Stronger Building community resilience and cohesion

Working hard to address real and groups in our neighbourhoods. I’ve been lucky perceived issues, the Changing Projects funded by the Ministry enough to Places Programme has helped of Housing Community and Local experience to build community resilience Government (MHCLG) through and cohesion, strengthening the Changing Places Programme first-hand how migration community bonds through have empowered communities to has enriched the places we increased social mixing between understand their strengths, their work and live. It is the new and established vulnerabilities, preferences, and communities.The demographics reason why projects what drives them. Generating of Bradford have changed over the and promoting strategies that funded by the Ministry last decade with new emerging connect people to opportunities of Housing, Community communities from Central and to participate in community Eastern Europe, including migrant & Local Government life by providing the tools and and refugee communities from services to enable new arrivals (MHCLG) as set out in the North East North Africa and to the District, and host Changing Places Program Middle Eastern regions. This communities, to be more change has resulted in Bradford 2017 – 2020 are so self-sufficient and develop a becoming a multi-cultural and important in improving sense of civic pride and belonging multi-faceted District with in their local neighbourhood. our understanding of the residents from over 90 ethnic relationship between new immigration and social cohesion.

Cllr Abdul Jabar, Portfolio Holder, Neighbourhoods & Community Safety

This document sets out Bradford’s Changing Places Programme, which advanced work across the district to create stronger, more confident and socially integrated communities. It complements the wider work that Bradford Council has undertaken to address barriers which can limit opportunities for new communities and undermine integration; as part of the Stronger Communities Together Strategy FB/ BfdForEveryone TW @BfdForEveryone IN/ bfdforeveryone for the Bradford District 2018 - 2023. www.bradfordforeveryone.co.uk

2 3 Project partners

Arise West Projects Action for Children Keighley Area Coordinator’s Office St Edmunds Nursery School and BEAP Community Partnership Children’s Centre Bradford Welcomes United Communities Royds Community Association Bradford East Area Coordinator’s Office Shipley Area Coordinator’s Office Bradford South Area Coordinator’s Office New Communities and Travellers Bradford West Area Coordinator’s Office Education Service Bradford Youth Service New Communities and Travellers Bradford of Sanctuary Elective Home Education, Children’s Services Bradford Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse Survivors Service NEESIE Bradford Refugee Forum The Linking Network Bradford West Family Hub West Family Hub CAB Chapel Street Studio Co-operative CNet - Empowering Communities HALE - Health Action Local Engagement

Projects and Partners cited in Outcomes & Outputs, pages 16-18

A English for Everyone, Shipley College B Bradford Welcomes United Communities, Bradford College C Bradford Leaders Programme, NEESIE / Bradford Lead D Welcoming New Migrants, Arise E Marginalised Communities, Arise F Teenage pregnancy amongst the Central and Eastern European communities in Bradford, Cnet – Empowering Communities G Teenage pregnancy amongst the Central and Eastern European communities in Bradford, SELFIE H Early Years Children’s Centres Clusters, Action for Children - East, West Family Hub, St Edmund’s Nursery School and Children’s Centre

4 4 Changing Places Programme Impact Summary Report

1. Context and Need

The projects supported by the services. Partners also described Changing Places Programme the lack of strategic approaches took place across the Bradford to facilitate the integration of new Metropolitan District. The migrant groups. New arrivals do partners delivering the projects not have adequate access to identified varying aspects of the context in which they were working and specific challenges they hoped to address.

Bradford is a multiply-deprived district (ranked fifth most income-deprived local authority in terms of rank of income scale in ) in which a higher than average non-British born population lives (reported between 9 – 16%) with a long history of cultural diversity.

Partners describe how areas of high deprivation and poverty in Bradford - with an existing community predominantly made information and support and up of families from Pakistani, this then impacts on their living Bangladeshi and white British standards. The basic information backgrounds - are experiencing and advice they need ranges the arrival of a transitory migrant from English language skills to a community from Central Eastern two-way cultural awareness that Europe, specifically Poland, would allow them to integrate Slovakia and the Czech Republic. socially, to sexual health Across the District partners education that would address outline that there are limited higher than average teenage resources and a lack of public pregnancy amongst young women funds available to address from Central Eastern Europe. increased demands across public

6 7 2. Activities and Planned Interventions

Against this backdrop the • leadership training to projects aimed to address the enhance the skills and specific challenges and contexts knowledge of young BME through various activities and migrant community projects for and by migrant individuals who can help communities including: become the voice of the community they represent and • ESOL classes (including to take part in decision making bespoke classes for Rohingya); that affects their community. information leaflets in foreign languages; • and the creation of an Emergency Fund to meet • integration activities immediate essential clothing and cultural celebrations and equipment needs and (including food, drama, support families to access dance, film, sport and music); food banks.

