Stronger Bradford 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 Keighley 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 College Shipley College 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 City 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 England) 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