30 November

th

2012
Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN) Annual Report 2011/12

Linking Communities Together

Contents

LRMN Mission Statement pg 3 Chairs Message pg 4 Treasurers Report pg 4 Directors Report - pg 5 Staff Report pg 6-15 Case Studies 16-18 Client Ethnicity Breakdown - pg 19 Our Partners pg 20 - 21 Our Funders pg 22 Our Volunteers pg 23 Our Details pg 22- 23

Mission Statement Empowering refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to improve their quality of life by providing culturally sensitive support, advocacy and capacity development to individuals and organisations. Strategic Objectives 2013-16
1. Develop a Marketing and Communications strategy to improve LRMNs image and promote its positive work in Lewisham and the surrounding boroughs. 2. Develop a Finance/Fundraising Strategy. 3. Develop LRMNs campaign and lobbying work. 4. Develop a strong network of refugee and migrant organisations in Lewisham, working together to promote the positive image of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and address their issues and concerns. 5. Develop partnerships and work collaboratively with organisations tackling sexual based violence against refugee, asylum seeking and migrant women and girls. 6. To put in place a system to monitor and evaluate the impact of LRMNs work. 7. Work collaboratively with organisations in and around Lewisham to strengthen and/or develop new projects/services for LRMN clients.

Operational Plan 2013-14

1. Strengthen LRMNs organisational infrastructure; ensuring that proper systems and policies are in place and all requirements for Advice quality standard, OISC and other relevant regulatory bodies are adhered to. 2. Offer and continually improve specialist immigration and welfare benefits advice and work closely with advice providers. 3. Strengthen LRMNs human resources power including its staff, trustees and volunteers.

Chairs Message
I will keep it short and sweet. Basically I am deeply happy that despite the economic gloom and the difficulty of raising funds, we are still here, still standing and believe it or not, thriving! Our funding sources have grown, reflecting the various services we provide to our clients. As a response to the challenge of time, we work in partnership with other organisations more than ever before. We continually improve our services and always looking for ways of responding to the needs of our clients. I would like to encourage our clients and service users to keep tapping into our available services because without them LRMN will have no reason to exist. I am thankful to all our funders and supporters for letting us carry on the work we do. I am particularly grateful to Lewisham Council and NHS Lewisham for their continuous financial and moral support over the years, without which LRMN would not be here today. I also would like to say a big thank you to all the LRMN staff and volunteers, without them, our valuable services would have been impossible to continue. And lastly, I want to say thank you to all the trustees, who like me, despite having a lot on their plate, still manage to offer their time and commitment to LRMN. I would like to encourage our staff, volunteers and the trustees to keep working hard and keep up the good work and I look forward to another fruitful year. I look forward to seeing you all again next year and I am optimistic that the report will be another positive one. Lydia Abu Chair

Treasurers Report

With the ongoing economic difficulty and recession, LRMN I would say is doing very well. This year, our trading figures for 2011-12 show an excess of income over expenditure of 51,227. Our total income was 268,602 and expenditure was 217,375. Full accounts are submitted to Companies House and the Charity Commission. Copies are available on request. Thank you Amina Ismail Treasurer

Directors Report
Leading LRMN has been and still is the biggest challenge of my career. I am glad to let you know that the sleepless nights, the long working hours and working at weekends have all paid off. This year has been very good! We have secured funding from the Comic Relief and Trust for London to continue our very successful Womens project. The London Borough of Lewisham (LBL) and NHS Lewisham, our long term funders have both given us enough resources to continue our good work. New funders have also come in for small scale projects and these included a grant from Awards for All to replace our server and computers, from Clothworkers Foundation to set up an ICT Resource Centre, Nominet Trust to pay for an ICT Tutor and Volunteers, from LBL Community Sector Unit to set up AIMS Database and celebrate Refugee Week, from Lewisham Service Providers Forum (LSPF) to upskill our staff and volunteers on welfare benefit advice provision, from Lewisham Health Care NHS Trust to set up a project for men over 35 to tackle isolation and from London Churches to provide nappies for children. Over 50 destitute clients have regularly received the food parcel we provided in partnership with Lewisham Churches for Asylum Seekers (LEWCAS) and Perry Rise Baptist Church. Our destitute clients (and LRMN staff and volunteers) have enjoyed the lovely hot meal Brockley Community Church has provided every Wednesday. Our services to the most vulnerable members of our society are growing from strength to strength. Nearly 900 clients accessed our services this year, of which majority are women. Many of our clients are from ages 26-49 and many come from Africa, Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Vietnamese and China. Most live in Lewisham, but we also had clients from Bromley, Southwark, Greenwich, Croydon, Lambeth, Hackney, Islington and Newham. Advice on immigration has been the most sought service, followed by welfare benefits, counseling for women who suffered from domestic and sexual based violence and homelessness/housing for destitute clients. We have also started using AIMS database system this year, which made a big improvement in monitoring and reporting our casework. We continue providing crche support for CTDNs English classes as well as run our own English classes four times a week. The IT, sewing and knitting classes are still very popular amongst our clients and they attend not just to acquire skills but also to socialise. Our Advisers helped 5 destitute clients applied for individual grants and raised 1150 in total. Furthermore, LRMN continues to facilitate the Lewisham Refugee Forum and lead the celebration of Refugee Week. This year, the Refugee Week was held at the Civic Suite, and Joan Ruddock, Lewisham Deptford MP opened the event. Over 200 people attended the celebration which showcased talents from different refugee communities. LRMN values working in partnerships with different organisations, and this year is not an exemption. LRMN has been actively involved in the Local Strategic Partnership, Stronger Communities Partnerships Board, Health and Social Care Forum, Homelessness Forum, Voluntary Sector Strategy Group, Lewisham Advice Providers Forum, Lewisham Advice Providers Consortium and Black and Ethnic Minority Advice Network to name a few. 5

