This free online seminar, is hosted by the Centre for Social Work Research (CSWR), the Victoria Climbié Foundation UK (VCF) and the BME & Migrant Advisory Group for safeguarding children and young people (B-MAG). The speaker is OSCB Trainer and Founder Director of Together with Migrant Children, Nick Watts.
For migrant families, the impact of COVID-19 and the challenges of life in lockdown are complicated by the hostile environment, which introduces additional barriers to support and safety during this pandemic. At the same time, a raft of public health legislation and other considerations have come into play in this time, affecting the support that migrant children and families can draw on.
Within the sector supporting migrant communities, there have been campaign achievements as the pandemic highlights very starkly and more widely the inequalities and oppression toward these communities. As increasing pressure is placed on the government to make changes to the system, including the dismantling of the hostile environment, children and families are still subject to a brutal system that impacts on their basic right to safety. Demands on services in the sector increase through issues such as destitution, street homelessness and the state safety net for migrants.
This seminar will draw on case studies and feedback from service users at Together with Migrant Children to explore the challenges faced during the pandemic by children and families harmed by immigration controls. Drawing on lessons from our own practice, there will be opportunity to discuss how practitioners can provide practical help. Looking forward, it will summarise the key achievements of the sector during this pandemic and what this might mean for migrant families in the short and long term.
Nick Watts is the Founder and Director of the charity Together with Migrant Children. The charity works nationwide, providing specialist support through advocacy, social work and family support to children, young people and their families impacted by immigration controls. https://togethermigrantchildren.org.uk/ or on Twitter @TwMCuk.
The seminar will be of interest for practitioners, policy makers and academics/researchers, and social work students.
To register please follow this link to the event on Eventbrite