JOBCENTRE PLUS AND REFUGEES - PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING THE REFUGEE EMPLOYMENT STRATEGY THE BIRMINGHAM EXPERIENCE
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JOBCENTRE PLUS AND REFUGEES
PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING
THE REFUGEE EMPLOYMENT
STRATEGY
THE BIRMINGHAM EXPERIENCE
Angus McCabe
Polly Goodwin
Karen Garry
April 2006
Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Contents
Executive Summary
1 Introduction: Report Purpose
2 Research Methods
3 Themes from Job Centre Plus Interviews
4 Themes from Refugee Interviews
5 Utilising the Evidence Base
6 Areas for Further Research
Appendices
1 Literature Review
2 References/Bibliography
Acknowledgements
The research team would like to thank everyone who gave so generously of their
time, often at short notice, to participate in this research.
We thank the management of the JCP centres involved for opening up their
offices to us and enabling staff to take part; the Refugee Champions and all the
other staff members for their open, constructive contributions and willingness to
participate.
Thanks also to the community organisations who enabled focus groups to be run
in their own premises to enable refugee participants to take part in familiar
surroundings.
We thank the refugee participants for their willingness to share and discuss their
experiences and contribute their opinions.
Not least, thanks go to the TRELLIS link officers for recruiting focus group
participants and providing excellent interpretation and language support.
Apr 06 1Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Executive Summary
This research was commissioned in January 2006 by TRELLIS and its parent
organisation, the Employability Forum. The aim of the report is to:
• Examine refugee views of Job Centre Plus (JCP) services and perceived
barriers to employment
• Explore JCP staff experience of working with refugees within the context
of the emerging Refugee Employment Strategy (DWP: 2005)
• Provide a summary overview of existing Birmingham/West Midlands
literature on refugee employment issues
• Propose ways forward in the local implementation of the Refugee
Employment Strategy and the role of TRELLIS in employment services
development for refugees
The findings presented are based on individual interviews and focus groups with
JCP staff (63), JCP Refugee Champions (6), refugees (37) and discussions with
the TRELLIS manager and team.
The research found common ground on key issues identified by both
refugees and JCP staff. These include:
• There is a lack of appropriate and intensive ESOL provision in Birmingham
and concerns over the quality of some existing provision
• Limited access to language support in local offices means that
communication between staff and refugee customers can be restricted
• Prior work experience and qualifications gained in country of origin are not
always identified or valued due to restricted communication
• JCP staff work under significant time constraints making it difficult to
allocate additional time to customers with complex support needs
• Staff and refugees recognise the benefits of building a consistent
relationship between an Adviser and a refugee customer but that the
compartmentalised nature of service delivery in JCPs, and staff rotation
does not always make this possible
• There can be difficulties or delays in securing National Insurance Numbers
resulting in delayed benefits or declined job applications
• Some employers demonstrate negative attitudes towards engaging
refugees
• Refugees demonstrate high levels of motivation to work
Apr 06 2Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
The specific themes emerging from interviews with JCP staff were:
• Staff are able to provide a more consistent and intensive service to
refugees eligible for New Deal support
• Advisers are striving hard to deliver high quality and appropriate support
to refugees to an equal standard with other client groups with high level
support needs
• Front-line staff are currently unaware of the implications of the Refugee
Employment Strategy and welcome the advent of the newly identified
Refugee Champions to take on an information gathering and
disseminating role
• The complexity of needs faced by those making the transition from
asylum seeking to refugee status means that addressing benefits,
housing, education and health issues is essential before advising on
employment opportunities
• The compartmentalisation of JCP services means that ‘continuity of
service’ to individuals is problematic
• The increasing focus on customer self-service and call centre access
disadvantages those who are already vulnerable in the labour market, who
have limited English language skills or need to be signposted for additional
support with basic needs such as housing
• Refugees often under-value prior work experience and qualifications
gained in the country of origin. Those with limited language skills and/or
traumatic experiences in their country of origin needed highly skilled and
time-intensive support to build their personal confidence
• Staff would like a better knowledge and understanding of the services
offered by Refugee Community Organisations and JCP partnership
agencies so that they can refer refugees customers on appropriately and
with confidence
The specific themes arising from group sessions with refugees were
• A key barrier to employment is the perceived requirement from employers
for refugee job applicants to demonstrate previous UK work experience to
be considered for jobs
• Available ESOL provision does not meet the needs of refugees – not
intensive, vocational or available at different educational levels
• The perceived gap between jobs available through JCP (semi-skilled
labour/service industries) and the skills qualified refugees brought
Apr 06 3Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
• Recognition that JCP staff have limited time and are under pressure to
move people into jobs. Under such pressures, they may be unable to offer
tailored skills assessment which takes account of prior work experience or
qualifications
• The difficulties of accepting short term employment contracts due to the
impact this has on benefits/the requirement to go through whole claims
process again when contract ends
• A perceived lack of consistency in the advice and support provided
through JCP because seeing someone different every visit
• Refugee customers being referred to external support services / training
‘because they were available’ – rather than actually meeting needs
• Increased competition for employment opportunities (often low paid jobs)
with the expansion of the EU
Progress has been made locally in implementing the DWP Refugee Employment
Strategy. Refugee Champions are in place and the research identified generally
positive working relationships between refugees, Intermediary Agencies, Refugee
Community Organisations and the wider independent sector which can be built
on.
A key theme, however, was the need for developing a consistent support and
brokerage service between employers and refugees.