Our achievements wont be made possible without the support of our past and existing volunteers. A big Thank You to all of them! Thank you to Bea and Arezu too; our crche workers and the crche children for their bright smiles in the morning! I am also grateful to our funders, supporters and partners for believing in us, to my staff for their dedication and commitment and the trustees who put their trust on me. Rosario Mincher Director

Staff Report Information and Advice Nur Jahan Mazumder

Since coming to LRMN in April 2011, the Information and Advice project developed and thrived forward to provide specialist advice to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants; giving advice and representation in the areas of Immigration and Asylum, Nationality, Welfare benefits, Asylum support (NASS), Housing and Homelessness and Debt. The Immigration and Asylum part of the project advises and assists clients on all aspects of asylum and immigration rights including appeal matters on pro bono basis. In summer 2011, LRMN was officially registered with the OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) to provide advice and representation at Level 3 for the first time, which meant that LRMN has been able to help with all areas of: Asylum; Applications for Entry Clearance or Leave to Remain; Nationality and Citizenship; EU Residence Application; and Representation at appeal level (where applicable). Since April 2011 to March 2012, we have assisted clients in relation to their asylum applications; spousal and domestic violence applications; applications for settlement; applications for childrens and applications on the grounds of human rights. In addition, we helped with applications for family members of European nationals. We have also provided assistance to clients regarding travel documents, citizenships and immigration bail matters. The projects main achievements for the last year would have to be the successful registration for OISC level 3. Since becoming OISC level 3, we have efficiently represented many clients for their Immigration and Asylum matters no matter the complexity of their case with many late night and weekend work, and sleepless nights. What is more, we have represented appeals at the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal; and have provided several advices on appeal rights and right to appeal to the Upper Tribunal. 6

Other achievements of the project are Around 70 % of our clients received specialist Immigration and Asylum advice because they are either unable to obtain legal aid immigration advise, they have been merit failed or their advice providers closed down. The immigration and asylum part of the project had over 600 contacts and over 800 hours of work with new and existing clients. As per welfare benefit, we have had over 200 contacts with new and existing clients. We have also made a number of partnerships with local organisations including local Citizen Advice Bureau, the Southwark Law Centre and Action for Refugees in Lewisham (AFRIL). This also led to outreach sessions being conducted at AFRIL for Immigration and Asylum Advice. The implementation of AIMS database for the organisation and providing initial trainings for the LRMN team members including volunteers. Issues/Cases Presented Majority of our immigration clients sought advice for leave to remain on the basis of asylum, Human Rights, European regulations and the Immigration Rules. Examples of cases are: initial asylum claims, settlement as refugees, settlement as spouse, entry as an adopted child, unaccompanied minors. Challenges The sheer volume of demand for immigration advice and representation proved to be very challenging with fewer organisations/solicitors firms having capacity to provide immigration and asylum advice. And with the legal aid cuts, its becoming harder for individual to obtain legal advice. From next year April 2013, the Government has announced there will be no legal aid matter for majority of immigration cases. This effectively means, there will be less immigration advisers providing specialist immigration advice for matters like spousal applications, Human Rights applications and applications from family members of an EEA national. So our main aim is to see as many people as possible even if it is to give them free advice about their case and the next steps when we are not able to take on the case or refer them to other organisations. Thank You From April 2011 to March 2012, the project has received support from many general volunteers, immigration advice volunteer and individual on work experience. The project would not be this effective if not for the support of the volunteers by collecting calls, posting letters, photocopying documents, preparing bundles and researching specific matters. Thus, a huge thank you to you all for the continuing support you have given to the project and not to mention my wonderful LRMN colleagues for their endless support and advice. 7

Womens Project (WP) - Emma Brech

2011-12 was both an exciting and challenging year for the Womens Project. With the ending of the three year Vulnerable Womens Project in July 2011, we had our work cut out to devise a follow-on project and obtain funding for continuation. Luckily, both Comic Relief and Trust for London acknowledged the value of the work we had done in creating a safe space for refugee and asylum-seeking women, and agreed to a further three years funding in order to develop a specialist counselling project. The new project, renamed The Womens Project @LRMN, looks to learn from the Vulnerable Womens Project in responding to the need for a sensitive, holistic and crosscultural service that acknowledges womens experience of gender-based violence and the effects of trauma on them, giving them the knowledge and skills to begin a process of empowerment and recovery. Key to the new project in the first year was an expansion of our therapy service, with 2 new placements created for a female counsellor and a female dancemovement psychotherapist, adding an essential mind-body perspective to our work with trauma. Alongside this, recognizing the need for wrap-around support, we retained a social work student from Goldsmiths (addressing practical needs) and continued our womens nurture group, now facilitated by a paid member of staff alongside our volunteers. This brought the Womens Project team to a total of 10: 2 paid staff, 3 students on placements, 2 volunteers and 3 mentors; creating a larger and more sustainable support network to meet the needs of women attending the project. The project overview, aims and outcomes are outlined below, together with the results of our evaluation towards the end of the first year. In summary, we exceeded most of our targets, and are delighted with the success of the project so far. What is the project about? The Womens Project @LRMN is a three year counselling/ therapeutic project, funded by Comic Relief and Trust for London. The overall aim of the project is to improve the health and wellbeing of refugee and asylum-seeker women who have experienced gender-based violence and trauma. By gender-based violence, we mean any act committed against a woman because of her gender resulting in physical or psychological harm. Examples of gender-based violence affecting refugee and asylum-seeker women include torture, rape, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), trafficking, prostitution, forced marriage and domestic violence. Violence committed against women in this way causes trauma, with resultant loss of identity, power, self-esteem and hope. In providing services to refugee and asylum-seeker women, we aim: 1. To enable women to cope with trauma through self-healing methods. 2. To reduce isolation and increase self-esteem/ self-advocacy. 3. To increase knowledge in relation to womens health and human rights. Linked to these aims, our 5 outcomes state that in benefitting from our services, refugee and asylum-seeker women will: 1. Have a greater sense of wellbeing and ability to cope with trauma. 2. Feel more confident in accessing support/ services. 3. Be better able to deal with chronic pain, stress and insomnia. 8

4. Have better knowledge about their health and wellbeing. 5. Be skilled to support new clients within the Nurture Group. In helping women to recover from violence and trauma, The Womens Project @LRMN has 4 main outputs or services: 1-1 counselling (min 5 women per week) A weekly Womens Nurture Group (min 10 women per week) 1-1 massage for trauma sessions ( max 4 women per month) A mentor scheme for clients (min 4 women per year) Achievements 2011-12 was a productive year for the Womens Project, both in terms of our outputs and outcomes. The total number of unique beneficiaries (ie not counting those attending more than one service) was 72. We found that women often engaged with one service first (eg counseling) and then moved through the different services, building up a sense of trust and belonging as they did so. Anecdotally, women reported that The Womens Project makes me feel safe; I feel listened to; I have somewhere to go that is like a family; the Project helped me to win my asylum appeal and I am grateful. In statistical terms, we exceeded all of our targets except Massage for Trauma, which ended in February 2012 due to funding cuts to our external provider. Outputs a) Counselling: 453 sessions attended including assessments, drop-ins and ongoing appointments. b) Womens Nurture Group: 36 group sessions attended c) 1-1 massage for trauma sessions: 22 massage sessions attended (Oct-Feb) d) Mentor scheme for clients: 10 sessions attended Outcomes In 2012, we conducted an evaluation including observations, evaluation charts, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with a representative group of 30 women. The evaluation covered womens experiences across all 4 outputs. The following statistics were collected: 66% women reported a reduction in trauma symptoms 80% women showed improved communication of their past experiences and current needs. 67% women reported an increase in resources and coping strategies 90% women reported feeling less isolated/ dependent on project. 93% women reported accessing further types of support. 86% women demonstrated improved self-advocacy skills. 42% women reported attending >2 massage sessions (affected by end of sessions Feb 2012) 70% women reported improved knowledge about health and wellbeing 70% women reported a link between knowledge and improved decision-making. 5 women were trained as mentors over 1 year. 9

100% RASW reported increased skills and use in group.

