Community Council of Shropshire Study into the needs of BME people living and working in Shropshire Final Report Centre for Voluntary Action Research www.cvar.org.uk 24 August 2005 Study into the needs of BME people living and working in Shropshire Final Report 24 August 2005 Contents Foreword 1 Introduction to the Final Report 4 Part One: Our Approach to this Study 5 Part Two: Overview of the Literature 8 Part Three: Baseline information about BME people in Shropshire 13 Part Four: Study Findings 18 Part Five: Implications for the Development of VCO Led Service Provision 28 References 34 Appendix One: Organisations who received a questionnaire 36 Appendix Two: BME Census data and indices of deprivation 37 Appendix Three: Ethnicity Maps 47 Appendix Four: Public agencies contacted to obtain information on BME networks, projects or initiatives 53 Appendix Five: Glossary of abbreviations 54 Centre for Voluntary Action Research Study into the needs of BME people living and working in Shropshire Final Report 24 August 2005 Study into the needs of BME people living and working in Shropshire Authorship This report has been written by Hans Schlappa and Ben Cairns with contributions from a research team at the Centre for Voluntary Action Research comprising Pradip Gajjar and Jan Stahlberg. Acknowledgements We would like to thank all of the organisations and individuals who participated in the fieldwork for this study and who gave up their time to share their experience with us, as well as the staff of the Community Council of Shropshire for their input into this study. Contact Details Community Council of Shropshire 5 Claremont Building Claremont Bank Shrewsbury SY1 1RJ 01743 360 641 www.shropshire-rcc.org.uk Centre for Voluntary Action Research 0121 204 3243 www.cvar.org.uk Centre for Voluntary Action Research Study into the needs of BME people living and working in Shropshire Final Report 24 August 2005 Foreword In February 2005 Shropshire Learning and Skills Council awarded a grant to the Community Council of Shropshire to undertake a project containing three linked elements: a) Researching and producing recommendations on the needs of black and minority ethnic (BME) people living and working in Shropshire. b) Creation of a Shropshire Directory of voluntary sector specialist equalities information and support services provided to people who may face discrimination or disadvantage. c) Designing and delivering capacity-building sessions for BME people and others facing discrimination or disadvantage, and for wider Shropshire communities and voluntary groups. This report is the result of research carried out by the Centre for Voluntary Action Research at Aston Business School into information about the black and minority ethnic (BME) population living and working in Shropshire, the level of engagement of BME people with existing voluntary and community organisations in Shropshire and its adjacent administrative areas, and the scope for developing BME-led voluntary and community organisations in Shropshire. There is a history of anecdotes about BME people’s negative experiences of living and working in Shropshire. This new report confirms that they can face disadvantage and inappropriate service provision. It highlights their isolation and the scarcity of county networks and organisations from which they can seek information. Many find religious and social support outside Shropshire. This re-confirms the inappropriateness of referring to “communities” of BME people. Rather there is confirmation of people living and working in relative isolation, with occasional geographical or occupational groups being the exception rather than the rule. Summary of Research Findings Some baseline information • There is a small but growing BME population in Shropshire – it has risen from 0.7% in 1991 to 1.2% in 2001 (3,431 people). This figure is likely to under- represent the actual number. • Chinese and Mixed Ethnic Groups are the highest proportion. • The BME population tends to be younger than the general population, with a higher proportion of under 16 year olds. • Shropshire’s BME population does not live in deprived areas. There is no correlation between wards with high indices of deprivation and a higher BME population, as found in many urban areas. • The BME population tends to be dispersed across the county in very low numbers. • There appears to be no statistical data about the main BME languages spoken in Shropshire. 1 Centre for Voluntary Action Research Study into the needs of BME people living and working in Shropshire Final Report 24 August 2005 The Voluntary Sector • The research found only three existing voluntary and community sector projects that cater specifically for BME people within Shropshire. • Research participants did not distinguish between public and voluntary sector services. They generally reported not having enough information about what services are available, and said that such information needed to go ‘beyond mere signposting’. • Research participants named six Voluntary and Community Sector projects based in Telford. Two Telford based organisations had assisted the development of BME-specific services in Shropshire. Barriers to accessing services 1. Geography and demography BME people in Shropshire face a dual challenge. First, the low concentration of BME people is itself a barrier to the development of BME specific services. Second, the distance between a service and a potential user is a barrier to access. 2. Lack of language support One of the most frequently cited barriers to accessing services was the lack of language support for BME people. This includes the ability to understand the processes of public sector providers – schools and health care in particular. 3. Reluctance to seek support Study participants identified that victims of racial harassment and racially aggravated crime were reluctant to seek help and draw attention to themselves. In response to this issue, Victim Support Shropshire have established a specific BME project. Improving Voluntary and Community services for BME people Study participants identified five areas: 1. Development of self-help groups for BME people. Voluntary and Community organisations’ role was seen as crucial because of their community development experience. 2. Give BME people a voice to bring about changes in public service delivery. 3. Establish long-term and sustainable access points where BME people can find out about voluntary and community sector services. Making connections with organisations outside and across administrative boundaries. 4. Improve the cultural sensitivity of public services. Public agencies have statutory duty to tailor their services to the needs of minority groups and to combat racism. They have substantially more 2 Centre for Voluntary Action Research Study into the needs of BME people living and working in Shropshire Final Report 24 August 2005 resources than voluntary and community organisations to address the challenges faced by BME people in Shropshire. Research participants feel that Hospitals, Job Centres, Education and Youth Services need to do more. 5. Closer collaboration between public and voluntary sectors. There is a need for more effective liaison on BME issues. Service Level Agreements could require joint diversity or awareness-raising training. Public sector agencies need to take a lead in supporting BME people in Shropshire. The role of the Community Council of Shropshire This research has met its objectives of testing anecdotal evidence about the views of Shropshire’s dispersed BME population. It has also given insightful information into BME people’s relationship with the community and voluntary sector. CCS now sees its role to: • Ensure that local, regional and national agencies are well informed about baseline information for BME people in Shropshire. In particular, assumptions and approaches that work to engage BME “communities” in urban areas do not often translate to a rural county such as Shropshire with a wide dispersal of BME people • Encourage and support the establishment of BME self-help groups • Work with the voluntary sector on the significant challenge of providing information and services to a widely dispersed population • Support arrangements for joint projects and promote examples of good practice • Encourage public sector service providers to address the issues raised in the research • Work to improve communication with BME initiatives in Telford & Wrekin, and other areas outside Shropshire. 3 Centre for Voluntary Action Research Study into the needs of BME people living and working in Shropshire Final Report 24 August 2005 Introduction to the Final Report This is the Final Report of a study carried out by the Centre for Voluntary Action Research on behalf of the Community Council of Shropshire. The aims of the study are: i. To provide baseline information about the black and minority ethnic (BME)population living and working in Shropshire ii. To establish the level of engagement of BME people with existing voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) in Shropshire as well as adjacent administrative areas and iii. To assess the scope for the development of BME led VCOs in Shropshire. In Part One we set out our approach to this study. In Part Two we outline the broader context in which the Study took place. In Part Three we address Aim One of the study and establish a baseline of data about BME people in Shropshire. In Part Four we address Aim Two of the study and set out the key study findings from our