Suggestions for developing services and the effective implementation
of the Refugee Employment Strategy [RES] include:
• The role of Refugee Champions should be clearly defined to include the
holding of a refugee caseload and designated time to ensure the local
implementation of the RES
• Refugee Champions to call on the partnership support of TRELLIS link officers
to offer tailored, culturally appropriate and informed services to refugee
customers
• Appoint a Refugee Champion in the regional Call Centre to help at the first
point of contact for refugees
• Increased accessibility to intensive and employment related ESOL provision
including ‘on the job’ ESOL training
• Incorporating English language learning into the role of NASS so that asylum
seekers exiting this support system, once leave to remain is granted, have a
greater level of spoken English and some familiarity with UK service delivery
systems
• Additional community-based drop-in services at existing ethnic
minority/partner organisations, with online access to JCP job search systems,
Apr 06 4Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
would fit with the broader move towards customer self service but in a
specifically supportive environment
• An employer incentive scheme, offering financial incentives to employers
taking on refugees, a ‘New Deal for Refugees’
• While general employer contact has been centralised within JCP, there could
be a place for active brokerage with local employers on behalf of refugees,
this could be taken by TRELLIS link officers
• A clear and consistent process for converting qualifications from abroad is
needed. This is integral to the DWP refugee strategy, but has yet to be fully
implemented at the local/regional level
Apr 06 5Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
1 Introduction: Report Purpose
This research was commissioned in January 2006 by TRELLIS and its parent
organisation, the Employability Forum. It is intended to inform the development
of the TRELLIS project in Birmingham and contribute to a broader research
programme on access to employment by refugees, which is being co-ordinated
nationally into the implementation and development of ‘Working to Rebuild Lives:
A Refugee Employment Strategy’ (DWP: 2005).
The aims of the research are to:
• Explore the experiences of refugees in Birmingham who are, or have been,
users of Job Centre Plus and to record any issues, difficulties and examples of
good practice.
• Explore the experiences of Job Centre Plus advisers in Birmingham in
providing support to refugees and to record issues, difficulties and examples
of good practice.
• Identify the literature available in Birmingham/West Midlands relating to the
provision of employment support to refugees, identifying key issues for
refugees in accessing employment and examples of good practice.
• Indicate potential ways forward in the implementation of the Refugee
Employment Strategy [RES] locally and the role of TRELLIS in employment
services development for refugees.
At the time of undertaking this research, the implementation of the Refugee
Employment Strategy in Birmingham and Solihull was in the early stages of
development and that no other JCP service specific research could be found1.
With one exception, JCP Refugee Champions were new to the role and TRELLIS
link officers had only recently been appointed. This report therefore focuses on
pre-existing services to promote refugee access to employment and, based on
the experiences of refugees and JCP staff, how these might be further developed
in the immediate future in line with the RES.
The report presents key themes emerging from interviews with JCP staff (section
3) and with refugees (section 4). Options for future developments (section 5)
and further research (section 6) are then explored. The local literature review is
presented in the appendices and referenced within the main text of the report
where existing data is reinforced by findings of this research or is otherwise
directly relevant to specified findings.
One issue that is not addressed in this report is the number and overall profile of
refugees accessing JCP services against the refugee population in Birmingham
and Solihull as a whole. This was beyond the remit of the commissioned
1
Phillimore et al: 2006
Apr 06 6Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
research. Further, where statistics were available they were often contradictory,
or reported by advisers as ‘estimates only’. Whilst some JCP interviewees felt
that numbers were over-estimated, as they may include those arriving via
another EU country and, therefore, technically, economic migrants; others
reported that current data was incomplete as the refugee marker was not always
highlighted at the initial interview and therefore figures were likely to be an
underestimate. This issue requires further research and quantitative analysis2
2
as also identified by ICAR:2006:, Sports Solutions: 2005
Apr 06 7Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
2 Research Methods
The research team worked with six Birmingham JCPs and one Job Centre yet to
be ‘rolled out’ as a JCP. These represented JCPs with the highest levels of
refugee customers across the city.
Six in-depth interviews were conducted with Refugee Champions. These explored
the Champions experiences of working with refugees and their ideas for the
emerging role of Refugee Champions. Seven focus groups were then held with a
broad range of JCP staff. 63 people attended these sessions. Most sessions were
recorded and all were notated for accuracy.
Four focus groups were conducted with refugees currently using JCP services.
These were structured so that the research team could explore whether there
were significant differences in experience between refugees who had a good
command of the English language (19) and those with more limited linguistic
skills (18) in terms of JCP service use and barriers to employment. Interpretation
was provided by TRELLIS link officers, where necessary.
An additional criterion for inclusion was that refugee participants had not been
involved with the recent Birmingham Race Action Partnership research with
refugees on employment issues - the intention being to ‘add value’ to that
research.
Given the limited time available for fieldwork, the research team worked with the
TRELLIS team to identify a sample of refugees who met the above criteria and
who were willing to take part. The sample group, therefore, while providing a
good range, is not presented as ‘representative’ of refugee communities in
Birmingham.