Issues/Cases Presented Casework during 2011-12 covered a wide range; from women who had been tortured and raped in prison, to those who had been trafficked for the purposes of prostitution, to those who have suffered gender-based violence such as FGM, witchcraft abuse or forced marriage but have never thought to claim asylum: we have seen an increase in overstayers whose cases fall into this category. A minority of cases dealt with domestic violence and No Recourse to Public Funds. Challenges Counselling sessions: The delivery of ongoing counselling sessions was affected by attendance, which could be erratic depending on the degree of chaos and uncertainty affecting womens lives. In addition, we found that the need for bus fares exceeded our budget, particularly for those women also attending the womens group. Our response to this was to maintain a drop-in service, timed to follow the womens group; to use social work support as a way of minimising disruption to counselling caused by practical challenges; to be flexible about counselling sessions and times during chaotic periods for clients; and to double-up on appointments within the organisation so that women did not need to travel more than twice in one week. 1-2-1 Massage Sessions: Our massage sessions were affected by cuts in funding and ceased after 5 surgeries. Having discovered some erratic attendance and difficulties in engaging with the service, we decided that a monthly visit from an external agency did not best suit our outcomes. We decided to focus on Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) as a pilot activity based at LRMN on a weekly basis, and having found it to suit the broader mindbody outcome, will be formalising it as an output for the second year of the project. Mentoring Workshops: Mentoring workshops were affected by the busy schedules of mentors attending the womens group, who found it hard to stay behind for training, or to decide on a common time for meeting together. We responded to this initially by meeting the mentors 1-1 and encouraging them towards a drop-in, which meant staying for as long as they could after the group without committing to a full hour. As Refugee Week drew near, the mentors were incentivised to meet more regularly as a group and actively began to request meetings in order to make decisions about the womens group participation. This meant that the last few sessions were delivered successfully leading to renewed interest in the activity for the second year of the project. Thank You I would like to thank all the members of the team Arianna, Jane, Matilda, Fiona, Janet, Denver, Clotilde, Philomina and Theepa for their immense dedication and hard work. Id also like to thank my fantastic LRMN colleagues for their support and sense of humour which keeps us all going in increasingly tough times. 10

Listen to Your Heart Project - Margot Lawrence

What is the project about? The aim of the project is to reduce health inequalities suffered by refugees and asylum seekers, by identifying and addressing difficulties preventing their access to health services. To prevent social exclusion by ensuring that refugees and asylum seekers are able to exercise their rights to health services, and are shown respect for their privacy, dignity and religious and cultural beliefs. This has been achieved by offering one-to-one casework, practical advice, advocacy and well-being activities designed to improve the clients overall health and well-being, and enable them to overcome some of the effects of trauma, poverty and destitution. In order to achieve these aims, the project offers the following services: 1. Scheduled appointments and casework on health-related issues such as: Helping clients find G.P.s Referring clients to mental health agencies Referring clients to specialist organisations for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Arranging interpreters to attend GP and hospital appointments Advocating on behalf of the client to relevant health and social care agencies Helping clients with applications for health-related welfare benefits. 2. Health promotion activities: Weekly sewing and knitting classes Community health checks Health improvement programmes Achievements Casework 288 advice and guidance appointments were given over the year. Some of the cases were complex and required referrals to several agencies. There was an increase in traumatised clients with mental health problems, and more referrals to organisations like Freedom from Torture and Project London. Refugee Health Team The project set up a partnership with the Refugee Health Team (RHT). Our clients were seen by a nurse and a caseworker from the RHT. This gave our clients an opportunity to discuss medical problems and other issues. Working with G.P.s. At the beginning of the project there were very few G.Ps directly referring patients for specialist refugee service. In order to build on this the project has written regularly to G.P.s to inform them of our services and attended stakeholder meetings where G.P. attend. 11

