Supported Accommodation Services for Young Refugees in North West London
Turn to Afghan Association Paiwand Ltd for supported accommodation services and advice. Based in Edgware, London, our volunteers are committed to helping young refugees and asylum seekers who are alone in the UK. Since 2002, we have done our utmost to provide the appropriate emotional, cultural, and linguistic support required to reach out to members of the Afghan community. Supplementing and complementing the work of statutory agencies and mainstream service providers. Get in touch today for more details.
Helping Young People
Opening a supported accommodation service stemmed from our desire to relieve the housing shortage for homeless young people aged 16 – 18 years old within refugee and ethnic communities in England. Unfortunately, there have been instances of homeless young refugees who lack basic life skills and feel overwhelmed by living alone in a big city. This has often resulted in substance misuse, depression, mental health issues, delinquency, and in some cases, suicide.
The majority of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are aged between 16 and 17 years of age. Most of them have been through traumatic experiences before their arrival to the UK, and upon arrival, they are faced with the further challenges of adapting to a different country, culture and climate. The uncertainty of their asylum status and living away from their loved ones adds to the stress and anxiety already experienced by these young people. If they are not provided with the appropriate support, it could markedly hinder their integration into British society.
Through our experience and involvement in community work with refugees, we believe that we are one of the best-suited organisations to deliver this kind of service. Sharing the same socio-cultural background with young people helps us establish a strong rapport and climate of trust, which enables us to become role models for them, thus reducing the risk of delinquency and associated problems.
Supported Accommodations
Based in the London borough of Harrow, each of our supported accommodations consists of a shared house and private garden for seven young people. All of our spacious accommodations are decorated to a good standard and situated in pleasant locations, with easy access to public transport links and local amenities.
Accommodations include:
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Single or Double Bed
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Wardrobe
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Desk
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Small Fridge
Additionally, each young person is allocated their own bedroom, which is fully furnished with:
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NICEIC Electrical Safety Certificate
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Gas Safety Certificate
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Fire Exit Signs
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Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
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Fire Extinguishers and Fire Blanket in the Kitchen
All accommodations are maintained to the regulatory safety standards for housing and environmental health requirements, including:
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Building Skills and Resilience to Cope with Problems When They Arise
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Raising Awareness of Rights, Responsibilities, and Where to Seek Help
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Building Knowledge of Their Personal and Family History and Cultural Identity, and How These Influence Ideas, Attitudes, and Behaviour
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Developing Relationships outside of the Service
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Developing Communication Skills and Overcome Language Barriers
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Accessing Education, Training, and Employment, as well as Career Planning, including Short, Medium and Long-Term Aims
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Maintaining/Sustaining Contact with Family, Important Individuals, Groups, and Agencies
Repairs are carried out promptly and professionally, whenever needed. Please note that non-accidental damage to the property is not covered in the rent or by our insurance policy.
Support Plans
Paiwand recognises the importance of supporting refugee and asylum-seeking young people within the framework imposed by the Immigration Rules without either isolating or damaging the aspirations of the service users.
Recognising that support plans must be realistic and carefully set out, we do our utmost to incorporate the possibility of young people visiting their country of origin while planning to remain in the UK. Each plan focuses on supporting all spheres of the user’s life, including:
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Also, to Use International Tracing Services to Attempt to Trace Family Members
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Parallel Planning for the Possibility of the User Returning to Their Country of Origin
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Encouragement and Support to Take an Active Role in the Formulation of Their Care, Pathway Plan and Transition to Independent Living
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Planning Finances, Household Budgeting, and Matching Expenditure to Income
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Carrying out Practical Tasks to Live in Independent Accommodation without Endangering Their Physical Well-being
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Recognising, Accepting, and Valuing Differences, including Culture, Lifestyle, Religion, Sexuality and Gender
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Developing Strategies to Deal with Discrimination
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Learning to Live Peacefully with Themselves and Others
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Recognising in Oneself and Others the Limits or Boundaries of Consent, e.g. Noise Levels; Abuse Either Physical, Racial, or Verbal; Contact Either Physical Or Sexual.