• environmental activities Many of the projects also aimed (including litter picks and to increase the capacity and recycling days); skills of existing provision through:

• creating new networks and partnership teams;

• establishing local forums and cross discussions;

• skilling up, training and improving the knowledge and understanding of migration among community-based service providers and practitioners,

• and extending the working capacity of staff.

• an intense period of academic learning for • workshops and drop in advice young people including, key centres for information, note addresses by corporate guidance and support leaders, field visits; and a around public services; visit to Downing Street, volunteering opportunities; Parliament and Home Office.

8 9 Case Study 1 Case Study 1

Bradford Welcomes United Communities Bradford College

The aim of the project was to Working in partnership with community support groups of people who settings we were able to support many are new to the country and who programmes of English Language have little or no English language training and integration activities skills in order to help them including get-together events, healthy living events such as sports at leisure integrate into society and their centres, walks in local parks and communities. Very often ESOL surrounding areas of Bradford, classes focus on language but participating in local politics, reading cultural events and community newspapers, developing digital skills cohesion are not considered. With such as using IT and smartphones, this in mind, we looked to support supporting education progress through individuals and their families in visits to Bradford College and other developing their English language local providers, and hosting events to skills, whilst underpinning local celebrate learners’ achievement. cultural awareness, community cohesion, social integration and There were a number of intended outcomes: raising awareness of promoting British values. opportunities for new arrivals within the district; providing an educational English language classes and activities pathway for individuals to support were delivered across Bradford. We set integration to further education and up bespoke classes for the Rohingya employment opportunities; and community and worked with asylum improving cross-agency working seekers and refugees within their first within the Bradford District. six months of arriving in a number of different areas. Participants in the The College exceeded all the success project were from Somalia, Syria, criteria we had anticipated - 242 people Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Eritrea, Afghanistan, were actually engaged through 34 Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, classes and sessions and 14 events. the Congo, Czech Republic, Libya, Pakistan, Poland, Slovakia and Vietnam.

I have learnt lots of things in the class. There were a number of intended outcomes... I want to learn more and The College exceeded all the success criteria we had help to speak English. anticipated - 242 people were actually engaged

Pre-entry learner at Bradford College through 34 classes and sessions and 14 events.

10 11 Case Study 2 Case Study 2

Changing Places - Welcoming New Migrants Arise

The aim of the Changing Places agencies and Council services. project was to improve the Other activities included a single knowledge and understanding of point of access to signpost, offer migration among community-based advice and provide information on service providers, so that support services, ESOL classes and cultural celebrations using food, services can be shaped and drama, video films, music and sport as allocated to support the integration a means of sharing experiences and of new arrivals to the benefit of culture. The purpose of the events was both newly arrived migrants and to establish a conversation with these the settled population groups. communities, build trust and Partners agreed to engage a relationships and to highlight the further 26 informal partners - faith achievements and history of the groups, community groups and targeted new communities, developing schools, youth associations, a sense of belonging and pride. The Council Wardens and events sought to celebrate diversity Neighbourhood offices - in across cultures through food, drama, dance, film, sport and music by a collaborative approach to bringing together families and people identify ways to achieve improved of all ages to share past experiences, community cohesion, cultural cross-cultural themes, and stories from tolerance and social and economic their countries. well-being for all residents. Improved numbers of volunteers were The partners designed and delivered engaged to organise events and to a number of activities to assist the act as translators - thereby enhancing integration of new migrants into their the added social value contributed by the respective neighbourhoods, including target communities and the likelihood of a community-led partnership team, sustaining actions beyond the local forums and a new approach lifetime of the Changing Places designed to welcome new migrants project. Practical environmental through community events and tours activities were organised, such as tub around the estates so that migrants planting, recycling days, litter picks can get their bearings and familiarise and better use of allotments in which themselves with services located in English and non-English speaking the area. For example, the Welcome residents came together to break To West Bowling leaflet in foreign down cultural barriers and The partners designed and delivered a languages with information on local overcome isolation. services, community centres, emergency number of activities to assist the integration of contacts, immigration professional new migrants into their respective neighbourhoods.