Outcomes include: Direct connection with 5 G.P.s in local practices Far more direct referrals from G.P.s G.P.s more willing to write medical letters as supporting evidence G.P.s more ready to waive fees for writing letters G.P.s more willing to make emergency referrals to mental health agencies All our clients attending the project now have access to G.P.s and dentists. Well-being activities The sewing and knitting classes have been very popular with our clients, and very successful in promoting well-being and community cohesion. There have been 44 knitting classes and 42 sewing classes over the year. Each week new clients join and we now have 60 women on the register. We continue to acquire a steady stream of donated fabrics and wool, and there are 8 sewing machines. We have linked up with an international project called the Sewing Machine Project which started in 2005 after the tsunami in Southeast Asia. It now runs all over the world to help communities that are in distress because of natural disasters or poverty conditions. The classes have achieved the following outcomes: The participants have learnt new skills, and the items they make are not only for the benefit of their families, but also as a possible way of earning an income. It has helped to alleviate loneliness and isolation among our client group, which in turn has improved mental health. There have been therapeutic benefits for example some people find having to concentrate on knitting or sewing can take their minds off intrusive, painful memories. Health Forum - Maternity services improvement programme. The project has been working in partnership with the Maternity Service Liaison Committee (MSLC) in Lewisham to improve maternity services for our clients. We set up a discussion forum attended by 10 women who had recently had babies to provide a platform for the women to describe their experiences of being pregnant and having a baby. The views of the women were used to improve maternity services in Lewisham. We have also contributed to the provision of a dedicated Safeguarding Midwife at Lewisham Hospital for refugee women and women who have experienced domestic violence, to help them through all stages of pregnancy care and childbirth, and to ensure they understand all the information given to them. And interpreters are now provided for every woman who has English as a second language. Some of the women had had difficult experiences so meetings were set up with the hospital post-natal matron, LRMN and the clients for them to talk through what happened. This helped them understand their experience better.The women who participated in the project found it very helpful to talk about their experiences and find out where they can get help and information. Refugee women particularly feel marginalised because of not understanding information, due to language barriers and cultural differences in pregnancy and birth procedures. Community health checks The project worked in partnership with the North Lewisham Primary Care Trust, and participated in 17 community health checks (measuring blood pressure, cholesterol, height, weight) in the street and shopping centres. 510 people attended the health checks and 340 12

were from refugee or ethnic minority backgrounds. Of those, 12% of those checked were shown to have significant untreated high blood pressure and referred to GP surgeries. 20% had other health conditions that were identified and referred for treatment. All were given advice about maintaining a healthy lifestyle through healthy eating and exercise. Food parcels The project attends the Lewisham Homelessness Forum and over Christmas they gave us 40 food hampers for our destitute clients. In addition to working with partner organisations, the project has attended the following forums to promote the project: Healthy Communities Collaborative Lewisham LINk Lewisham Health and Social Care Forum Lewisham Homelessness Forum Outreach work - Events attended There have been a number of events over the year where the work of the project has been showcased to other stakeholders, organisations and members of the public. These include: Southbank seminar on Women and Health Afghan Community Organisation of London New Year event Volunteer Fayre Goldsmiths College Health and Education Event Community 2000 African Health Forum Event Homelessness Forum Ten Year celebration Health and Well-being event Downham Health Centre Investing for a Healthier South Central event Pfizer Lewisham Service Providers Forum Lewisham Mental Health and Well-being Day Civic Centre North Lewisham Health Improvement Plan Stakeholder Event Long-term Conditions Affecting Health and Well-being Event Issues/Cases Presented The health conditions that are commonly presented at appointments include: Mental and physical injuries from past torture Post-traumatic stress disorder Ongoing mental health problems Chronic pain Immobility/disability Cardio-vascular Disease Obesity Diabetes Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteo-arthritis, Vitamin D deficiency

13

Breakdown of health-related welfare benefits requested by clients: Benefit Disability Living Allowance Child Disability Allowance Community Care Grant Health in Pregnancy Grant Attendance Allowance Employment and Support Allowance Family Action Fund HC2 certificate Challenges The main issue is to ensure our clients have access to quality healthcare that actually serves their needs. One of the barriers to accessing healthcare for our clients is language difficulties. Our clients will go to their GP with a complex problem, and then be unable to clearly explain it because they are not fluent in English. Other problems can occur when a client doesnt fully understand a diagnosis if there has been no interpreter in their language to explain it properly. I have found it particularly difficult for my clients to access certain types of medical help, such as access to mental health services. Or if they do get taken on by the local mental health teams, they are offered counselling which seems to have little understanding of conditions like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Where possible we liaise with health professionals and advocate to get a better outcome for our clients. We have tried to work more closely with agencies like the Community Mental Health teams and Improved Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) to foster a greater shared understanding. Our clients continue to suffer from mental and physical health problems and we have seen an increase in clients with complex problems. The increase could be to do with the cutting of other provision for refugees. Our challenge is to make sure we have enough time and resources to give them the help they need. And to maintain effective partnerships with other organisations so that their input can be used to find solutions to clients problems. When setting up activities we have found with this client group that localised activities work better. This is due to lack of money for transport and not feeling well enough to travel. We also find that word of mouth is by far the best way to promote projects, and the next best way is to send information through the schools. Both the sewing and knitting classes started with one or two people, but quickly grew as word spread, and now there are new people turning up each week. Both classes also have excellent tutors, which has made a big difference. Thank You The project has received administrative support from volunteers. Our sewing project has been run by a volunteer Monika Huler-Gschl. The project is very grateful for the invaluable support that has been received from volunteers.The project would like to thank the Henry Smith Charity for their generous support. Having a project like this has contributed to the work of LRMN and enabled the organisation to reach a greater number of clients in different ways. I would also like to thank my colleagues for their invaluable support and advice. 14 % of clients 53% 25% 60% 5% 4% 42% 36% 40%