A detailed profile of refugee participants is provided in the charts overleaf. In
summary, however:
• All currently use JCP services – with one participant technically defined as
an economic migrant rather than refugee
• Participants had a broad range of employment experience in their country
of origin – eg. van driving, welding and shop keeping, classroom assistant,
accountant/book-keeper, Clerk to the Courts
• Qualifications gained in country of origin included accountancy/book-
keeping, teaching, social work and health care
• Many people had some work experience in the UK. This, however, tended
to be informal, low skilled and short term employment even where people
had professional/vocational qualifications from their country of origin
Apr 06 8Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Chart 1
Age range of Focus Group participants
12
10
8
Number
6
4
2
0
20 - 25 26 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39 40 - 44 45 +
Years
Chart 2
Focus Group participants
Kurdish
Iran
Iraq
Country of Origin
Afghanistan
Kosovo
Madagascar
Somalia
Ivory Coast
Cameroon
Democratic Republic of Congo
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Number
Apr 06 9Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Chart 3
Gender of Focus Group participants
30
25
20
Number
15
10
5
0
Male Female
Chart 4
Length of time in UK/Birmingham
16
No. Focus Group participantss
14
12
10
UK
8
Bham
6
4
2
0
under 12 1-2 years 3-4 years 5 Years +
months
Apr 06 10Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
3 Themes from JCP Staff Interviews
Focus groups were held with JCP Advisers in seven centres in Birmingham, a
total of 63 Advisers took part. Participants included Financial Assessors, New
Claims Advisers, Interventions Team Advisers, Lone Parent and Hard to Place
Champions, Restart Advisers, New Deal Advisers, a Disability Adviser and ‘Front
of House’ Floor Managers.
Face to face interviews were undertaken with Refugee Champions in 5 JCPs and
1 Jobcentre.
Refugee Champions
The creation of Refugee Champions within JCPs is relatively recent. Indeed, at
the point of interview, three had been formally carrying out the role for less than
one month. However:
• Most of the new Champions felt that the role was either a progression of work
they had already been doing with refugees, or an opportunity to fill gaps in
provision for refugees.
• One or two were less clear what the role might involve, and were unclear
about the process by which they had been selected/appointed. They were
waiting to be briefed on its scope and responsibilities, having been nominated
as Champion rather than, necessarily, expressing an interest themselves. This
briefing session was subsequently held with the TRELLIS team in March 2006.
• New Refugee Champions reported concern about how this might impact on
their primary job roles, for example as New Claims Advisers.
In two JCPs, staff had been, de facto, carrying out the role of Refugee Champion
for longer. Their work has evolved over time, but includes;
• Taking refugee referrals from front-line JCP staff in cases where
customers required intensive advice and support to address a range of
complex needs
• Developing a detailed knowledge of refugee community organisations
locally and thereby acting as a resource to other JCP staff
• Facilitating referrals to other agencies (eg social services/education)
• Providing ‘job-brokerage’ support.
With the restructuring of Job Centres and JCP, a number of staff taking part in
the research activities were relatively new into their job roles and some had
limited experience of work with refugee groups.
Those with longer frontline experience made reference to an ‘influx’ of Kurdish
refugees over 2003-4 and of Sudanese and Somali groups prior to this. There
was a general perception that numbers entering the UK directly had declined in
Apr 06 11Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
the past 2-3 years, whilst there had been a growth in both EU economic
migrants (Poland and the Baltic States) and refugees (with the legal status of
economic migrants) arriving from other EU countries. Frequent reference was
made to Somalis arriving from Holland and those from a range of African
countries moving from Scandinavia.
One centre did report increasing numbers of refugees over last 3/4 years, but no
JCP specific figures were available from any of the staff who took part in the
research.
General Perceptions of Advisers
There is a perception that JCPs are seeing a higher proportion of EU economic
migrants now, who achieved refugee status elsewhere in Europe [see below],
compared with UK assessed refugees.
JCP Advisers recognise that refugees are not a homogenous group. There is a
general feeling that:
• Most refugees are keen, willing to work and “prepared to take any job”3
• Many refugees were reported as attending interviews with certificates of
qualifications from their country of origin
• Some have never worked in ‘jobs’ before and have no qualifications –
particularly those arriving from predominantly agrarian economies (e.g.
Somalia/Sudan). These refugees were seen by JCP staff and others as
particularly hard to place in the labour market
• Many refugees had transferable skills gained in their country of origin. These
were, however, not always recognised either by employers or, indeed,
refugees themselves4 .
Staff in several centres highlighted the plight of Dutch Somali
women, many of whom are lone parents and consider themselves
refugees rather than economic migrants. However, having gained
refugee status outside the UK they are classed as EU migrants and
as such have no recourse to public funds and are not entitled to
Income Support or JSA. One adviser noted that many of these
women were coming into the UK from Holland and other EU
countries where they had gained refugee status not understanding
that they were ineligible for benefits, and were living on monies
from Child Tax Credits, housing benefit and child benefit until
habitual residency could be established.
3
see also Aldridge & Waddington: 2001/Phillimore et al: undated A/B
4
Phillimore et al: 2006
Apr 06 12Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Jobcentre Plus services
Figure 1
See Financial
Call Centre [CMS] Assessor to sort
– appointment New Claims Adviser
out benefit claims,
made, interpreter – complete Job
Habitual Residency
needs identified Seekers Agreement
Test
Employment Zone Restart interview Sign on with Refer to
– intensive re- at 6, 12, 18 Interventions intermediary for
training/ allocation months Team every 2 help with ESOL,
into jobs weeks other needs eg
housing
Figure 1 above illustrates the general process accessed by refugees as described
by JCP Advisers. In 2 or 3 centres, refugees may now be referred to the Refugee
Champion at any of these stages, except the first, for additional support. The
Champion role is too undeveloped in other centres for that to happen yet.
