Research & Recommendations Background to Community Lead Research Project Back

A Community Lead Research Project Effectively Tackling Disadvantage, Disengagement and Discrimination Our proposed Research Project lists and analyses Hastings, St Leonards & Bexhill based initiatives that have been designed to tackle the barriers that are currently experienced by disadvantaged groups with respect to the following key areas: Education: To provide an inclusive and representative education system and tackle racism. Health: To provide an inclusive quality service respecting the cultural and religious needs of BME people. Work: To provide and implement equal opportunity in employment and at work, enhance the employability of individuals from disadvantaged groups including refugees and asylum seekers. Housing: To ensure equal access to good quality housing with adequate space in the private/statutory sector. Community Safety: To tackle violence, crime and racist attacks and introduce improved safety measures around pub/club closing time and throughout the night. Public facilities: To provide improved and inclusive facilities for the public. Refugees: To challenge xenophobia and provide a co-ordinated support system in the area of health, housing, safety, education and language for integration into the community in Hastings, St Leonards, Bexhill & surrounding areas. Feedback from BME communities is collated through a questionnaire, Interviews and focus groups. A database lists all questionnaire responses, which upon completion will be made available to the relevant stakeholders that have contributed and participated in this research project, together with an analysis of the results and good practice case studies. Why ? The purpose of this proposed research study is to establish baseline data across a range of fields for the black and minority ethnic (BME) populations of Hastings and St.Leonards. In so doing, it is intended that the data provids a foundation for agencies (public and voluntary) delivering services to the BME community to track progress against the baseline to meet a number of objectives, namely: 1.     To ensure effective service delivery for this key sector of the population. 2.     To identify progress towards service level targets, outputs or outcomes 3.     To monitor and achieve specific targets within the Community Strategy 4.     To fulfil statutory obligations relating to community cohesion. A wide range of both public and voluntary and community sector agencies provide services to members of the BME community. However, the way in which these services are delivered is not evidence-based, but delivered more on the basis of perceived demand, or in response to specific, or urgent needs. The proposed research would deliver, for the first time, an accurate picture of the needs of and issues faced by these sectors of the population, to assist all agencies in service planning also. There is a specific target in the Community Strategy – Target 10, Community Cohesion, which aims to “Increase the number of residents who feel people from different backgrounds live harmoniously in the town.” To oversee the achievement of this target, a Community Cohesion Action Plan is currently being drafted by Hastings Borough Council Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, which, once finalised, will be passed for approval to the Equalities sub-group of the Local Strategic Partnership. The proposed research would assist the Strategic Partnership, and all agencies party to it, to provide improved services to assist in the achievement of this key target for the town by addressing specific requirements within the Action Plan. You too can nominate yourself or others to be interviewed in any language of choice in order to help us develop an accurate base line picture of needs, identifying specific barriers to work, health, education, safety etc. Please us via our main contact details. Being interviewed about your experience in helping to tackle barriers to participation offers you the opportunity that we will feature your services in our on-line directory of preferred service providers with existing activities modeling good practice. Find out more about the Background to this proposed Research project and our role as an organisation.