The Devon & Cornwall Refugee Support Council⁹ (DCRSC) is a UK registered charity run by refugees and members of the local community, particularly for refugees, asylum seekers and other BME¹⁰ people living in the South West peninsular.   Members aim to provide practical help and advice, information and signposting for asylum seekers and refugees (ASR) to ensure the full benefit of their entitlements under UK and international law.   We aim to provide a culturally-sensitive and practical response to the needs of the ASR community.

To provide relief to ASR in the Plymouth area who are in need, or suffering hardship or distress.   To provide food parcels for those ASR who are destitute. To provide free clothing to those ASR in need.  To provide an internet service.   To provide a social centre where ASR can socialise with their friends.

DCRSC is a Registered Charity¹¹ , No. 1092992.

The governing body of the charity is the Board of Trustees, with several specialist sub-committees:   Finance, Personnel, Fundraising, etc.   The Board of Trustees meets approximately once-a-month.
Trustees are elected for a three-year period and may be re-elected for a further three years.   Individuals may be appointed by the Trustees by co-option to fill any vacancies arising but this is subject to ratification at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The main responsibility of trustees is to formulate the strategic plans of the charity along with the budget, financial monitoring, and fundraising.   Trustees receive regular reports on all aspects of the work from the Staff and Volunteers.

During 2008, the prime work for trustees was to raise funds to pay for staff for the Centre and for the Food Programme.   Hard decisions had were encountered and big efforts had to be made to locate new funding routes.   This work continues.

Trustees had decided that the priority in 2008 must be to ensure continuation of the Centre which had to be available and open as often as possible without any breaks. We are pleased to report that this was achieved with considerable effort and commitment by Project Support Worker staff, and volunteers who are trained to cover and assist them.   Therefore, our absolute priority was to raise sufficient finance to pay the staff and volunteer expenses which was achieved and has been explained fully by the Chair in her report.   We also cut our costs as much as possible without affecting the quality of services. We appreciate the efforts of providers, Landlord and Service Providers (Telephones, Electricity, Council, etc.,) for helping us. According to good practice we shall be forming a Company, limited by guarantee, during 2009.

The Centre was kept open in the same premises for four days a week, two Drop-in days and two days for Visits-by-Appointment only. Shortages of staff, due to insufficient funding, prevented us from opening five days a week.

The total number of consultations during 2008 was 3,986 (3,712 in 2007), and there were 5,538 visits to the centre by asylum seekers and refugees.   Not only do our service users visit the Centre regularly for consultations with our professional project support workers but also for other reasons such as to simply to pay a social visit and meet their friends, or to use the internet.

With the loss of the Big Lottery Funding in 2007 we saw a reduction in staff in and then the Centre’s Administrator & Finance Officer moved on after successfully completing his accountancy studies. 2008 began with just two Project Support Workers.

Following several Training Sessions (see Report on pages 17 and 18) carried out by the staff, volunteers and many of our service users, we were able to take on new roles within the Centre, some supporting the Project Support Workers whilst others, take more responsibility in ensuring the smooth running of the Centre and enabling the services we offer to the ASR communities to continue.

With team effort and the dedication of staff, volunteers and service users, the Centre continued to remain open four days a week.   The numbers accessing our services increased considerably during 2008 and Advice & Advocacy and the Food Programme continued to be available to clients four days a week.   This included two Drop-in Sessions when the Clothing Store and the Internet Suite services were also available.

Following the vision of our founding Director, Sam Moinia Kallon, we continue to open our doors to the increased number of service users who access the Masiandae Centre for some kind of assistance, practical support, or the ongoing opportunity to be respected and shown the dignity they deserve as victims of circumstances.

Throughout this past year, with staffing levels of paid workers lower than required, the work of advice and advocacy has been faithfully met by assistant advisors who have been given insight and training by OISC¹⁴ qualified staff and supervised in such a way as to cover the growing demand for our services.

We have been well assisted by Volunteers on the casework side, doing those laborious phone calls to chase Asylum Support Agency issues and signposting to partners in the community who can provide other services.   Colin Stares joined the team this year and successfully registered as an OISC Level-1 Advisor.   We have been so grateful for his regular Monday advice and advocacy, which comes with previous legal background and current responsibilities within the Magistrates Court.   Pat Joyce has committed endless hours with her voluntary assistance and looks forward to gaining her OISC Level-1 registration in 2009.   John Shinner, came out of retirement from his OISC registration to assist with the gradual increase in demands we have faced.   Each one has showed much commitment to keep our Centre open and together with the numerous other volunteers necessary to fulfil various roles, we are proud to say that after ten years our service users still demonstrate confidence in what we provide.