Links to contracted Partner Agencies and Refugee Community
Organisations
Advisers in all centres were aware of JCP links with partner agencies that are
contracted by the Department of Work & Pensions to provide additional support
to vulnerable or Hard to Place groups, including refugees. Most were able to
name the agencies, which they referred to as intermediaries or EMOs (Ethnic
Minority Organisations), their centre was most closely linked with. They were not
necessarily aware of wider Refugee Community Organisation networks or their
capacity to respond to refugee employment support needs (Zetter et al.:
undated).
The commercial training agencies under contract often help with ESOL, CVs, job
searches, application forms, interview skills and computer training. More
community-based organisations often have a broader social focus and will also
assist with housing, health, education and legal issues for refugees. In 2 JCPs,
staff offer outreach services based within community organisations in the locality.
Whilst these are open to anyone to attend, they were seen as a useful means of
contacting ethnic minorities generally and, in particular, refugees who may be
reluctant/find it difficult to attend JCPs.
Apr 06 13Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
• 4 out of 6 Refugee Champions interviewed were clear that people would
only be able to actively look for work once their basic needs – for food,
housing and health – had been met. Most refer out to partner agencies
or community organisations for support with housing and health, for
instance registering with a GP
• Some Advisers expressed lack of knowledge about the range of
community support available for them to refer refugees on to. They also
recognised they lacked understanding of cultural/tribal differences between
communities to ensure sending them to an appropriate agency
• Several Advisers, as well as Refugee Champions, expressed concern
about the quality of the support on offer from contracted agencies
and organisations, although they had examples of really good practice from
some agencies. One or two felt their lack of knowledge about alternative
agencies or organisations meant they were not offering refugee customers
the best options for support. They hoped the Refugee Champion role would
provide opportunities to rectify this position
• Advisers’ experience of using private sector employment agencies also
varied. Whilst some felt that these were a useful resource, with employers
more willing to take on refugees where agencies bore the ‘risk’ of
immigration status tests etc, others felt that they exploited refugees by
encouraging them into very short term/low skilled employment, or were
increasingly reluctant to take on those without existing UK employment
experience and who were consequently ‘easy to place’5
• A majority, though not all, of Advisers felt that interview times, particularly
at the point of initial assessment interviews, were inadequate. This applied
particularly to cases where interpreters were required. Frontline staff
reported “feeling under pressure” if they allowed additional interview time
“whilst other customers were waiting.” Staff in two JCPs expressed
frustration if refugees did not attend interviews on time. This was an issue
predominantly with those from agrarian cultures – but was experienced as
adding “unnecessary” pressure onto frontline staff or as a “waste of
resources” if interpreters had been booked6
• Staff at 2 centres felt that the diversity of employees at their centre
was a key strength. They felt that this added to the range of language
skills which could be offered ‘in house’ as well as enhancing their capacity
to deliver culturally sensitive services
5
Bailey & McCabe: 2005
6
see also Phillimore et al: undatedA
Apr 06 14Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Barriers to employment
The research team also explored views on the key barriers to work for refugees
from the perspective of JCP staff and refugees (section 4).
The key barrier to employment for refugees identified at all centres was lack of
English language skills – spoken and written7:
• Employers were reported as concerned that refugees would be unable to
understand or comply with Health and Safety procedures
• Employers felt that refugees will not mix with the rest of the workforce
• Some JCP staff commented that refugees excluded themselves from
certain jobs (even where they had skills and experience/qualifications in
their country of origin) where they felt they lacked the language skills, for
instance to operate machinery safely
There is a perception amongst Advisers that many employers are generally
reluctant to take refugees – they suggested reasons could include lack of
knowledge about ‘leave to stay’ status, racism, Islamaphobia8. Some employers,
they felt, appeared to create barriers. For example:
• Requests for a long employment record in the UK (see section 4)
• Reluctance to take people on who had proof of residence rights but had
no current or temporary NI numbers. Interestingly, neither JCP staff nor
refugees made reference to the introduction of Home Office Immigration
Status Documents (2004) that were intended to ease such problems
• Some participants suggested the Employers Support Service in JCP is
intended to address these issues; others identified this as an area for
further action
Qualifications were raised as another barrier. Refugees either lack proof of
qualifications, have none or those they do have are not immediately
acceptable in the UK or needed validation and up-grading9. Advisers reported a
knowledge gap around what to do with refugee customers presenting with
certificates/qualifications and felt that there was a gap between the type of jobs
on offer at JCPs (skilled manual/un-skilled/semi-skilled labour) and those sought
by refugees with higher professional and/or vocational qualifications.
There appeared to be no clear, or consistent, processes to transfer/validate
overseas qualifications for different professions. Some Advisers/Champions
refer to intermediaries for help with this, some offer direct support, but there is
7
also Schellekens: 1999/EcoTec: 2003/Phillimore et al: undatedA/B
8
Bloch: 2002/Dhudwar:2005B
9
Aldridge & Waddington: 2001: IES: 2004
Apr 06 15Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
no recognised or standardised process10. There were good examples of
Champions using the District Discretionary Fund to help overseas-qualified
doctors transfer their qualifications and register with the BMA. They have also
helped people secure Forklift Truck driving certificates and PSA driving licences
where the refugees’ prior qualifications were not recognised in the EU.
Other barriers identified by Advisers were:
• Lack of work experience amongst younger refugees
• Experience of agrarian work which was not viewed by employers as formal
‘job’ experience
• Unfamiliarity with English customs, social and behavioural ‘norms’ and
interview procedures – e.g. time keeping for interviews, avoiding direct
eye contact
• Lack of acceptable/appropriate childcare. Interviewees reported on
traditions of family childcare provision where nursery provision was not
seen as acceptable and/or nurseries/childminders were unable to
communicate with children because of language barriers11.