12 13

3. What Happened: Outcomes and Outputs

Partners reported a variety of • Improved access to outcomes from the projects including: eligible funds and financial resources and improved access to quality housing H • A 50% increase in people feeling more confident in Many of the projects also had English, when talking to family positive outcomes that were not and friends, when in shops and expected including: on public transport. 1A • Improved levels of • A 50% increase in people engagement of volunteers in taking part in community life activities to bridge the cultural and using public services, divide whilst at the same time specifically talking to English celebrating cultural diversity; D speaking people, visiting libraries and visiting art • Stimulation of members galleries and museums. 2A of new migrant groups to come forward and volunteer • Improving cross agency in sports, arts and ‘come- working across Bradford. B dine-with-me’ events to • Partnerships in place at encourage the exchange of community level, which may cultural practices and form the basis for future improved levels of collaboration and coordination understanding between of resources. diverse population groups; D

• Increased numbers • Improved levels of of volunteers engaged in understanding by new migrant community activities communities of their rights but towards a common social and also of their responsibilities economic goal. 3E towards social integration and community cohesion, leading • Improved access to to settled and new migrant information on sexual health, communities co-existing in a contraception advice more positive way; D and service provision, by CEE/ Roma Communities. F • Parents and young people commented on how talking about what was once a taboo • More children accessing GPs, dentist and health services subject helped to bring them closer, and felt they could be appropriately. H more supportive about other • An increase in aspects of their lives. F registrations of families accessing health services and education settings.

16 17 Outputs from the projects included:

• 40 x 30hr ESOL classes for at • A co-designed approach to least 600 participants A community development by pooling resources, community • 400 participants in integration assets, skills and ideas to activity, e.g. a guided trip to maximise impact upon the use a local service A target beneficiaries; 7E Active engagement of • 20 volunteers recruited to • four formal voluntary sector assist delivery of courses groups with 22 informal and activities 4A groups - churches, schools, 10 16-18 year old employers, youth groups - to • bring about long term changes unaccompanied asylum to the lives of 1140 indigenous seekers attended a 10-week and migrant residents. E ESOL and progression course 5A • 10 Speakeasy practitioners • Five months of English were trained. F workshops delivered in the 35 Roma parents attended neonatal ward of BRI A • Speakeasy Courses to help • 24 young people successfully them support their children. F completed and graduated from • 171 Roma young people the Bradford Lead Leadership engaged with and consulted on programme resulting in well sexual health related issues, and equipped young people who aspirations. F can play a key role in being the • 117 ESOL College students voice for their community 6C completed a Kahoot survey and were given advice on Four community groups • support services. F and their partners pooled resources towards a common • 77 Roma young people goal where no collaboration attended focus/information existed before. D sessions. F Four Bradford District Upper • Improved skills of hundreds of • Schools invited practitioners volunteers participating in in to to talk to their pupils. F community-led actions to achieve agreed outcomes for • 60 young Roma were the benefit of their local involved in the design of a communities and new migrants. D sexual health website. 8F

• Improved capacity of 30 • 120 SELFIE (Sexualisation, community groups to come Exploitation, Love, together, collaborate and Friendship, Information assess the impact of and Empowerment) their actions. D workshops delivered to 1232 young people. G

18 19

Case Study 3 Case Study 3

Central and Eastern European (CEE) Teenage Pregnancy Education and Support – CNet

Information from the Teenage health, contraception and body Pregnancy midwifery service development. This is information that indicated that there has been will help them make decisions about an over-representation of young their lives. women from Central and Eastern Europe communities, including In our culture it is Roma, using the service and often forbidden to talk about quite late in their pregnancy. these things as it is Further to this the teen pregnancy embarrassing, however midwives reported a very diverse I will talk to my child cohort of CEE young women; some planned early pregnancies (both as it is important and I within and outside of marriage), will speak to my family some vulnerable young women, about this session and other young women arriving 24 year old Romanian Roma mother in Bradford pregnant. after Speakeasy Course Multiple partners from NHS, public health, sexual health, Through the project ten Speakeasy school truancy, VCS, and teen practitioners were trained, 35 Roma pregnancy midwives came parents attended Speakeasy together to discuss the research Courses to help them support their and explore options to achieve children, 171 Roma young people behaviour change. engaged with and consulted on sexual health related issues, and aspirations, 117 ESOL College students completed The proposal from Cnet was to train a survey and were given advice on practitioners to become Speakeasy support services, 77 Roma young trainers and work with groups of CEE/ people attended focus/information Karolina Dybala - ‘Choices’ Project Lead Teenage Pregnancy Roma parents to enable them to talk sessions, four Bradford District upper to their children about body schools invited practitioners in to talk development and sexual health, to their pupils and 60 young Roma and improve both parents’ and their were involved in the design of a children’s knowledge, hopefully sexual health website. Some of them (students) didn’t know about reducing unplanned pregnancies. contraception or what safe sex means. I was surprised CNet also proposed engaging with that they could talk about such sensitive things with young people from the CEE adults. There were many sensible mature questions. communities, particularly Roma, giving them information about sexual Teacher Holy Family School