All project support workers recognise that although the immigration process for claiming asylum has changed very little over the past few years, the promise that it would be quicker under the New Asylum Model is not meeting the expectations of the Home Office¹⁵ and there are often long delays for first interviews and first decisions which may lead to some current claimants also being passed onto the Legacy Casework Team¹⁶ .   This Legacy Team have a current target to provide decisions by 2011 but national observers doubt that the thousands of cases to which this applies will be adequately dealt with by then.

During this past year the Immigration System has become more restrictive in order to “guard our borders” therefore, asylum seekers may fail at the first hurdle because it is a criminal offence to enter the UK with false documentation. We agree that to achieve successful entry for economic or fraudulent gain is a justifiable offence, but many victims of persecution have an impossible task:

•   to find certificates to prove their identity;
•   procure the correct form to apply for a passport from their own government offices;
•   be granted exit visas to leave the country;
•   submit the correct application form to Foreign Embassy Offices for entry clearance;
•   wait to be interviewed;
•   and process such applications before booking travel tickets.

Unfortunately, in those failed states, there are traffickers and racketeers who will act as agents to assist the vulnerable, and then abandon them at port of entry or at a service station along a long coach journey far away from where they entered the UK.   This first offence is deemed by the Asylum & Immigration judiciary process as a sign of deliberate deceit which automatically makes the presumption of the claimant as being an unreliable witness leading to indisputable adverse credibility claims on their Determination Paper¹⁷.

Free Government-financed English lessons at a college or language school are no longer available for those who have been in the UK less than six months.   This new policy change has created long waiting lists for provision of ESOL¹⁸ in the city and left serious gaps in integration as well as isolating individuals from the community.   It is often these language barriers that contribute to ignorance on both sides.  There are a number of voluntary sector providers to meet this need and we are grateful for everyone.

Education costs are barriers to many, whether youths passing A-Levels and being accepted for degree courses, or long term asylum seekers who desire to further their readiness to resume their professional careers by qualifying again to the British certification required.   Termed as international students, the £1,000 fees Plymouth University requires, is beyond their ability, especially when many of those seeking to pursue such courses are paid ££35 weekly, in Tesco vouchers alone!

Home Office Case Owners, allocated an asylum claimant to handle from first interview to supervising the outcome of any final determination, are increasingly under stress from target-led decisions and the import of having to take responsibility of making life choices for these vulnerable individuals.   What should have been a constant flow of people through the city onto independence or forced removal often repeats the old delays and the deeply depressing waiting game played by those who don’t have to look into the faces of those who suffer the consequences.

Our service users reflect the national average of those granted leave to remain, which means our staff and volunteers realise that over 65% of those who access our Centre will become labelled “Failed¹⁹ Asylum Seeker” by the Home Office and other labels added to that by media hype and ignorant members of society.   The burden on communities to assist those who are then without any accommodation or financial support increases.   Sadly, we can only offer food provision for those who are destitute, and rough sleeper kits to those who feel safe enough to risk the mugging and theft of those abandoned on the streets with local homeless people who may also be alcoholic s or drug users.

After years of degrading treatment in the UK, abandoned by the judiciary, and may be incapable of returning to a safe country, many destitute service users beg a floor and meal from others in the city, until after months and even years some do succumb to the temptations of those making money by offering false ID to facilitate work. When legal aid is refused and the only available immigration advice can be gained from solicitor’s firms asking for payment, it is inevitably the choice between risking the chance to prove their case worthy of protection or facing the harsh reality of being a beggar devoid of human dignity.

Our two city firms of Immigration Advisors faithfully serve those who can benefit from local representation but the demand is more than they can achieve so we rely on the recommendations of those who are found to be reliable and willing to take on cases, which would otherwise be abandoned.

The Home Office merits test continues to discriminate against certain races, gender or ethnicities although each one is entitled to a fair trial.   This reality challenges our resolve to allow our service users to access their legal rights each time we meet a new person that may be deemed unmerited.

Despite the negative side of seeing the oppressed and despondent, we do see individuals find restoration, recovery and opportunity to regain their self-esteem and confidence by joining in the activities that are increasingly being offered to them in the community.   To be able to advertise and encourage service users to participate in activities where they are invited to contribute their own skills and abilities is a joy for Project Support Workers on the front line.   We are always looking for community connections that will open a door to our service users, creating hope for integration and building blocks for their future.   Our partnerships in the city are ever widening, and it would be true to say that the success of our advice and advocacy is largely due to those locally and nationally who have confidence in our service and join us in meeting the needs of those who approach DCRSC.

With our holistic approach to our service users, and a guaranteed welcome by the faithful team of volunteers we recognise that international crises will continue to fuel the numbers of victims seeking protection in a safe country such as ours.   Whilst this is the case, we trust that supporters like those who read this report will underpin our services by their vital contributions of human resource, financial donations or items of kind.