access to local employers, employment opportunities and work training providers
• Provision of information on jobs available, career choice, training, education, different opportunities and changes in the job market.
• Maintenance of a registry of experienced, skilled and qualified immigrants and refugees that that can be accessible to local employers.
• Pre-screening and identification of professionals from refugees and immigrants who are available for work.
• Organise work placement with recognised employers, vocational programmes, and motivational sessions.
• Referral to personal & career development services.

Many refugees and asylum seekers are experiencing difficulties in accessing essential services. The biggest barriers to accessing services are seen as language, translation and interpretation; but a major problem is also access to information on what services were available.

Lack of competence in the English language is the major barrier to employment, but other factors are the break in their careers - often a very traumatic break with long-term psychological effects; the lack of work experience in Britain; and discrimination against them by employers. Not only is there a high rate of unemployment and the resultant low income, but also many refugees and asylum-seekers suffer poor accommodation, poor health, including high rates of anxiety and depression, and racial harassment and abuse. Local agencies need to work together to ensure that asylum seekers and refugees can access non-benefit income. There may be little that can be done for asylum seekers without permission to work, however local authorities and other agencies can help to ensure that once granted status refugees do not develop a benefit dependency.

Refugees are survivors of great adversity, having lost their homes, personal property and careers. Their personal need to regain self-sufficiency, their interest in acquiring new skills and their desire to attain economic stability for their families make them excellent prospects for hire at all levels.

• Ensure refugees' issues are taken into account in policy decisions by government, local authorities and other public sector bodies, by serving as a link between asylum seekers, refugees and relevant bodies and services.
• Represent the diverse interests of refugees and immigrant communities, groups and organisations.
• Ensure their needs and concerns are addressed by the local authorities.
• Facilitate access to the support necessary for their integration in the UK Combat all forms of structural barriers to the integration and to challenge the stereotypical perceptions of refugees and minority ethnic communities which hamper their full participation in the UK society.
• To raise public awareness in order to reduce hostility towards refugees in the UK.
• To mobilise those working on refugee issues for information sharing, networking, collaboration and co-operation.
• To assist in effecting a more co-ordinated approach and response to the plight of refugees.
• To advocate for the development of a responsive policy guidelines for service providers.
• To instigate or undertake social action research in order to promote action that is responsive to the needs and concerns of refugees and asylum seekers.

If you are an asylum seeker or a refugee, we can:

• Put you in touch with other appropriate services, professionals and agencies;
• Provide you with advice and information on refugee's rights and entitlements;
• Help and advise you on ways to have access to employment, education and training;
• Write letters on your behalf or help you write letters to professionals;
• Encourage and assist you to articulate your own concerns;
• Intervene on your behalf.

The Social Action research programme aims

• To develop local knowledge about social needs of black and minority ethnic communities and refugees in conjunction with local partner agencies.
• To identify ways for effective social integration of refugees and minority ethnic communities.

To do this, the programme will:

• research into the nature of the diverse advice needs, reasons of underachievement of ethnic minority school children, integration needs and constraints, etc;
• undertake surveys to ensure the voices of black and minority ethnic residents not involved in voluntary groups are heard;
• carry out a survey on perceptions, barriers and constraints of asylum seekers, refugees, black and ethnic minority people with regard to their access to mainstream services;
• identify the needs of black and other minority ethnic communities and the development of programme proposals to meet these needs.

Integration at schools and tackling educational under-achievement of black students

The Education Programme aims to:

• Promote cultural diversity, address racism, and address racial harassment at schools.
• Help black and minority ethnic students achieve their full potential by overcoming barriers to learning both inside and outside school.
• Prevent the exclusion of children with exceptionalities from local schools.
• Identify children outside the education system, support them, and where appropriate, to reintegrate them.
• Prevent children from disengaging with the education system.
• Research and disseminate examples of good practice.

To do this the programme will:

• gather information about children outside the education system and identify the reasons for this.
• provide advice and information to young people to inspire, motivate, develop, persuade and support them to remain at school.
• provide advice and information to parents of children with educational needs (e.g. school attendance and learning difficulties).
• Making verbal and written representation on behalf of parents.Tracking black young people, enabling.
• access to community resources, information, advice, guidance, referral to other services.
• Provide information, advice and guidance on careers, learning, personal development and other issues and opportunities.
• For those facing multiple problems, for example, drug, mental health or housing problems, our role will be to broker access to specialist support and follow-up.

The following activities are carried out at each ASI Centre on a range of topics to empower the community's migrant, refugee and humanitarian entrants on settlement issues. Our advice service will target for people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds many of whom rely on state benefits - including ethnic minorities, lone parents, refugees, the homeless and long term unemployed. To do this we need to be familiar with the barriers that can prevent people from getting work, including those who are disabled.

• Providing information to different ethnic communities through one-to-one service to clients and community groups using letter, telephone, fax and e-mail when necessary and the organisation of information sessions covering topics such as immigration, accommodation and tenancy, income support, employment, education, training and health.
• Representing the settlement and integration needs of the target group by participating in relevant planning and consultative structures.
• Initiating and participating in community consultations and relevant policy, advisory and planning mechanisms.
• Referral to appropriate specialised services.
• Advocating on behalf of clients with government and non government services as necessary.
• Raise awareness of the needs and concerns of refugee young people in the community and link young people to available services.

• Assessing needs of individual clients and families.
• Address telephone or face to face inquiries by giving basic information and making appropriate referrals to clients seeking assistance.
• Responding to requests for help made in person, on the telephone or in writing;
• Providing information in person, on the telephone, or by offering appropriate leaflets and guides;
• Interpreting and explaining legislation, official documents or the content of letters to clients.
• Interviewing clients to assess their current situations.
• Identifying possible courses of action.
• Advising clients on the options they have identified.
• Guiding clients towards taking appropriate action.
• Liaising with other organisations and referring clients to other sources of help, for example solicitors, social workers, human resource managers;
• Producing written material, explanatory leaflets and/or information displays.
• Following up information queries on behalf of clients.
• Mediating, for example by writing a letter for a client or attending a meeting with them.
• Researching general or specialist fields of advice work to remain up-to-date with appropriate legislation and procedures;
• Providing outreach information and advice (including job-search and CV writing support) about employment, careers, education and training refer clients to other organisations where appropriate
• Seeking out those who are most in need of help - not wait for them to come.
• Making productive use of established careers and training organisations.
• Point out current job vacancies and try to link unemployed clients with employment/work placement opportunities arising in the labour market.
• Organising marketing material to advertise the service - including contributing material for publication in local newsletters and newspapers.
• Developing a bank of employment, careers, training and educational resources
• Maintain a supply of current material about careers/training events and job vacancies distribution and display at neighbourhood community venues.
• Designing and developing training, group-work and presentation sessions for community organisations.
• Monitoring clients' progress, compile and update client records but respect confidentiality.

Yes, our service is free and confidential. Whether you talk to us over the telephone, face-to-face or by email your confidentiality is strictly maintained.

However if you were about to harm either yourself or another person it would be our duty of care to inform the appropriate service. We would let you know that that was our intention.

If you need more information about this question please do not hesitate to call us on
020 8803 6161 or send an e-mail to info@afsi.org.uk

* If you need more complex advice than we can give, we can make appointments for you to see our specialist advisors.