"Our experience of working with Roma refugees and migrants reveals that the effects of multigenerational disadvantages, hundreds of years of discrimination, persecution and social exclusion cannot be “fixed” with short-term solutions. The Roma people whom we work with came to the UK with the “baggage” of being outcasts or second class citizens in their countries of origin. Therefore, every day of our work with Roma community members highlights the need for their individual or collective learning about their rights and responsibilities stemming from their status as residents/ citizens in Britain..."
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"...The large-scale Roma migration to the UK has given Roma refugees and migrants an unprecedented opportunity to make decisions about integration, engagement and individual/ community development, which they have never been able to make before. These decisions cannot be meaningful unless they are well informed and Roma-led.
As the ‘point of departure’ is underpinned by deeply rooted and internalised sense of individual and collective inequalities, the ‘distance to be travelled’ by our beneficiaries requires a long-term programme of holistic support which will address their complex needs and disadvantages, while creating role models and disseminating learning across the community and amongst external professionals."
Sylvia Ingmire, Roma Support Group CEO
As the ‘point of departure’ is underpinned by deeply rooted and internalised sense of individual and collective inequalities, the ‘distance to be travelled’ by our beneficiaries requires a long-term programme of holistic support which will address their complex needs and disadvantages, while creating role models and disseminating learning across the community and amongst external professionals."
Sylvia Ingmire, Roma Support Group CEO
The Project Community Advocacy Project (2014-19) was co-developed with Roma community members in London aiming to reduce their social exclusion and bring about change in their communities through:
One-to-one advocacy
During the Project’s life, we supported 1,406 beneficiaries, who benefited from 8,675 hours of advocacy sessions and floating support addressing issues of poverty, homelessness, employability and access to health.
Quotes from beneficiaries:
“The Project helps us with our major life problems making us feel stronger and safe.”
“Advice and Advocacy service has helped me to understand different issues and gave me information, so I can now manage some difficult situation on my own.”
Peer advocacy
During the Project’s life, we supported 21 Roma Peer Advocates to participate in 50 meetings with professionals/ decision makers, including 19 Roma Refugee Migrants Forum meetings and other strategic meetings with civil servants from Central Government (e.g. MHCLG, Home Office); parliamentarians (APPG for GRT and APPG for Migration); senior officials from Greater London Authority; Home Office; senior local authority’s officials (e.g. Deputy Mayor of Newham, Mental Health Commissioner, Newham CCG, NHS, etc) and professionals from The Office for National Statistics, Job Centres, Police officers (including L. B. Redbridge and L. B. Newham), Workplace, etc.
We also organised 38 Focus Group meetings with Peer Advocates and other beneficiaries dedicated to discussing such issues as: community leadership; engagement and representation; discrimination and hate crime; Roma experience of Holocaust and our collaboration with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust; maternity services (with Maternity Action); limited access to mainstream services and the need for Roma interpreters (with Newham Language Shop); welfare reforms, Personal Independence Payment’s (PIP) and Employment Support Allowance’s (ESA) health assessments; labour exploitation and access to sustainable employment (with Nottingham University); social care system; safeguarding of Roma children (with Law for Life); school exclusions; housing issues/ rights; Brexit and its impact on mental health; EU Settled Status application process; Census 2021; development of Roma peer-advocacy and representation.
Some of the Focus Groups included discussions with our beneficiaries on how face-to-face health assessments for PIP and ESA were carried out, enabling us to prepare our evidence-based response to Work & Pensions’ Select Committee’s inquiry, which contributed to parliamentary recommendations for changes in the quality control of these assessments, which “should never be a humiliating and distressing experience.”
We also organised 38 Focus Group meetings with Peer Advocates and other beneficiaries dedicated to discussing such issues as: community leadership; engagement and representation; discrimination and hate crime; Roma experience of Holocaust and our collaboration with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust; maternity services (with Maternity Action); limited access to mainstream services and the need for Roma interpreters (with Newham Language Shop); welfare reforms, Personal Independence Payment’s (PIP) and Employment Support Allowance’s (ESA) health assessments; labour exploitation and access to sustainable employment (with Nottingham University); social care system; safeguarding of Roma children (with Law for Life); school exclusions; housing issues/ rights; Brexit and its impact on mental health; EU Settled Status application process; Census 2021; development of Roma peer-advocacy and representation.
Some of the Focus Groups included discussions with our beneficiaries on how face-to-face health assessments for PIP and ESA were carried out, enabling us to prepare our evidence-based response to Work & Pensions’ Select Committee’s inquiry, which contributed to parliamentary recommendations for changes in the quality control of these assessments, which “should never be a humiliating and distressing experience.”
Quotes from peer-advocates:
“Very helpful information, thank you very much! I will share this with all my friends and family members! […] I would like to have more meetings like this one!”
“It took me a while to realise that being Roma is not something to be ashamed of... Now, I feel so much stronger after sharing my opinions in front of those professionals.”