20 21 Case Study 4 Case Study 4

Early Years Children’s Centres Clusters - Action for Children East, St Edmund’s - West Children’s Centre Cluster and Bradford West Family Hub

In our context the existing provision. We grew the pool of interpreting community is predominantly resources; expanded the library of made up of families from promotional informational materials to use Pakistani, Bangladeshi and White in one to one or group communication; British backgrounds. Added to and managed an Emergency Fund pot to meet immediate essential clothing and this, a transitory migrant equipment needs and support community has been coming into families to access food banks. the areas of , Bowling, , Manningham, Through this activity our intended and from Central outcomes included better Eastern Europe, specifically community cohesion - improved Poland, Slovakia and Czech community relations; improved ability Republic. These areas are known of professionals to work with targeted for low rent and poor quality community; families gaining confidence terraced housing, in areas of high in accessing local attractions/places and deprivation and poverty. an increase in families having a social experience within local area. We also The Children’s Centre Clusters worked saw improved access to eligible funds, with the LA New Communities team, financial resources and quality Early Years, to identify the areas housing; more children accessing where asylum seekers, refugee and GPs, dentist and health services new migrant families with young appropriately and more families children are located. Those key accessing support from children’s clusters worked with their key health services. Our workforce have a better and community partners to promote understanding of the community and are the work and reach families. able to work more effectively with them. We enhanced Children’s Centre We ensure children are not Community Engagement workers with relevant community language and experiencing significant impact from communication skills to reach the new financial crisis and that children’s basic migrating families as well as extending needs were met in relation to food and the skills and knowledge of staff and home essentials including bedding, volunteers through tailored training to clothing. We have also seen improved increase awareness to enable families parent-child relationships and use Having the opportunity to access extra funding to more easily access key services. of appropriate parenting practices to enhance children’s social and like the Changing Places fund allows professionals and With improved working capacity emotional development. we were able to support families to educational providers like myself to help families meet access core health services – GPs, HV, their needs and achieve their goals. and dental services - and early learning Juraj Tancos BA (Hons) - EU Migrant Workers Support Officer

22 23 4. What We Learned

The projects threw up many Changes the partners challenges from capacity would or will make in light and timing, underestimated of the challenges of the demand, to issues specific project range from delivering to the sensitive nature of a wider range of sessions; some transient groups and developing a shared vision the difficulty in measuring at neighbourhood level, soft outcomes. including settled South Asian and Dominican migrants, Such risks and challenges also and developing and delivering provided the opportunity for training to whole school learning how to do things staff teams. differently in future including: volunteer training; a more diverse Project partners are embedding offering; working with other local their learning and the projects initiatives more closely; have increased future capacity in increasing the time frame and a variety of ways including: capacity for working with community groups; and more • Beneficial links between consultation with the community community and educational and local partners to identify organisations. The delivery perceived needs and gaps. consortium has built trusted relationships that will enable future project collaboration. Improved capacity of 30 community groups to come together, collaborate and assess the impact of their actions. D

• New initiatives across CMF partners e.g. Shipley College’s application to become the first College of Sanctuary in England

• Volunteers who trained have become a useful resource to the area. Some have gone on to investigate teaching careers with an increase in demand for courses

• Ring-fenced funding for schools with the highest number

of Roma and CEE pupils. Changes the partners

24 25 Our strength is reflected in the journeys we have made in making Bradford our home, in celebrating our diversity and strong sense of tradition, culture, and community, and in promoting one simple truth...we are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.

Cllr Abdul Jabar of Bradford, Design by From Abroad Studio, Photography by Karol Wyszynski Chapel Street Studio, Bradford, West Yorkshire. www.chapelstreetstudio.coop