Challenges in supporting refugee customers
Those interviewed were asked to identify the key challenges to JCP staff in terms
of supporting refugee customers. The following section summarises issues which
were consistently identified across all JCPs involved in the research:
• Provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages [ESOL] was seen as
inadequate12. There were not enough places and the courses were not
intensive enough. It was reported that people came back to JCP after a 6-
month course still unable to communicate effectively in English – in
comparison with those who arrived in other EU countries as first point of entry
and were cited by Advisers as able to speak fluent Danish/Swedish
• The 16-hour rule was seen a barrier to providing effective ESOL provision as
benefit can be stopped if courses are 16 hours or more per week
• A lack of ‘in-house’ language skills in some JCPs – if in-house interpretation is
available, Advisers feel they can respond quickly to immediate language needs
and avoid costly external interpreters when customers fail to attend
• Refugees found jobs for themselves, often through friends in their
communities and in circumstances where they do not have to speak English.
Advisers reported:
10
www.academic-refugees.org / West Midlands Deanery: 2006
11
Hek: 2005
12
Bloch 2000/2002/2004:Tank; 2005
Apr 06 16Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
o Refugees ‘disappearing’ and not being seen again. They suspected many
enter the hidden or informal economy, being paid cash in hand or topping
up below Minimum Wage earnings with Tax Credits
o Undertaking intensive work with refugees, but being uncertain of
employment outcomes. This appeared to be particularly the case where
dispersed asylum seekers moved to be closer to their own
communities/cultural groups after refugee status had been granted
Case Study 1
A refugee from Iran was consistently applying for low skilled
manual jobs. On closer investigation by a JCP Adviser, he was
found to have prior experience of managing retail businesses in his
country of origin. The Adviser supported the individual in preparing
a CV that more accurately reflected his prior experience. The
refugee then started applying for management positions in retail
businesses. Contact was, however, subsequently lost and the
eventual outcome unknown.
Current performance targets in JCPs meant that Advisers are working under tight
time constraints13. New Claims Advisers are allocated 40 minutes per interviewee
and generally expected to complete a minimum of 8 interviews per day. A
customer with higher level needs, for example a language barrier, can take much
longer than the time allocated. Advisers either end up with a queue of people
waiting, or they are not able to spend as much time with refugee customers as
they would like, to really understand their needs, skills and experience. In short,
the pressure to be seen, by other service users, to deliver an ‘equitable’ service
can potentially disadvantage refugees and other vulnerable or Hard to Place
groups.
• Advisers work is target-driven – the focus is on getting people into a job.
Current practice, if people are assessed to be ‘not ready’ for work, due to
language barriers or basic skills needs, is to refer them to a contracted
support agency to enable them to become ‘job ready’. In practice, this may be
the most expedient course to offer refugee customers when interview time is
limited. Examples of good practice with refugees were identified where
refugee customers were eligible for New Deal support – with Advisers having
more intensive casework time available and the capacity to ‘fast track’ into
ESOL and other provision.
• Some refugees were reported as unwilling to travel outside the immediate
area where they live. It was suggested this may be cultural – a tradition of
13
Phillimore et al,: undatedA
Apr 06 17Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
being close to home, especially for women - or there may be community
safety factors, a fear of leaving familiar ground, particularly if they have a
language barrier, of not knowing their way around14.
• Lack of confidence15 – Advisers identified this coming primarily from a lack of
English language skills but also have found that refugees were reluctant to
disclose previous skills or work experience form their country of origin thinking
that it would not be valued or recognised in the UK.
A key challenge remains that it takes time to build rapport with refugees to
enable them to open up and talk about their knowledge and experience. This is
difficult because of how the system is set up/compartmentalised in JCPs [see fig.
1] and because of staff rotation – refugees are unlikely to see the same person
when they come in.
Further:
• Some refugees do not declare disabilities, even when it is apparent they have
one, because they are worried it will prevent them getting a job.
• Advisers did not report getting many refugees into jobs16. Where they do, it
appears to be mostly via employment agencies who take on responsibility for
managing National Insurance number claims etc.
14
Green & Owen: 2006
15
Phillimore et al: 2006
16
IES: 2004
Apr 06 18Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
4 Themes from Refugee Interviews
The following section summarises the key themes and issues raised by refugee
participants in focus groups. These include:
• Motivation to work
• Experiences of contact with JCP
• Access to other employment support services
• Routes and barriers to employment
Suggestions offered for improved services are included in section 5 of the report.
Motivation
Refugee participants in the focus groups expressed clearly their desire to work.
Many talked about needing to work to help build self esteem, others reported
wanting to use and share the skills they brought with them.
Case Study 2
One participant, a qualified teaching assistant in her
country of origin, expressed frustration
“I could do this (class-room assistant) with my
community in schools, but there is no support. No
support to get a job, no support to get the
qualifications…..but (you) are short of teaching
assistants.”
Participants expressed their reluctance to be claiming benefits. Some were
vehement, particularly after their experiences with the NASS system, that they
found it ‘shameful’ to be dependent on benefits17.
Participants shared their willingness to take any job, even if they are over-
qualified for them18.
17
Phillimore et al: undated A/B: Aldridge & Waddington: 2001
18
McKay: 2005
Apr 06 19Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Case Study 3
One 45-year-old married man from the Congo, well educated,
described how he had been successful in securing sessional work
with the Post Office in Wolverhampton over Christmas 2005. He
enjoyed the work, did well and was offered the chance to
undertake a work assessment for a permanent position. He took
the assessment and in January received a letter saying that he
had passed as a suitable candidate for employment with the PO.