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Health Education, including Mental Health, Personal Hygiene, Sexual Education, including Contraception and Preparation for Parenthood;
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Resettling in Independent Accommodation
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Prepare Young People for Their Transition to Adult Status
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Work in Partnership with Local Authority Services and Other Agencies to Provide an Effective Service for Young People
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Enable Young People to Develop Life Skills and Knowledge of British Society and Culture through a Formal Preparation for Independence Programme
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Acknowledge and Celebrate Culture, Race, and Ethnicity
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Provide Opportunities for Support and Integration into the Community
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Encouraging Refugees to Support Themselves through Education and Training
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Commend Young People’s Personal Achievements
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Plan and Prepare Young People to Move on within Agreed Timescales
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Carefully Implement and Monitor Each Young Person’s Pathway Plan
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Deliver an Effective Resettlement Programme That Teaches the Skills Necessary to Live Independently and Promotes Resilience to Survive on Their Own
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Support Asylum-Seeking Young People within the Framework Imposed by the Immigration Rules
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Deliver a Service in accordance with the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, The Children’s Act 2004, and All Relevant Government and Statutory Regulations and Guidance
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Deliver a Service in accordance with the Housing Act 1989, the Care Standards Act 2000, the Health and Safety Act 1974, and the Fire Precaution Act 1971.
Programme Aims
Through our supported accommodation programme, we aim to provide safe and structured accommodation for young refugees and unaccompanied minors between the ages of 16 and 18. Encouraging an atmosphere of safety, mutual respect, and care, we provide complete support for young people by assessing their needs and presenting behaviours.
Support sessions are arranged for a minimum of 5 hours per week, but this is flexible and can be increased as needed. Paiwand also aims to:
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Build and Maintain Both General and Intimate Relationships with Others
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Develop Their Self-Esteem and Resilience
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Obtain Practical and Financial Skills and Knowledge
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Make Positive Lifestyle Choices
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Preparing and Cooking Food
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Communicating with Others and Developing Friendships outside of the Care System
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Applying and Interviewing for Jobs
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Exploring and Managing Feelings and Wellbeing
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Developing Personal Values
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Developing Problem Solving and Negotiation Skills
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Planning and Reviewing Actions
Education and Life Skills
Maintaining strong links with local Youth Stop branches and other youth support agencies, we help to connect young people with opportunities for suitable courses, training, and employment. Additionally, we encourage people to attend college open days to explore further education opportunities.
We also offer a supplementary Saturday school at Stag Lane Junior School in Edgware. This includes English and maths classes and Afghan mother tongue lessons in Pashto and Dari.
Our preparation for independence programme will help develop young people’s ability to:
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Copy of the Pathway Plan
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Risk Assessment
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Relevant Reports to Assist in Our Work with the Young Person, including:
Additionally, we organise a range of youth activities, including drama, music, football, girls’ and boys’ clubs and other social activities at various schools, colleges, and community venues across North West London. Mentoring sessions are also available, and we arrange one-to-one key work sessions to discuss and review the young person’s progress.
Admission Policies and Referrals
Referrals are accepted from Local Authority Housing, Social Care and Youth Offending services nationwide. We accept asylum seekers and young refugees aged between 16 and 18 years old, who have been assessed as being vulnerable and in need of supported housing.
On receiving an initial referral or enquiry, a copy of the statement of purpose, fees, referral form and young people’s information will be sent to the referrer. The referral form must be returned to the Housing Manager, along with the following supporting documentation:
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Financial and Practical Arrangements
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Target-Setting
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Allocation of Roles
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Agreement of Timescales
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Transport Links
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Health Services
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Libraries
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Places of Worship
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Colleges
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Citizens Advice Bureau
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Social and Cultural Links
The referrer may organise an informal visit with the young person either before or after the submission of the referral form. Once a placement has been accepted, the referrer will receive two copies of the placement agreement for signing, one of which will be returned to the Housing Manager. This must be completed prior to the young person moving in.
On the day of admission, we require a meeting to take place to plan and agree on the details of the placement plan, including:
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Referral Form
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Fee Structure
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Risk Assessment Form
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Policies and Procedures
On arrival at the accommodation, the young person will be greeted by the Wellbeing & Support Manager, who will show them around the property and facilities, discuss health and safety procedures, day-to-day activities, housekeeping, and house rules. The young person will receive keys to their room, the front door, and allocated kitchen cupboard, along with contact details for managers, Night Key Workers, and emergency contacts.
Furthermore, the Wellbeing & Support Manager will meet with the young person for a key work session within two days of admission to introduce them to the local community, highlighting the following:
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Learn Communication and Other Effective Skills
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Alleviate Social Isolation and Loneliness by Making Friends
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Improve Mental Health
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Integrate into the Community
Placement Referrals
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Year 1 – Phonics Screening
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Year 2 – SATS
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Year 3 – Transition from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2
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Year 4 – Times Tables
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Year 5 – Preparation 11+
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Year 6 – SATs and Transition for Year 7
Emergency Referrals
Emergency referrals will only be accepted where there is reason to believe the placement will be successful and that Paiwand’s supported accommodation service is an appropriate resource for the young person.
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