HELLO FROM ISCRE!

Welcome to the second of our e-newsletters aimed at keeping you up-to-date with the work carried out by the Ipswich & Suffolk Council for Racial Equality.

The items in this edition are a mixture of good and less-than-good news. But I do think that overall all of us involved in the provision of community services must face up to one fundamental challenge.

The economic situation – and the response to it in terms of public sector cuts - is having a particularly corrosive impact on the most vulnerable groups, including some Black & Minority Ethnic populations, in our county and indeed is placing growing strains on good community relations.

ISCRE remains committed to working with all partners in ensuring equal treatment and access to services for all of Suffolk's citizens. So if we can help you in any way in this regard, please let us know!

Kind regards

Jane Basham
Chief Executive

STOP & SEARCH REFERENCE GROUP SAVED – FOR NOW

After a high-profiled campaign involving hundreds of expressions of support from across Suffolk, an online petition, media interviews and even a peaceful demonstration outside Police headquarters, ISCRE is delighted to be able to report that the Stop & Search Reference Group, funded by Suffolk Police, will not be axed for the foreseeable future – subject to a new contract being agreed.

Towards the end of last year the group – which brings together the Police, ISCRE and members of Suffolk's BME communities to look at each form filled in when a Suffolk police officer stops and searches a person, but which results in neither an arrest nor a charge, looked in danger of folding entirely as the Police struggled with having to make major cuts – including the service level agreement with ISCRE which underpins the group.

Thankfully, ISCRE and the Police have concluded a revised funding arrangement which will ensure the group can continue in its essential role of improving understanding between the force and the communities it services – but only until September. At that point a further review will be undertaken.

According to Leon Hall "we owe a big 'thank you' to everyone who took the time to both campaign and to express their support for the Stop & Search Reference Group. People power still works!"

"We are also pleased that we have been able to come to an agreement with the Police, but are concerned about the longer term prospects for what we know is a major mechanism in reducing the wasted time and resources and the bad feelings associated with the disproportionately high number of BME people stopped and searched in Suffolk".

For more information, please click here or contact Leon on (01473) 408111

ROOTED IN WEST SUFFOLK

An innovative scheme aimed at raising the awareness of young people in the west of the county on issues around diversity, racism, community development, civil rights, local history and intergenerational activities has notched up some major successes since it was launched in October last year.

Generation Rootz, which is backed by ISCRE, Suffolk County Council and the West Suffolk Local Strategic Partnership, has brought together young people from different localities, schools, education provisions, ages, backgrounds, academic levels and nationalities.

According to ISCRE's Jo Wilson "it is all about building understanding and acceptance among the many diverse communities that make up west Suffolk. Recent achievements have included a mentoring project for Polish students at a Bury St. Edmunds school, a film project in Forest Heath involving the interviewing of different people in the community and a range of sporting and artistic activities".

Although primarily centred around supporting 15 students from the area to empower them to support others, the benefits of the project are being felt across any existing racial and generational divides to focus upon shared experiences and ways of making west Suffolk an even better place for all to live.

For more information, please click here
or contact Jo on (01473) 408111.

TIP – INFLUENCING HEALTH ACROSS THE REGION

ISCRE's Translating & Interpreting Project (TIP) has played a key role in recent NHS East of England and East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) activity. TIP has contributed real case studies to inform the Commissioning Framework for Language Support. The framework document is intended "to support commissioners in the provision of language support to achieve equity and excellence in health and social care services."

Louise Gooch, Policy Officer, Strategic Migration Partnership EELGA commented as follows "the power of the document comes from the quality of the case studies which I have seen resonate with readers".

TIP's Project Manager Annie Chow, said that she hoped the document would raise awareness of the impact and importance of removing the barrier of language in a health care setting.

For a link to the NHS document more information, please click here or contact Annie on (01473) 4000082

FIRST SUFFOLK CONGRESS – A GREAT SUCCESS

Over 80 local delegates joined some of the UK's most important and prominent equality champions at the first-ever Suffolk Congress for Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) citizens which was held in Ipswich in mid-March.

According to Tanesha Wedderburn of ISCRE – who, along with the Suffolk Minority Ethnic Community Action Network (MECAN), has organised the event "the Congress set out to inform, inspire and improve the prospects for the growing BME population in Suffolk to better understand how others have addressed similar challenges in their campaigns for equal treatment. I believe all three aims were achieved".

The keynote national speakers at the free event held at the Trinity Park Conference and Events Centre were:

Rob Berkeley, Director of Runnymede Trust
Mark Blake, Head of Local Engagement for Black Training and Enterprise Group
Ila Chandavarkar, Chief Officer of Minority Ethnic Network in the Eastern Region
Ashok Viswanathan, Deputy Director of Operation Black Vote

In addition to these inspirational speakers, there were opportunities for delegates, through three workshops, to share their experiences of overcoming discrimination in both the workplace and in accessing services and to plan more co-ordinated responses to the challenges BME communities are facing from the current wave of public sector cuts. A short film called Habibti, created by Panacea Productions, was also shown.

Runnymede is the UK's leading independent race equality information organisation. Generating intelligence for a multi-ethnic Britain through research, network building, leading debate and policy engagement talking about the event said: Rob Berkely its Director said after the event "The BME congress is a crucial step forward for Ipswich and Suffolk. Participants showed their willingness and commitment to playing their part in addressing inequalities and building a successful multi-ethnic Suffolk. I hope that government and the rest of civil society in Suffolk will now join them in action to create a fairer society. ISCRE and its partners should be congratulated on this event of national significance. Other parts of the country have much to learn from their experience".

For more information, please contact: Tanesha on (01473) 408111 or tanesha@iscre.org.uk

A LETTER TO A PRIME MINISTER

David Cameron's Munich speech on multiculturalism in February drew a great deal of comment from all quarters. Jane Basham, ISCRE's Chief Executive, decided to approach the Prime Minister directly and in doing so articulated her concerns about aspects of his reported remarks. Click here for a copy of Jane's letter.

COMMUNITIES FIGHTBACK AGAINST RACIST ATTACKS

Prompted by a vicious assault upon a member of the south Asian community in the centre of Ipswich, a public meeting was called by members of the communities affected. The meeting held in late February and chaired by Jane Basham at CSV Media in Ipswich, gave concerned citizens a chance to express their growing worries about such incidents and how to respond to them.

The meeting was well attended by over 90 people. This included members of the African Caribbean, Eastern European and refugee groups demonstrating unity against racism in Ipswich. Many people from the community said afterwards that they felt more reassured and were pleased at the Police reassurances they received.

However, the meeting showed both that the number of assaults of this type was increasing and that many members of the affected communities felt either unable to report them to the Police, or were unaware how to.

According to Jane Basham "there is a real job to be done in terms of the high levels of underreporting. It is important that the relevant public bodies work more directly with communities and groups like ISCRE to address all anti-social behaviour whether that be racially or non-racially motivated and ensure that people know what and how to report such issues through increasing awareness of the Hate Crime service".

For more information, please contact ISCRE on (01473) 408111