Unfortunately, the letter continued, there were no current
vacancies to offer him and his details would be kept on file.
The next week he received a callback letter from JCP informing
him that a number of vacancies were available in the Post Office
and asking if he would be interested in applying. He has the
letters from both the PO and JCP that evidence this experience.
Jobcentre Plus Services
Initial Contact
The majority of refugees had been referred to JCP directly by NASS. A minority
had come by other routes – including being referred by refugee community
organisations/advice agencies or introduced by friends.
Participants, particularly those with limited English language skills, commented
on the complexity of the transition from NASS once refugee status or leave to
remain had been granted. This involved not only sorting out benefit claims, but
also accommodation, education/training, National Insurance Numbers (NINO)
and potential employment.
“There are lots of forms, new forms. You don’t know what to look for
(in these) or how to answer. Maybe you don’t even know what forms
are needed and you keep going back for people to explain – again,
again.”
“You are okay (at JCP) if you can fill in all the forms first. Before you
go. But you need help to do that- from friends, from family, from
someone. If the forms aren’t filled in you get sent away. They (staff)
don’t have time.” Refugee Participants
Apr 06 20Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
A minority of participants reported problems in the processing of initial claims,
for example delays of several weeks/months for first payments. In three cases,
refugees reported having to access crisis loans prior to final payment
arrangements being made. One person talked about not realising that signing on
with JCP needed to be done immediately after being granted leave to stay, and
as a result lost one months benefit.
Several participants reported that their experiences in their country of origin had
had such a major impact on them emotionally and physically that they were not
always able to take full advantage of the support JCP could offer19.
When making a new claim, several people talked about how difficult the form
was to complete in the time allocated for the interview (c. 35-40 minutes). Focus
group participants talked about feeling under pressure to complete the form. At
the end of the New Claims process, the refugee customer then signs the form
and is subsequently unable to change his or her mind about the answers given.
Some felt it was unreasonable that they had to make decisions about, for
example, the kinds of work they were prepared to do, before they were really
clear about what might be available to them, and that those pressured decisions
were then treated as binding.
Case Study 4
One interviewee described being asked the
questions on education and training on the initial
form. He was not able to decide quickly on whether
he wanted to continue his education. He felt he was
expected to “make my mind up there and then”. He
reported being told that it was not acceptable to be
undecided. He talked about needing some time to
think about this, to recover from his experiences
before making a decision about the future direction
of this life.
A number of participants reported positive experiences of JCP, most had not
encountered any problems with making their claim or receiving their benefit and
one person commented that they were very pleased with the tailored support
received from the Refugee Champion at one Job Centre Plus. These participants
were, however, still looking for work.
19
Hek: 2005
Apr 06 21Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Others had encountered problems with accessing services, in particular:
• The lack of a consistent approach - inconsistent advice meant that, at best,
refugee customers are unclear about what is expected of them. At worst,
information gets lost, is wrongly filed, or is simply wrong and the customer
loses benefits
• Poor communication between different parts of JCP – particularly between
New Claims and the Interventions teams. Participants reported having to
repeat their circumstances over again. A number of people suggested that
different Advisers provided a different focus in the advice and information
they gave, which was seen as confusing.
On-going Support
A majority of refugee participants commented favourably on referrals from JCP
to Intermediary Agencies/Ethnic Minority Organisations for more intensive
support. Some raised a number of issues relating to JCP services in general:
• A number of participants had secured very short term employment (a
few weeks) and then found they were required to re-register at JCP as a
‘New Claim’, a lengthy process with many forms, which they find hard to
comprehend as “they already have my information”. Some suggested
that this had forced some refugees into working in the hidden economy,
on day ‘contracts’, to avoid the insecurities of short term working whilst
risking the loss of benefit.
• Problems in accessing interpreters, resulting in a reliance on family or
friends to provide this service during contact with the call centre and in
interviews20.
• A view that JCP staff were under substantial work-load pressures and
had insufficient time to allocate to refugees who may have additional
needs. This was a particular issue for those with limited language skills.
This general view was summed up in one comment “It’s not the staff,
it’s the system”21.
• The lack of assessment of refugees’ prior skills and knowledge which
might enable them to work in their chosen professions. Focus group
participants felt a lack of clear advice or information had been offered to
them to help with converting existing qualifications. Some reported
feeling pressurised into going for low skill/low pay jobs which did not
relate to their prior experience/qualifications.
• As with benefits, the lack of consistency in who individual refugees saw
within JCPs was seen as confusing and resulted in contradictory advice,
for instance on employment opportunities and/or the need for further
vocational training or education.
20
EcoTec: 2003
21
Phillimore et al: undatedA
Apr 06 22Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Whilst these concerns have been a common theme in other research reports22,
refugee participants highlighted two, more recent, issues which relate to changes
within the structure and role of JCP’s
Firstly, call centres were a major complaint – and seen as inappropriate for those
without a good command of the English language.
Focus group participants reported:
• Difficulties getting through to call centres
• Being constantly referred on to another call adviser
• Problems not being “sorted out” and therefore requiring a
visit to the JCP – where some reported being referred back
to call centre services
“At the end of the day, you don’t get help from the phone.”
Secondly, delays in securing National Insurance Numbers were reported. Whilst
this should not prevent refugees from accessing employment if they have proof
of right to residence, both JCP advisers and refugees reported that:
• Employers were reluctant to make a job offer without a NINo
• Pressures on JCP staff meant that, in some cases, NINo’s were only
being issued once a job offer had been confirmed
Access to Other Services
A minority of refugee participants talked about using, or being referred by JCP
staff to private sector employment agencies. Their experiences of these varied.
