EQUALITY FOR EVERY WOMAN AND GIRL
- AT WORK
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Dr Varuni Wimalasiri
University of Aberdeen
Online seminar and mini summit:
Rethinking resettlement and work, with women refugees in mind.
28th Sept 2021: 10 am - 1 pm
Contact v.wimalasiri@sussex.ac.uk for details
This seminar is hosted in partnership between The University of Sussex and Plymouth City Council. We will bring researchers, practitioners and service users together to better understand this topic and to understand how we can make practicable changes based on findings from various projects related to this area. The select group will include academics , representatives of the refugee community, the UNHCR, Department of Work and Pensions, Odils learning foundation (Plymouth) and Institute of Employment Studies (IES, Brighton), as well as other stakeholders. The event will host a number of speakers and discussion forums based on themes from the talks. Keynotes will involve a speaker and question format. Discussion forums will involve a very brief 10 minute presentation with break out room discussions on topics related to women refugees and work in resettlement.
Proceedings
Zoom link for event: https://universityofsussex.zoom.us/j/91717901354
Welcome Liliane Uwimana, Jabulani (CIC), Plymouth
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Summary and Closing Hadelzein Elobeid, Plymouth City Council and The Give Back project, Plymouth
Keynote 1: Framing refugee integration- critical reflections on conceptual, policy and practice principles
Dr Linda Morrice, School of Education and Social Work (Sussex University):
Bio: Linda Morrice is a Reader in Education and Migration at the University of Sussex with over 16 years of research experience in the field. She has led and collaborated on a range of research project working with refugees in the UK with a focus on education and integration. She is an academic advisor to UK Home Office Analysis and Insight Unit on Vulnerable Persons and Vulnerable Children Resettlement Schemes and is co-author of the UK Home Office’s 2019 refugee Indicators of Integration Framework. Prior to joining the University of Sussex Linda developed, taught and managed community education projects with refugee communities. She is co-lead of the University of Sussex Sanctuary group and a member of Brighton and Hove Sanctuary on Sea group
Background resources: Home Office, Indicators of Integration Framework
Keynote 2: UNHCR UK: Experiences of refugees women resettled in the UK
Sasha Ali, UNHCR UK.
Bio: Sasha Ali is a Protection Officer for UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency. She is currently based in UNHCR’s London office, but has previously worked in a number of operations across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Sasha has a medical as well as legal background and has extensive experience in refugee protection issues including Refugee Status Determination, Resettlement and Child protection. She also has a particular interest in mitigating Sexual and Gender-based Violence, and developing the self-reliance of refugees and their meaningful participation in civic life particular women and minority groups.
Discussion forum 1: The importance of considering 'displacement' in the resettlement equation (Insights from research in the Southwest region).
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Dr Varuni Wimalasiri. Lecturer in Organisational Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Sussex.
Varuni Wimalasiri is a lecturer in Organisational Psychology, at the School of Psychology at Sussex University. Her research looks at the psychological and social implications of forced displacement on women and its long term effects on their working lives. Between 2019-2021, she lead a project and the subsequent report, in partnership with Plymouth City Council on "Plymouth's approach to enabling refugee women into employment and the government action required to prevent ongoing, sustained poverty and isolation within this population". Currently she is leading an ESRC (IAA) funded project in collaboration with colleagues at Sussex University, Exeter University and Diversity Business Incubator (Plymouth) to understand the barriers to success for refugee women entrepreneurs. She has previously been funded by the Big lottery to develop women's groups to speak about working in resettlement; and worked with partners in Australia/ Sri-Lanka supporting vocational development of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Jessica Dann, Technical lead, Asylum seekers and refugees, Plymouth City Council.
Jessica is the Strategic Lead for Refugees, Asylum Seekers and the Gypsy, Roma, Travelling Community in Plymouth. Plymouth City Council is a dispersal area and hosts a population of approximately 350 asylum seekers. The Council has committed to promoting Plymouth as a Welcoming City and strives to maintain its cooperative values of fairness and responsibility. Since 2015 the Council has resettled over 200 people through the Home Office Refugee Resettlement Schemes and will continue to play an active role in supporting those fleeing from Afghanistan to build a new life in the UK. The Council commissions the Refugee Integration Service, a partnership of 4 local voluntary community service providers with proven expertise in delivering support to refugees. The City has also just been successful in receiving funding from the Home Office to deliver the Refugee Transitions Outcomes fund. We are hopeful that alongside RIS in the future there will a route towards employment for all refugees entering the city using innovative and flexible solutions that can be adapted to an individual’s needs.
Discussion forum 2: A path towards employment: Refugee Women in Plymouth
Cassie Roberts, Chief Executive, ODILS learning foundation
Cassie Roberts, is currently the Chief Executive and one of the co-founders of the faith based charity, Odils Learning Foundation. Cassie and her husband started the charity in 2001 in response the needs of the asylum seekers dispersed to Plymouth . Cassie worked for the local FE College as the Asylum Seeker Co ordinator from 2000 - 2001. During that time Cassie really understood the importance that language plays in helping new communities to integrate and contribute to the wider community. Also drawing on their own experiences of working abroad, the need for a place that could be considered ‘family’ until connected into the community. ODILS therefore sets out to provide a high standard of English education, Employment Support and social integration within a caring family environment, where individuals’ needs and aspirations are recognised and students encouraged to take hold of every opportunity offered in the UK.ODILS now supports up to 400 people a year, holding various publicly funded contracts with Plymouth City Council delivering ESOL and Employment related courses and support.
Jessica Dann, Plymouth City Council (as before)
Nicky Keast, Department of Work and Pensions, Plymouth
Nicky is the Partnership Manager for The Department for Work & Pensions in Plymouth. Nicky has worked for The DWP for thirty years and, during this time, she has covered a variety of roles and priorities such as – benefit processing, advising and supporting customers and employer and partnership engagement. She is passionate about supporting individuals - from all backgrounds and with varying circumstances and challenges.
Discussion forum 3: Supporting refugees into work.
Rosie Gloster, Principal Research Fellow, Institute of Employment Studies.
Background resources:
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Not just a job (Open Democracy, March 2018)
Using data to improve employment support for refugee communities (IES, Nov 2018)
Rosie primarily works on projects that span learning and skills, worklessness, and adult careers, and the links between these public policy areas. She is an an experienced project manager - leading teams within the Institute and working in partnership with other research organisations, survey houses and academics; working to guide research from the development stage through to dissemination. Rosie’s research experience also covers issues of worklessness and unemployment, particularly the contribution that training and skills can make to finding employment, and the use of mandation and conditionality. She has recently led a project exploring the training opportunities for benefits claimants using behavioural insights to guide the analysis, specifically focusing on the role of mandation in changing behaviour. Rosie also worked on the evaluation of the 18-21 Work Skills Pilot, which mandated young job seekers to English and Maths training and the Intensive Activity Programme Trial evaluation. Extended bio here: https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/staff/rosie-gloster