Community training sessions
During the Project’s life, 593 beneficiaries took part in 39 training sessions, whose topics were based on beneficiaries’ training needs, including: community leadership and representation; housing rights (e.g. eviction proceedings, homelessness, access to social housing, tenants’ rights); EU migrants immigration rights (e.g. right to reside, permanent residence, EU Settled Status); employability (e.g. access to employment, self-employment, health & safety at work); welfare system (e.g. working tax credits, EU migrants’ welfare rights); health (e.g. mental health awareness, depression, anxiety, dementia, children’s mental health, healthy lifestyles and diabetes, breast cancer, physiotherapy); First Aid; school exclusions; Domestic Violence; and Equality Act 2010.
The training sessions were delivered in collaboration with agencies, such as legal firms (e.g., Deighton Pierce Glynn Solicitors, Lambeth Law Centre, Tower Hamlets CAB, AIRE Centre, Equality Rights Trust, New Europeans); health professionals (including: Alzheimer's Society, Cancerkin, Healthwatch, Hestia, Mind, Stratford Physiotherapy Centre, Waltham Forest Counselling Service); Institute of Education; Community Empowerment Network; Newham Carers Network; and St Johns’ Ambulance.
The training sessions were delivered in collaboration with agencies, such as legal firms (e.g., Deighton Pierce Glynn Solicitors, Lambeth Law Centre, Tower Hamlets CAB, AIRE Centre, Equality Rights Trust, New Europeans); health professionals (including: Alzheimer's Society, Cancerkin, Healthwatch, Hestia, Mind, Stratford Physiotherapy Centre, Waltham Forest Counselling Service); Institute of Education; Community Empowerment Network; Newham Carers Network; and St Johns’ Ambulance.
Quotes from beneficiaries:
“Without this training, I would not have the confidence when looking for a new place to rent. I would not have the stability I have today, and I would still be afraid whenever I have to engage with someone from the council. Today, I know so much more about every aspect of my rights in this country.”
“I liked the training. I just need to act now.”
“The session was helpful. I liked the way the training was conducted and that we had an opportunity to speak our mind. I’ve learnt a lot about my rights, what I can do, and feel more confident to advocate for myself.”
Forum theatre
The Forum Theatre engaged beneficiaries of one-to-one advocacy as “actors”, enabling their “powerlessness” to become a tool in the “actors” and audience’s effort to identify their problems and search for long-term solutions. It was also a vehicle for learning for professionals, helping them to understand Roma needs and aspirations and to create better conditions for their integration.
During the Project’s life, 102 beneficiaries participated (as ‘actors’) in 128 Forum Theatre sessions including 23 public performances with a total of 773 community members in the audience. The performances focused on themes related to hate crime, barriers in accessing employment, unfair dismissal, barriers in accessing health services, homelessness access to social housing, safeguarding issues, domestic violence and mental health issues.
You can watch one of our Forum Theatre performances here.
During the Project’s life, 102 beneficiaries participated (as ‘actors’) in 128 Forum Theatre sessions including 23 public performances with a total of 773 community members in the audience. The performances focused on themes related to hate crime, barriers in accessing employment, unfair dismissal, barriers in accessing health services, homelessness access to social housing, safeguarding issues, domestic violence and mental health issues.
You can watch one of our Forum Theatre performances here.
Quotes from beneficiaries:
“I feel that the problems I had to go through can be used to help others in a similar situation and that’s the reason why I can overcome my fears and share my story in public.”
“The Forum Theatre helped me to feel more confident when dealing with someone from authorities. Now, I’m not afraid if I have to speak with someone from the council – I would not let them just to dismiss me.”
“I felt relaxed, comfortable, but most importantly, I felt delighted that I was given the opportunity to show other professionals what barriers Roma face, and also to show to other Roma not to be shy about using Romanes language in public places and to feel more pride in disclosing one’s identity.”
Quotes from professionals:
“Great – made me engaged at the emotional level. It was good reminder about the barriers and complex issues that people face, how situations can be difficult and how services need to change and adapt.”
“Fantastic to see the way in which the system ‘takes over’. To some extent we know that it’s a huge problem but we don’t often see the crux of the problem when the powerless meets the powerful.”
“Good insight into Roma experience – excellent, good-humoured, energetic, thought- provoking and moving. It made me think more deeply and intelligently (I hope) about what it might be like to be in this situation.”
The Roma Community Advocacy Project has enabled Roma refugees and migrants in London (‘beneficiaries’) to access public services through one-to-one advocacy, while our community training sessions, peer advocacy and Forum Theatre have empowered them to seek solutions to their problems and build a stronger and more resilient Roma community.
Project outcomes
The impact of combined one-to-one and peer advocacy has led to a greater empowerment of Roma people resulting in:
For more information and case-studies illustrating our work, please see the Summary of the Self-Evaluation of the Roma Community Advocacy Project 2014-2019 (.pdf document).
- Increased confidence to manage their lives independently for 2,467 beneficiaries;
- Improved employability skills and learning opportunities for 1,413 beneficiaries;
- Improved health awareness, wellbeing and emotional resilience for 2,270 beneficiaries;
- Increased levels of social interaction and reduced levels of isolation for 2,364 beneficiaries;
For more information and case-studies illustrating our work, please see the Summary of the Self-Evaluation of the Roma Community Advocacy Project 2014-2019 (.pdf document).
Roma Forum Theatre Performance
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The Roma Support Group is a registered Charity (No. 1103782)
and a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, (No. 0464598). Registered office address: 17 Old Ford Road, London, E2 9PJ |
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