Some felt that these were useful in accessing short term, rather than secure,
employment. Others felt that such agencies were not interested either because
of the additional paperwork involved in placing refugees or agency perceptions
that employers would be reluctant to make a job offer:
“They take your details, but once they know
you have an African name …”
Whilst, as noted, those who had been referred to Intermediary Agencies/Ethnic
Minority Organisations with JCP contracts were generally favourable in their
22
Bloch: 2002/2006: Phillimore et al: 2006
Apr 06 23Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
views of these services, there were consistent complaints about ESOL
provision.23
• Provision was seen as insufficient – in terms of availability and intensity
• There is no assessment of a refugees prior knowledge of English24
• Courses are not specifically employment related
• Provision is not linked to transfer of prior skills/qualifications, it does not
respond to the aspirations of the refugee customers
“You tell them things, but they decide what training you have to do….I’m
qualified to do a job, but I just get sent on ESOL, again and again.”
• There are no opportunities for ‘on the job’ ESOL training and very few
opportunities for vocational work placements25
• There are difficulties regarding the timing and childcare facilities for ESOL
– especially for parents with very young children26
“I’ve been (to ESOL) for 2 years, I have to go. The class is
too big. They can’t really look at your needs. It’s people
sitting having a talk. It’s not really learning and it’s only 2
hours a week.”
Routes and barriers to employment
Several participants talked about the difficulties of securing employment and
described being caught in a Catch 22 - many employers want UK work
experience and did not recognise experience gained in countries of origin27. Even
if people have gained UK qualifications since entry, only UK work experience
appears to count in terms of getting a job.
Case Study 5
One Kurdish young man explained how working as a
volunteer had been a positive route for him into
employment. It had provided him with the UK work
experience he needed to get a job.
23
See also Phillimore et al: undatedA/B: Schellekens: 1999
24
Bailey & McCabe: 2005
25
Employability Forum: 2004: 2005A
26
Hek: 2005
27
Dhudwar: 2005A/B
Apr 06 24Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Several people mentioned vocational or professional qualifications they had
gained in their country of origin. People were in different situations, some had
been able to bring their certificates with them, others had managed to send
them out of the country before they left but others had fled with nothing and
had no evidence of the skills and knowledge they brought with them. People
were willing to do any job, but they would really like to work in professions they
were trained for.
Case Study 6
One young woman, with English as her first language, who was a
trained, qualified and experienced social worker in her country of
origin, reported going into JCP with copies of her qualifications.
She explained to an adviser that she wanted to continue with
Social Work and asked what she needed to do to get her
qualifications recognised in this country.
The adviser felt unable to deal with her and made her an
appointment to see a more experienced colleague The young
women returned to the JCP to see the second adviser who told
her she was aiming too high and that she should look for cleaning
or catering jobs.
She asked again about converting her qualifications and what
courses she would need to do – she was told it would take far too
long and she should look for unskilled work. Without any further
support from JCP, she found a Social Work course and a part time
job.
This example illustrates one of the difficulties identified by JCP staff themselves.
Services are focused on supporting people to get jobs as quickly as possible and
there is limited Adviser time to support them into their job or career of choice.
Staff directed by this approach inevitably advocate the quickest route into work,
even if it may not fulfil customers’ ambitions or address higher level skills
shortages within the local labour market.
Several refugees commented on positive experiences where a Refugee Champion
or Adviser had acted as a ‘broker’ in negotiating job interviews. They felt that
where this happened, an employer was more likely to recognise them as a
serious candidate who was eligible for work – rather than when refugees tried to
get appointments for themselves. Given time pressures, however, JCP staff have
a limited capacity to offer this service. As one refugee noted:
Apr 06 25Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
“They (JCP) sent me to an open day (health service jobs). I could have got a job.
They wanted cleaners. I could do that, but I needed to fill in a (application form).
There was no-one there to help me. So I did not get a job.”
Refugees reported that some employers placed unreasonable
demands on them in terms of prior experience:
“I went for a packing job. They asked me for qualifications…..for a
packing job!”
“I went for a job in security. I was told I needed 5/10 years
experience in this place. How do I get that. They say you need
experience, but there is no help to get that.”
A strong theme which emerged during refugee focus groups was the extent to
which participants felt increasingly disadvantaged in the labour market as a
result of EU expansion. They felt that they were competing in similar low/semi-
skilled employment sectors with, particularly, Polish and Baltic State nationals
and that:
• These groups had the advantage of EU recognised qualifications e.g. driving
licenses
• Unlike refugees there seemed to be no expectation that English language
skills were essential for employment
• Such migrants arrived on their own with a view to sending money home. It
was felt that they were, therefore, willing to accept very low paid jobs/live in
hostels etc and would return home at some point in the future. Accepting very
low paid jobs was not seen as a particularly viable option for those refugees
with families who intended to be permanent UK residents.
This is a new and emerging theme28 and there is clearly further research
required to assess the impact of EU expansion and recent migration patterns on
refugees in the employment marketplace.