Health Access Project Shepherd Ziko

The broad aim of the project is to address health inequalities in Lewisham, and to ensure that marginalized groups such as refugees and asylum seekers have access to the healthcare they need. Most of the asylum seekers, refugees and migrants that come through our door, sometimes for something else, are already suffering ill health. This is often exacerbated by experiences before or after they come to this country and which may cause traumas. This causes them to present with significant and advanced post-traumatic stress disorder. But what compounds the physical and mental health problems they bring with them is what happens to them here. The uncertainty of their situation in terms of housing and immigration exacerbates their health problems especially as there are no timescales with the Home Office. The Health Access Officer (HAO) offers generic support to clients according to individual needs and through this, the HAO identifies any health needs for clients. Achievements The number of clients seen by the HAO has been more than 25 per month which is in line with expectations. The HAO has also been working with the Mens group successfully. This project has been running for 6 months now and is increasing in popularity. The HAO will continue to publicise the project in order to reach out to more men in Lewisham. The HAO attended the Inaugural Annual Lewisham Public Health to create networks and disseminate information to other organisations and the public at large and also attended the Refugee Week celebrations in Lewisham to interact and engage with clients. The HAO continues to partner with other organisations and liaise accordingly to improve the provision of the Health Access Project. Issues/Cases Presented Access to GPs and NHS services, DLA, Rent Arrears, Homelessness, Welfare benefits and Debt Challenges One of the major problems has been the lack of Housing Options, bureaucracy involved in trying to help a homeless person. Another problem has been the lack of Travel funds for clients to attend activities and external appointments. Thank you I would like to say thank you to Sian and John who have provided a lot of support to the Mens Group in particular. Thank you too to NHS Lewisham PCT and the Health Improvement Team.

15

Case Studies
(Please note the names and backgrounds of the clients have been edited to protect their identity) Asylum Ms Maya (Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) national) was first referred to the project by Lewisham College for advice and assistance due to the closure of her former advisers and the imminent expiry of her Refugee Status. Ms Maya had been raped, tortured, witnessed the death of her family and was being forced to domestic work. In order to escape, she had to arrange travel through an agent to come to the UK to seek protection. Since coming to the UK, through her former adviser she obtained Refugee Status for 5 years and had been working to build her life in the UK and away from her past. However, as the Refugee Status was approaching the end dates, Ms Maya was becoming agitated, worried and stressed that she might be forced to return to her country where she will face further torture, destitution and hardships. After she was referred to the project, I worked with Ms Maya on a weekly basis in order to prepare her application to the UKBA for settlement while also referring her to the Womens Project. I worked with her to build her knowledge of the system and provide reassurance that she would not be automatically removed when her Refugee Status came to an end and that the UKBA would have to consider her application for settlement. Since referral, we spent sessions after sessions working toward her settlement applications in order for the application to be submitted to the UKBA before her current Refugee Status expired. Since meeting with the client, we helped to obtain her file from the former adviser through the Legal Service Commissioner (as the organisation closed down), drafting witness statements, collecting medical reports, support letters from friends and obtaining objective evidence about the country. After 3 months of hard work and over 40 hours of work, we submitted the application to the UKBA and continued to assist the client emotionally and practically wherever possible while reassuring her about the application. Eventually, after waiting 2 months we received a decision from the UKBA and Ms Maya received her Indefinite Leave to Remain. Ms Maya is now working toward improving her health and thinking about starting a family of her own. Immigration Mrs Tina (Nigerian national) first came to LRMN after her previous legal representative, IAS, went into administration just before her case was refused and given appeal right with short deadline. She obtained our details from the OISC website. She came to us for assistance with her application as a family member of European nationals (husband and children). She was previously given residence card for 5 years; however, once it expired she was not able to obtain further residence card from the UKBA due to incorrect advice given by other advisers and the UKBAs continuous refusals to accept her as a family member of a qualified person exercising Treaty Rights since 2008. Since contacting LRMN via telephone and receiving advice with regard to her appeal she managed to lodge the appeal form in time. Thereafter, it was arranged for her to come and 16

see me for face to face advice and assistance. When Mrs Tina first came to LRMN, she was in tears about her situation, being unable to work as a qualified nurse, unable to support her growing family and her husband. After the long initial meeting it was agreed that we would represent her at the appeal hearing on pro bono basis. Since taking on the case, we helped to prepare her appeal by collecting evidence; contacting relevant third parties; chasing a number of organisations including the UKBA. While also supporting her emotionally via telephone or face to face contact to consider the positive aspects, and looking forward to the future. At the end of the evidence collection, we managed to submit the appeal bundle containing over 150 pages of evidence, case laws and legislations. In October 2011, Mrs Tinas appeal hearing took place with further evidence and submission sent to the Tribunal in November 2011 where LRMN represented the client and her family. After months of stress, worries, sleepless nights and emotional strain for the adviser and the client, the client found out in January 2012 that her case was allowed on all grounds by the Tribunal. Since then, she obtained her residence card and is positive about life and her family. She is now working as a qualified nurse and is supporting her family. Womens Project Client A initially self-referred to the Womens Project on the advice of a friend who had received support here. Originally from Sri-Lanka, A had been detained, raped and tortured on suspicion of being a member of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and had lost contact with her husband following her flight to the UK. A left three children behind in Sri-Lanka. Initially very isolated, shy and nervous, A resisted counselling and did not want to be referred to the counsellor who was available. Instead, she simply wanted to talk with me on a weekly basis and we spent some sessions on assessment and psycho-educational work about counselling. Having built some trust between us, A agreed to try counselling and surprised herself by engaging with the sessions and the counsellor retaining a weekly check-in with me. After 3 sessions, A was able to attend counselling sessions without seeing me too. After 12 sessions, her case was discussed within our team meeting and we decided to invite her to the Womens Group. A was paired with a Tamil mentor, with whom she became friends. She began to attend the group regularly, even when she also had to sign with the UKBA on the same day. Although she was very quiet in the group, the facilitators noticed that she began to smile more and seemed to enjoy the activities, often looking visibly more relaxed by the end of the session. During preparations for Refugee Week, A offered to scribe a Tamil song for the women to learn and assisted in teaching non-Tamils the words. As her confidence grew, she then requested support in finding a solicitor and began to take pro-active steps in moving her case forward; this included an in-depth report written by the Womens Project, detailing her history, presenting symptoms and country information, together with an explicit statement of our support for her case. Having learned about Freedom from Torture from the Womens Group, A then requested that her counsellor refer her there. The referral is now through, A is attending specialist trauma treatment there, and has just been granted 3 years Refugee Status. A continues to take an active part in the Womens Group and is interested in training to become a mentor in 2012-13.

17

Health A family from Afghanistan was referred to the project by a GP. They were the father, Mr R, the mother, Mrs R and a seven year old boy, S. The family was deeply traumatised from their experiences in Afghanistan after they witnessed a colleague being shot, and the father R was abducted and beaten up. They came here and had further stresses with immigration and housing. Mrs R is suffering from severe depression caused by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They had recently been struck off the register of their GP, as Mrs R gets very upset when people are rude to her, and she had apparently shouted at the doctor. I managed to get them registered with another GP, but the first appointment was only in a few days, and Mrs R had run out of anti-depressant medication. So I sent them with a letter to the nearest NHS Walk-in centre. The next day Mrs R collapsed in the street and missed her signing appointment at the immigration centre. To prevent them being put into a detention centre and then deported, I obtained an urgent report from May Day hospital where Mrs R was taken and sent to the immigration centre. I also negotiated for the family to be able to sign monthly and not weekly to minimise the stress. I referred them for counselling to Freedom from Torture, and they were given an urgent appointment, whereas it can often take months to get an appointment. Ms R (Bangladesh national) was referred to us by a friend after failing to pay for her healthcare and pharmacy bills. Ms R has a chronic chest condition and has to regularly visit the doctors and then collect her medication from the pharmacy. She had been able to receive health care service until the hospital authorities started to ask for her immigration status. She has a pending application with the Home Office and is therefore legally entitled to receive healthcare in the UK. The lack of financial support and failure to receive health care would have had detrimental effects to Ms Rs medical condition. She became desperate hence the referral by her friend who also provides her with accommodation as she has no recourse to public funds. Her mood was very low and would have had other serious mental health issues. After she was referred to us, and on realising that she potentially had no other source of funding I was left with one option. She was eligible to apply under the NHS Low Income Scheme and I filled in an HC1 form for her assessment for healthcare costs. The assessment is never straightforward and sometimes we get negative answers but after waiting for a few weeks her answer came and it was positive. She received her certificate of authorisation to receive NHS healthcare & medication and came in to advise me of such good news. She was very excited, felt happier and has been going out more often. Ms R was very grateful to LRMN for the support they gave her.

