Annual Reports
Northern Refugee Centre Annual Report (2011 -12)
Note from the Chair
Dear Friend
This year has been full of changes for everyone engaged with NRC. The most obvious change was our move from Scotia Works and Castle Market to the Exchange Brewery - a move that enhanced the services offered to our range of clients due to co-location of other valued and much needed services. *
Everyone worked hard to make the move look seamless and the office was up and running within hours. So a big thanks to all who put in extra time and effort to make this happen.
There have also been changes to the region and the re-configuring of services, especially from the private sector. I know that this involvement has raised debates as to how to engage with the new companies. And that the outcomes have varied. However, it is clear that service delivery to the most vulnerable in society continues to be paramount and this helps to get the best outcome possible.
Jantela Partnerships has done outstanding work to stabilise and support various organisations across the region. The year ahead will see mergers and consolidations where there might have been a loss of services.
NRC and Refugee Council are still working together and scoping the new landscape of the refugee and migrant sector. The Advice sector in Sheffield is important to the clients of NRC and we have been supporting them in plans for their new delivery of services across the city. Like so many organisations, NRC has a fantastic and reliable volunteer base that supports many of the programmes that we operate. They work alongside our managers of the programmes and bring additional expertise and empathy to the groups and individuals. **
I should also like to thank all Board members for their contributions (often probing questions), time and support to NRC over the past year.
Sylvia Anginotti
Northern Refugee Centre (Chair)
* The following organisations now share premises with NRC: Refugee Council Gateway team, ASSIST advocacy and South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice. The move has given us more much needed room and flexibility to deliver our services and is a much improved working environment for staff and clients.
** Volunteers have assisted us in a range of duties including interpreting, giving advice, admin, advocacy and running conversation groups. We continue to include volunteers and service users in our feedback process and gain valuable feedback to help us in the shaping and delivery of our services.
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Chief Executive’s Report
The significant challenges that the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) has faced over the last few years continue and the combination of different pressures coming together has created the ‘perfect storm’ for NRC and other organisations. The public expenditure cuts, the increased demands on other sources of funding, the demise of so many regional infrastructure organisations and the growth of very outcome focused contracts have all contributed to this ‘storm’.
However, NRC is still here, still struggling to adapt to these challenges and striving to be more flexible and imaginative as to how services can be provided. NRC also continues to play a key role in influencing policy and services for refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants living in Yorkshire and Humber. We have continued to help shape the Yorkshire and Humber region in terms of what NRC provides directly as described in this annual report, but also in partnering with others.
We have recently had formal agreement between NRC and Bradford Action for Refugees (BAfR) and Asylum seekers and Refugees of Kingston upon Hull (ARKH) to merge on the 1st of April 2013. NRC is also in active discussions with another 5 agencies within the region about possible further mergers.
We are still committed to building even stronger working links with the Refugee Council in the region. This will enable a more coordinated and effective range of services across the region, which can only be for the benefit of refugees and asylum seekers. We have recently signed a partnership agreement within the Advice Services Partnership (ASP – Refugee Council, Northern Refugee Centre, Refugee Action, Scottish Refugee council, Welsh Refugee Council, North of England Refugee Service) to further our partnership nationally.
We are also continuing to support local refugee VCS agencies across the region through Jantela Partnerships and I need to stress that this partnership approach of different refugee VCS agencies can only mean a better service for refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants across the region.
Also, we have been strengthening inks with the wider VCS, particularly with those agencies that are working in the wider social inclusion and cohesion field e.g. homelessness, recognising that our work must fit with those wider agencies to be both more effective and efficient.
When there are better times, we will need to ensure that we continue the same resilience, commitment and imagination that is seeing NRC through these times.
Jim Steinke
Chief Executive, NRC
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