28
see also Bailey & McCabe: 2005
Apr 06 26Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
JCP Staff and Refugees: Shared Themes and Experiences
• There is a lack of appropriate and intensive ESOL provision in
Birmingham and concerns over the quality of some existing
provision
• Limited access to language support in local offices means that
communication between staff and refugee customers can be
restricted
• Prior work experience and qualifications gained in country of
origin are not always identified or valued due to restricted
communication
• JCP staff work under significant time constraints making it
difficult to allocate additional time to customers with complex
support needs
• Staff and refugees recognise the benefits of building a
consistent relationship between an Adviser and a refugee
customer but that the compartmentalised nature of service
delivery in JCPs, and staff rotation does not always make this
possible
• There can be difficulties or delays in securing National
Insurance Numbers resulting in delayed benefits or declined
job applications
• Some employers demonstrate negative attitudes towards
engaging refugees
• Refugees demonstrate high levels of motivation to work
Apr 06 27Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
5 Utilising the Evidence Base
This research was commissioned to provide an evidence base for the
development of the TRELLIS project and to inform the implementation of the
Refugee Employment Strategy [RES] in Birmingham and Solihull. JCP at District
level is tasked to draw up an Action Plan to manage implementation of the RES
and it is intended that the findings presented here will feed into that planning
process.
This section is informed by the primary research findings in this report, other
relevant research, cited in the literature review and throughout this document,
and discussions with the TRELLIS team.
Opportunities
Alongside the need to implement the RES, current developments in the
structuring and monitoring of services within JCP create opportunities for work
with refugee customers to be prioritised. From now on, job outcome targets will
no longer be measured at the level of individual Advisers, they will be measured
at District level so all local offices will be contributing to District level targets.
There will be specific targets around supporting refugee customers into
employment. This focus will enable JCPs to prioritise refugees as a customer
group and to explore ways of creatively deploying staff to extend their services
and respond more appropriately to the needs of refugee customers.
Another key change, as set out in the Refugee Employment Strategy, is the new
ability for JCPs to work in partnership with non-contracted support agencies and
organisations, as well as contracted ones. This change provides the opportunity
for JCPs to draw on the specialist knowledge and experience of voluntary and
community sector organisations who work with key client groups such as
refugees. It also means that JCP will be encouraged to work more closely with
private sector employment agencies, through which many refugees currently find
work.
Developing closer links with Refugee Community Organisations [RCOs] and other
voluntary sector support agencies could be a joint role for JCP Refugee
Champions and TRELLIS link officers. The TRELLIS team have already
established contact with many organisations in Birmingham.
TRELLIS could also offer support in working with employment agencies and
training providers to negotiate appropriate levels of support and skills/knowledge
development for refugee jobseekers.
Apr 06 28Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
Improving support into employment for refugees
The evidence gathered in this report demonstrates that JCP Advisers have been
working hard to provide a high quality service to all their customers, including
refugees, but that the constraints of time and working to tight individual targets
meant that they have been unable to provide as flexible a service as they would
have liked to meet the needs of customers requiring additional support.
The views expressed by JCP Advisers and refugee customers provide an
indication of what the key elements of an improved employment service for
refugees might look like:
English language training
Intensive English language training provision would benefit many refugee
customers. There should be a range of options for people requiring English
language training to ensure provision is appropriate. These could include:
• Full time access (at least 30 hours per week) to English Language classes
for the first 26 weeks of a JSA claim. These English classes should be
o undertaken in small groups of 12-15 people
o have an agreed national curriculum that is standardised and
accredited
• Classes should be available at entry, basic skills level and at higher
education levels
• Training providers should develop a range of vocationally related English
courses to more effectively support the move towards employment
• Groups should avoid being made up of participants from one country of
origin, or with a common first language, to encourage spoken
communication in English at all times in the learning environment.
• English language learning could be incorporated into the role of NASS so
that asylum seekers leaving the support system, once leave to remain is
granted, have a greater level of spoken English and some familiarity with
UK service delivery systems.
• All JCP centres with significant refugee numbers should have access to in-
house language support/interpreter facilities
Skills assessment and recognition
A comprehensive skills assessment toolkit for refugee customers, specifically
probing for transferable skills and work experience garnered in their country of
origin, could provide an informed baseline for on-going support into employment.
A clear process for converting qualifications achieved abroad is also needed. This
is integral to the RES but has yet to be fully implemented at the local/regional
Apr 06 29Job Centre Plus and Refugees
The Birmingham Experience
level. If the skills assessment toolkit was developed in conjunction with FE/HE
providers, it could form the basis of a Credit Accumulation and Transfer, or
Accreditation of Prior Learning, process.
Refugee Champions
A Refugee Champion based in the regional Call Centre to help at the first point of
contact for refugees.
JCP Advisers talked about refugees’ poor levels of confidence. They felt a named
contact or case worker approach would provide refugees with a similar level of
service as other Hard to Place groups – a New Deal for Refugees. Lessons can be
learned from the good practice of some of the existing Refugee Champions in
supporting and signposting refugees. This approach has already been particularly
valued by refugee customers.
Building on the outreach work piloted by 1 or 2 JCP Refugee Champions,
additional community-based drop-in JCPs, with online access to JCP systems,
could be rolled out across the District, with support to identify appropriate
locations provided by TRELLIS. This model would fit with the broader move
towards customer self service but in a specifically supportive environment
Support to Employers
JCP Advisers identified the need for active brokerage with employers on behalf of
refugees, to address the apparent restrictions being imposed on refugee job
applicants. This could be a role for the TRELLIS link officers working in
conjunction with JCP Employer teams.
JCP Advisers agreed with focus group participants that a lack of UK work
experience is a barrier to employment – an employer incentive scheme, offering
financial incentives to employers taking on refugees, a New Deal for Refugees,
may offer better opportunities for employment for some.
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