The Migrant Worker Community in Breckland

working together to improve lives

Gordon Partridge Melton Mowbray 12th May 2011

How did it all start ?

• 13 years ago

• Doctors surgeries in Thetford

• Approached Thelma Pains

• Called together group to analyse data

• Identified large numbers of Portuguese

• Why were they here ?

Implications ?• They would be:Living somewhereWorking somewhereUsing facilitiesAccessing servicesNeeding assistanceImpacting on existing communities

Working it out• Research indicated they were economic

migrants – migrant workers in food processing and agriculture

• How many ?

• Where were they ?

• How do we approach them ?

• What expectations they had?

Breckland’s response• Appointed a Portuguese speaking

community liaison officer – or Lukie for short

• Made contact with employers – go to where the workers were

• Districtwide survey for HMOs and caravans

• Paid for some employees to learn Portuguese

Initial thoughts ?• Need to build trust• Can’t do it by ourselves• Need to build capacity in community to help

themselves• Understand that timely, appropriate,

interventions can change peoples lives• Assist and listen – don’t take over• Work with – not impose• Cultural events as well as formal

New Communities

• New waves of migrants

• Polish

• Latvian

• Lithuanian

• Hungarian

Moving on• Breckland New Communities project 2 years – many £‘000s Help people into work or training• Inspections of HMOs to improve living conditions• Help set up, nurture and grow self help groups –

Mid Norfolk Association, International Friendship Group, European Challenge, Project Amigos

• Links with faith groups• Articles in Voice in Portuguese

And on…• Wayland Community Radio• BBC Radio Norfolk• BBC television ( Politics Show ) • Café surgeries• Honourable mention in Cohesion and Migration

in Breckland ( specialist cohesion report )• Delivered 3 STEPS programmes for Investors in

Excellence• Settling In international conference

Migrant Workers and BMEsHard to reach or too much trouble ?

How Housing took the trouble to find out

Gordon Partridge

&

Lukie Gooda

We have welcomed• Portuguese Consulate• Archbishop of Canterbury• Government Ministers• MEPs and MPs• Union officials• Audit Commission• Communities and Local government• And today….Portuguese Ambassador !

We have helped• Gordon is a peer reviewer for Local

Government Association’s Improvement and Development Agency Migration Excellence programme;

West WiltshireSuffolk County CouncilPeterborough CouncilNorthern Housing Consortium

Extending out……• Lukie has written Good Practice Report on

Migrant Workers and Black and Minority Ethnic Groups

• Has received commendations from Norfolk Constabulary for her work on training police officers in community cohesion; Adult Education; CAB; ARP; Norfolk Voluntary Services

Further….

• Gordon appointed as a Peer Reviewer for Local Government Association Improvement and Development Agency

( IDeA Migration Excellence Programme )• Worked with: West Wiltshire District Council Suffolk County Council Peterborough Council Northern Housing Consortium

Learning points

• Learn about the community

• Listen to the community

• Build confidence

• Build trust

• Accept that you will not always get it right

• Remember that it is about people…not strategies, policies and targets !

Thank you

Gordon Partridge BSc(hons), Dip EH, CMS, MCIEH, Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner

Lukie Gooda BA( journalism and social communication)