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Safeguarding at LASSN

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2024-11-08T12:25:40+00:006th November, 2016|Tags: |

How LASSN tries to help everyone to remain safe and well when working or volunteering with us. Volunteering is a key part of how we reduce the risks in people's lives by increasing their connections, building confidence, and giving them choices. We're keen to support our volunteers' efforts with clear guidance and processes which support your work. Each year, we review our existing policies to ensure they are up-to-date and in line with best practice.  Here's a summary of how we do this We have a combined Safeguarding and Adults Policy (updated May 24) based on Local arrangements and good practice. We produce Staying Safe Summaries, which detail how we keep everyone safe in each of our projects: English at Home, Hosting and Houses, Welcome and Connect and all staff and volunteers are trained in these during their induction, and refreshed throughout their time at LASSN. We have a thorough recruitment and selection process for all paid Staff and Volunteers, which includes background checks and taking up references. You can find a detailed explanation of why we seek Basic Disclosures on staff and volunteers here. We have developed Volunteer Social Media Guidelines and a Volunteer Problem Solving Procedure to try and reduce the potential for online harm and to help volunteers know how we'll address any difficulties they may experience. Staff and trustees are pleased with these policies, which we hope will help keep LASSN a safe place to volunteer and reassure the people we support of our commitment to everyone's welfare and security. All of the documents referred to on this page can also be found in the Volunteer Information Pack.

NEW: LASSN English Teaching resources online

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2024-09-26T08:24:59+01:0014th June, 2016|Tags: , , , |

We've decided to open up all our online resources for teaching English to anyone that wants them: more than 800 different teaching resources*. We usually recommend to our Volunteers that they speak with the English at Home Volunteers manager before using them - to make sure that they're suitable - but they're now completely available to anyone who wants them. Written resources: https://lassn.org.uk/teachingresources/ In addition, we have revised and updated our list of online ESOL resources and published a list of local ESOL classes. The expanded and updated Learning English Leeds website [now Learning English in Yorkshire and Humber] is due to be updated in late June 2016, so we're hopeful this will be the last time we need to publish this. *Please note - although we produced many of these, we didn't produce all of them ;o)  

#refugeeswelcome – the Public Meeting at West Yorkshire Playhouse, 15th September 2015

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2018-11-09T13:43:47+00:0018th September, 2015|

On Tuesday night, a couple of hundred citizens of Leeds pitched up to the West Yorkshire Playhouse to find out how they could respond to the Refugee Crisis unfolding in Europe. The event was organised by Leeds City of Sanctuary, with help fromTogether for Peace, Migration Yorkshire and  Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network. The focus of the meeting, was on helping turn concern into action, and to help people find the most practical and useful ways of helping out. Although Leeds has not yet seen an increase in the number of asylum seekers and refugees resulting from the current crisis, we are already home to people from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan and many other countries from across the world. Many families are struggling with reduced financial support, and some are even having to sleep rough. After Ed Carlisle briefly set the international and local scene, Aster went on to speak movingly of her passage into the UK, and the reception she received when she arrived. The big group then split down into smaller workshops – themed around activism, campaigning, teaching english, collecting things, volunteering, arts and faith, health and other topics. The aim of each group was to help people find a way of helping out that suited their skills and interests. We hope each of those groups will feed back and give us updates on their progress. Many thanks to West Yorkshire Playhouse – the world’s first Theatre of Sanctuary – who also offered participants discounted tickets for that night’s performance of The Glass Menagerie. That same evening, Leeds City council announced their intention to help resettle 200 refugees over the next 2 years, and to ensure third sector organisations supporting refugees and asylum seekers receive money to safeguard their essential services.

Grace Hosting – an update for new volunteers

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2024-09-26T08:08:50+01:0011th September, 2015|

Many thanks to everyone who has contacted us to offer accommodation through our Grace Hosting Scheme. If you are offering to specifically house new refugee arrivals in the UK, you need to know that it is unlikely that the UK will be taking in any refugees direct from Europe. The Prime Minister has pledged to take 20,000 Syrian refugee (children) direct from refugee camps in the Middle East over a period of five years, and is relying on local authorities to find places for them. That may be with host families, but it will not be a quick process. The UK pledged to take 2,000 from those camps in 2013, and up to now we have only taken 216, so unless there is huge pressure on government to change policy, many offers of help will not be taken up. If you want to urge the government to do more, there are a number of good petitions being circulated. Hundreds of thousands have signed up already. You can find them on change.org , 38 degrees and avaaz People who come to the UK and claim asylum (31,000 in total last year) are given accommodation while their case is being heard. That means that there is little opportunity to accommodate them in host families, except for some unaccompanied minors, who may be placed in foster families. If you are interested in doing that, please contact your local social services for information.  Home for Good is an excellent initiative working with churches to place children in families, including refugee children. LASSN Hosts offer accommodation to asylum seekers whose claims have been refused, and who have been made homeless and destitute in the UK*, and refugees (people who have had their asylum applications accepted) who have not yet been able to sort out accommodation for themselves If you think this is something you can help with, then please complete our online application form, and let us know if you can attend attend one of our breifing sessions on Thursday 24th September 6.30 – 7.30pm Tuesday 29th September 6.30 – 7.30pm Saturday 3rd October at 11.00 – 12.00pm The briefing sessions will be held at our offices in town – Ebor Court, Westgate, Leeds LS1 4ND. Here’s a link to a Google Map: http://bit.ly/lassnparking  Please email Jo Carter, Grace Hosting Manager on [email protected] to book a place. *In the case of refused asylum seekers, our aim is usually to provide accommodation whilst they get help to apply for financial and/or housing support or putting in a fresh claim.

