A regional coordination approach Dally Panesar West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership

Progress to date Following Prime Minister announcement on 7 th September, SMP’s mandated to speak with local authorities Regional event no.1 – overview of regional support submitted to the Home Office Strong will in region to support the Syrian VPRS Phase 1 and Transition authorities? Local authorities have begun to map areas, service provision, interest Potentials of joint working being explored for shared learning and capacity Questions around how migration should be managed both locally and regionally

West Midlands Commitment The West Midlands to date have pledged support for – 1,000 people Expectations on final pledges Movement to phase two and regional co ordination You have told us that your preference is for a regional role – offering strategic support and guidance and A sub regional approach enabling local delivery and allowing local authorities to keep control of pace and numbers Economies of scale and sharing resources A lead Chief Executive for the West Midlands

Moving to phase 2 Scale up our learning from Phase 1 to capture best practice. Consider the strengths and challenges of our diverse areas Identify where regional coordination works best and also makes sound economic sense developing regional logistics; seeking charter flights at two or three intervals per year (120+) to achieve economies of scale. arranging local airport pick up, joint welcome, then transfer onwards to local areas, developing the potential and capacity with the VCS, business and academic sectors for peer mentoring, training placements and befriending networks. Cross fertilisation on information needs such as welcome packs, training and briefing materials, potential pilots, toolkits

What the West Midlands regional approach could look like Infrastructure support Establishment of a regional infrastructure building on existing regional structures – capitalise on existing governance in place Convening regional meetings of sub regional and individual local authority Programme Leads. Capturing key learning (good practice, issues, new developments) and sharing this through to regional and national stakeholders to support and influence programme development. Provide cross government liaison for the region Periodic programme review(s) on regional and sub-regional levels Training and integration

What the West Midlands regional approach could look like A single point of contact for the region Coordinating offers of places and passing information to central government on the types of cases that can be accommodated and timing of arrivals Leading partnership work with key local partners including the health service, DWP, voluntary and community sector, faith organisations, universities and businesses Deploying a range of resources locally and regionally to support resettlement, including the using the funding available to secure economies of scale Identifying a range of solutions to any challenges around resettlement and ensuring that issues shared by a number of local authorities can be addressed at a national level to avoid duplication of effort

What the West Midlands regional approach could look like High level matching/allocation Refugees from more rural areas to our less urban areas Address key vulnerabilities such as victims of torture to areas where there is easy access to specialist support provision Consideration of family size to direct to authorities with potential for larger Properties The ability to seek to support religious and/or friendship connections Consideration of the regional allocation of 20% most vulnerable /complex cases and appropriate distribution.

Challenges and Opportunities Range of experience across the region. Not all authorities will move at the same pace New venture for some LA’s or they may have lost previous capacity and knowledge 2 phase 1 local authorities in the region to learn from Plethora of Voluntary and Community sector organisations, faith groups and Registered Providers with commitment and experience to help fill gaps both formally and informally Harness the good will and make best use of it One size will not fit all. The Partnership will work with individual LA’s to help bring them on board but ultimately LA’s are responsible. The scheme is voluntary and they will determine which families they can assist

Next Steps We need to continue an honest and open dialogue to achieve an agreed regional model by mid March 2016 to secure the potential for early summer arrivals Regional proposal along with costings to be submitted to the Home Office in the next two weeks Support transition to phase 2 with coordinated arrivals by April/May

Thankyou Further information: