Why policy and influencing?
This is a relatively new area of work for AFRIL, which remains predominantly a frontline service delivery organisation. It is one of our strategic priorities since we are experiencing an unprecedented hostile environment for the people we support. Current laws, policy and practice prevent refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants with unmet protection needs from accessing their rights and entitlements, as a foundation for rebuilding their lives after trauma. These legal and policy frameworks impede the ability of AFRIL staff to work towards positive sustainable outcomes for sanctuary seekers in London.
How we work for change
AFRIL punches well above our weight for a small frontline charity. We work on policy: tracking the development of legislation and policy impacting our clients, tracking the implementation and consequences of these policies, communicating our position and what we think should change, based on solid evidence from our clients’ lived experience and our frontline work. We work on influencing: encouraging best practice on a systemic level through engaging with local and regional stakeholders, giving examples of where and how practice can be improved, and why this is in everyone’s best interests. We take a rights based approach to this work, and use both policy and legal tools to achieve change. We centre our clients throughout our policy work, amplifying the voice of those with lived experience, and supporting our community to navigate and challenge these systems through our Members Forum.
What does this look like in practice?
Local: As a steering group member of the Lewisham Migration Forum, AFRIL works closely with Lewisham Council to track trends and encourage best practice. As Lewisham’s first Borough of Sanctuary, Lewisham has a commitment and workstream for sanctuary seekers, on which we hold them to account. This involves meetings, evidence gathering, supporting the Council in the delivery of support to asylum seekers, and AFRIL clients directly advising the Council as part of their Borough of Sanctuary work. Other local policy and influencing work includes: working cross-sector to develop the Lewisham Food Justice Strategy and Action Plan; encouraging local schools to gain School of Sanctuary status; contributing expertise to anti-trafficking work in the Borough; and AFRIL clients inputting their lived experience into the ‘Lewisham 2030’ conversation. AFRIL also engages with Greenwich, Southwark and Bromley Councils to support and influence best practice.
Regional: AFRIL is an appointed Member of the London Housing Panel, bringing the voice of migrant Londoners and our frontline experience to work with panel members to advise and support the Mayor of London’s housing policy. We are expert members on four steering groups, advising the Greater London Authority on: Safeguarding asylum seekers; Migrant Homelessness; Deaf migrants; and Asylum Hotel closures. We contribute our expertise and community organising to support GLA research, most recently on safeguarding migrants, and engaging the migrant sector in London’s resilience structures.
National: AFRIL regularly presents at sector meetings and our guides on asylum hotels policies and practice have been used nationally. We respond to central government consultations where the issues considerably affect our clients and we have capacity. Most recently the Health Start consultation on eligibility for families with no recourse to public funds. AFRIL has been one of the leading sector organisations working on challenging some of the worst aspects of asylum support policy, in particular the Home Office’s ‘Operation Maximise’. National charities consult us for our frontline experience in asylum hotels. Our regional housing policy work can have national impact, for example we are currently working with partners on the Renter’s Rights Bill.
Our key issues
There are many policy issues that significantly affect the lives of refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants that require positive change. We simply cannot work on them all. As a small frontline charity we focus the time we have by applying the following criteria: our clients identifying the issue as a priority through our members forum and consultation structures; the issue has a significant impact on the lives of sanctuary seekers that we support; AFRIL staff have specialist expertise in this area; and where there is an opportunity to accomplish change.
Our current priorities based on this criteria are:
- Safeguarding in asylum accommodation, in particular asylum hotels.
- The rights of children in sanctuary seeking families, in particular those with disabilities.
- Migrant homelessness, in particular action on Temporary Accommodation.
Through our position on the London Housing Panel, we work with partners on the following shared priorities: 1. Massively increase social housing supply; 2. Support all Londoners to be heard and thrive. 3. Take action on temporary accommodation.
How you can get involved
Sign up to our newsletter to hear about and amplify our work.
Fundraise to enable us to grow our influencing work for positive social change.
Volunteer – we are interested in hearing from volunteers who have a professional background in social research and policy. Please email info@afril.org.uk