Befriending Update – September 15

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2015-09-18T11:31:12+01:0010th September, 2015|

Pauline Cooke left in June of this year, after we were unable to secure replacement funding for her role as Volunteers Manager. The existing 40 matches between asylum seekers, refugees and their befrienders continue, supported by a small group of experienced befrienders. However, although demand for befriending support remains high, we have closed the service to new referrals, and to new volunteers. We continue to try and find replacement sources of funding for this work, and have produced a detailed evaluation of the work in conjunction with existing and former users of the services, volunteers and other services across the city. You can read the full report here - which we are using to support our funding proposals.  

LASSN in the News

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2018-11-09T12:53:59+00:0010th September, 2015|

There's been a lot of interest in what we do over the last few days. We haven't always been able to say "yes" to requests from journalists, but we've done the best we can. Here's a feature from The Guardian on Tuesday 8th September, featuring Yoshiko and Jack, and Lois and Kirsty, talking about their experiences of Hosting.   And here's Ed Carlisle on BBC Radio Leeds talking about his experiences as a Grace host. Piece in the Guardian on "How do I offer a room in my house to a refugee..." 11th September 2015 Thanks to all our supporters and volunteers who've been willing to go on air, and the TV to talk about their experiences.  We don't have recordings/clippings for everyone, but please send them in if you find any more...

A guide to helping refugees and asylum seekers in Leeds and beyond

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2018-11-09T12:31:22+00:0010th September, 2015|Tags: , |

There are many ways to help out, and we know volunteering with LASSN won't suit everyone. There will also be a public meeting 5.30pm - 7.30pm, Tuesday 15th September at the West Yorkshire Playhouse to get an update about what's happening in the City, meet other people who want to make a difference, and find out how you can play a part in what comes next. You don't have to sign up to anything on the night. Come along for all of it, a bit of it. It'll be nice to see you.

How you can help

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2018-11-09T13:43:24+00:0020th August, 2015|Tags: |

There are many ways to help LASSN to deliver our aims of supporting, empowering and integrating asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds. You can volunteer to help someone learn English, emergency accommodation, make friends and to make stronger connections with their local area. These aren't the only volunteering opportunities at LASSN, but they are the main things we focus on. If you'd like to help us out, complete our online application form, tell us what you're good at, or what you have to offer, and we'll try and find a way of putting your talents to good use. If you can't offer time, you might donate some money, or organise a fundraiser for us. If none of these are possible, then there's still loads you can do to lend support to our cause. Read our website, and find out more about the reality of seeking refuge in Leeds. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook, and help us get our messages to a wider audience. Use the information you find to challenge some of the myths about migration. Be kind to strangers, and give people the time of day. We think all of this helps to make Leeds a kinder, safer, more welcoming place - and we're grateful for your offer of support. Thanks.  

Some notes from the volunteer social on Advocacy, Wednesday 12th Feb

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2024-09-26T07:50:04+01:0013th February, 2015|

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Gala Screening of Pride at last night's themed social on Advocacy. Aside from the fabulous pizzas and excellent film, Derek from Advocacy Support led a short discussion on what advocacy, or "supporting someone to get stuff done" meant to some of the LASSN volunteers who came along. Along the way we discussed things like the importance of seeking guidance and reassurance with things you might not be familiar with the excellent resources to be found on the new website the Advocacy Charter - a set of principles used by professional advocacy organisations; the different cultural expectations people have when they ask for help - and that perhaps "Empowerment" was a curiously Western concept whether or not advocacy necessarily led to "dependency" and tactics we might use to avoid this What we might learn from models of collaboration in medical contexts We also discussed the forthcoming Q&A Board for LASSN Volunteers. We're still testing out the space at the moment but it should be going live in a couple of weeks. We hope the Q&A Board will be a place where volunteers can ask questions, and have them answered by other volunteers with experience of similar things. Thanks to everyone who came, andwe hope to see you at our next Themed Social in May - when Andrew from Solace will be helping us think about how we respond to mental health Emergencies

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