18

19
400 350 300 250
200

150

100

50

0
Afghanistan African

Asian/Asian British
Bangladeshi

Black/Black British Caribbean

English

Indian
Iraq/Iran

Pakistani Somali
South African/Zimbabwean

Tamil
Chinese Vietnamese

White British
White and Black African

Client Ethnicity Breakdown

White and Black Caribbean Other

Other Asian

Other Black
Other White (Non British)

Series1

Our Partners

LRMN has worked with many partners in and around Lewisham and we would like to say Thank You to all of them for their support and contribution to all our projects. Action For Refugee In Lewisham (AFRIL) Southwark Law Centre Duncan Lewis (New Cross office) UK Border Agency Lewisham Social Services Immigration and Asylum Tribunal Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA) Family Services UK IAPT Lewisham Southall Black Sisters Lewisham Council (Children Referrals & Assessments/ Vulnerable Adults) CSEL National Domestic Violence Helpline 170 Community Immigration Solicitors Poppy Project London Churches Refugee Network Brockley Community Church Volunteer Centre Lewisham Lewisham NHS trust CLC Solicitors (north London) Rights of Women Public Law Project Lewisham CABs Office of Immigration Services Commission LASA

Refuge Lewisham College Greenwich Council Family Pathways

Asylum Aid Ashiana Metropolitan Police Guys and St Thomas Well Women clinic Refugee Council WAST Women for Refugee Women North Lewisham PCT Health Improvement team

20

Lewisham Maternity Services Liaison Committee Health Communities Collaborative Lewisham LINk Lewisham Health and Social Care Forum GP surgeries Medicins du Monde Project London Bench Outreach Age Concern

Lewisham, Lambeth, Southwark Refugee Health Team Voluntary Action Lewisham Building Healthier Communities Voluntary Action Lewisham Southwark Day centre for Asylum Seekers Freedom from Torture Kings Church Community Mental Health Team (Speedwell and Northover) Health Improvement Team Family Mosaic Single Homeless Intervention and Prevention Team (SHIP). Lewisham Advice Providers Forum Greenwich Action for Voluntary Service Perry Rise Baptist Church Capital Training and Development Network Evelyn Oldfield Unit Deptford Reach Red Cross Refugee Legal Advisors Group

Lewisham primary schools The Sanctuary The Hyde

Lewisham Advice Providers Consortium BAN Southwark Refugee Communities Forum Lewisham Churches for Asylum Seekers Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Forum Migrant Rights Network 999 REETA

21

Trustees

Lydia Abu Alison Willis Laurentina Risch Amina Ismail Eddie Mark Mulumba Lutfi Vata Mo Obadina Rita Buhanda Jim Kanter

Chair Vice Chair Secretary Treasurer Member Member Member Member Member

Staff

Rosario Mincher Emma Brech Arianna Rondos Margot Lawrence Nur Jahan Mazumder Shepherd Ziko Terry Adams Cristina Zorat

Director Womens Project Manager Womens Project Assistant Welfare Benefits and Health Adviser Immigration and Welfare Benefits Adviser Health Access Officer Capacity Development Officer (joined July 2012) ICT Development Project Officer (joined October 2012)

Funders

London Borough of Lewisham Lewisham NHS Comic Relief Henry Smith Foundation Trust for London Lewisham Health Care NHS Trust Awards for All Nominet Trust Clothworkers Foundation London Churches 22

Volunteers and Students on Placement

Sian Munkhai Active Janet Smith - Active Matilda Avorgbedor Left May 2012 Eulicia Horne- Nguta Active Marilena Ricciardi Left March 2012 Shweta Sayed- Left January 2012 Aisha Somni Gupta Left Sep 2012 Javad Sadeghi Active Cophia Yau Left Sep 2012 Izhar Eissadi Left May 2012 Joseph Beale Active Fiona Wood Active Jeyda Hammad Active Andreja Mesaric Active Calum Smith Left June 2012 Theepa Amalraj - Active Jane Phillips Left July 2012 Margot Rose Palmer Left June 2012 Nimo Abdi Left September 2012 Sinotu Lawal - Active Marjorie Hawthorne - Active Pamela Moncrieffe Active Clotilde Ahouadja Active Christopher Cullen Active Denver Garrison Active Clare Maclure Active Shilpi Batura Active Monica Wagner Left June 2012 John Walker Active Jane de Rome Active Sian Tagg Left Oct 2012 Dola Akinnibosun Active Aneta Kurasiak Active Mathilde Khaleff Active Anna Branthwaite Active Philomina Emeli - Active Matilda Skans - Left Monica Haubler Goschl - Active Ben Sanders left June 2012 Charles Williams Active Ella Howard Left September 2012 Ben Campbell - Active

Contact Us

Parker House 144 Evelyn Street SE8 5DD Tel: 020 8694 0323 Fax: 020 8694 6621 Email: info@lrmn.org.uk Website: www.lrmn.org.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/LRMNetwork Registered Charity Number: 1058631 Company Registered Number: 3252691
23