WMSMP Structure
The West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership Board provides regional strategic coordination and overview of WMSMP business and strategic plans and their implementation. It also supports and advises the West Midlands Leaders Board and other relevant Regional Bodies on policy issues relating to asylum seekers, refugees and new migrants. The Regional Director is David Barnes who has overall responsibility for the activities of the migration partnership.
The Partnership Board is chaired by a regionally appointed elected Member and includes representatives from across the public, private, voluntary and community sectors and refugees themselves. A new structure was developed for the WMSMP Board in 2008 to reflect its policy lead responsibility for Migrant Support as well as Asylum Dispersal and Refugee Integration in the Region.
WMSMP now has one Board but in two parts (see Diagrammatic Representation):
· (Part 1) The Asylum and Refugee Section
· (Part 2) The Migration Section
Each Section has clear and separate functions, roles and membership but some overlap in relation to shared issues. Further information on the Board structure can be accessed by viewing its Terms of Reference.
Thematic Regional Implementation Groups mirror the themes of the Social Inclusion Strategy and provide cross-sector regional groups to implement and progress work in the theme area. The membership of RIGs is flexible and open and reflects a range of sectors and dispersal areas in the region.
Currently RIGs have been established in the following thematic areas:
- Community Cohesion - Multi-Agency Group on cohesion and migration issues chaired by Paul Giannasi from the Police. Contact Paul.Giannasi@CJS.gsi.gov.uk about the group.
- Women's Issues - Multi-Agency Group on issues experienced by women from new communities chaired and convened by Parveen Hassan from the Crown Prosecution Service. Contact parveen.hassan@cps.gsi.gov.uk about the group.
- Unaccompanied Asylum Seeker Children (UASCs) - Every year around 3000 young people arrive in the The Local Authority UASC Regional Group meets five times a year and is chaired by Richard Ross, UASC team manager from Solihull MBC. The group provides opportunity for Local Authorities to consider policy, practice & new legislation as it affects their work with UASCs. Notes from recent meetings of the Local Authority UASC Regional Group are available below: The Multi-agency UASC Regional Implementation Group also meets 5 times a year and membership of this group is open to voluntary sector, health, education and other agencies who may provide services for Looked After Children or UASCs specifically. This group is also chaired by Richard Ross of Solihull MBC.Notes from recent meeting of the Multi-agency UASC RIG are available below:
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No Recourse to Public Funding (NRPF) - Those who have NRPF are not entitled to receive welfare benefits, access social shousing or receive a range of social care from Local Authorities. The reasons for their destitution may be varied, but often are a result of Domestic Violence, overstaying a visa or coming to end of asylum process.
The Regional Local Authority NRPF group is not currently meeting. It has been agreed that Local Authorities may wish to come together to consider any significant changes in policy or legislation in relation to this issue.
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Health - PCT Asylum Leads Group, Mental Health Group. Contact Dave Newall at d.newall@wmleadersboard.gov.uk or on 0121 245 0143 for above groups
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Employment and Training - Multi-Agency Group. Contact Farhana Darwich at f.darwich@wmleadersboard.gov.uk or on 0121 678 1013 for this group.
You can also contact the Regional Director, David Barnes, about the work of WMSMP on d.barnes@wmleadersboard.gov.uk or on 07881 582 121