I am very excited that we’ve teamed up with the Legal Services Agency (LSA) to deliver a brand new training course on the housing journey of refugees. If you have an interest in working with refugees or you’re a frontline worker or manage a service, this course is for you.
Why a new training course?
I work with a team of advisers who everyday help refugees who have just been granted leave to remain to stay in the UK. Although you may think they’ve gone through the hardest part, the future is not that easy. They face an unknown system and must learn and understand new rights.
Our aim is to ensure that refugees settle in Scotland and can access relevant education, training and employment to become active members of our society. Housing is the first and biggest barrier they face before being able to start on anything else.
We have a long history in specialising in housing law. The right to housing is a human right and we welcome the opportunity to work alongside other agencies in promoting this right. In recent years human rights law has been introduced into the field of housing, which is a development to be welcomed by people looking out for the rights of the more vulnerable in our society.
– Fiona McPhail, Housing Solicitor, LSA
What you will learn?
Fiona and I designed this interactive course aiming for the right balance between legal information and practice issues.
You will learn refugees’ homelessness and housing rights and understand why so many refugees experience homelessness when they are granted leave to remain – a time when their lives are again put on hold.
Beside the legal and technical side of the system, we will work together to identify support needs refugees may have and more importantly address them to ensure the best long term outcomes for refugees.
Whose job is it?
When asking ‘how?, it often means whose job it is. Our answer – everyone’s! Homeless services, social landlords, health services, schools, colleges, charities…. The list is long and we will explore what is already there, what is missing and how we can work together.
