Gordon Partridge Melton Mowbray 12th May 2011

• Gordon Partridge

• Melton Mowbray 12th May 2011

13 years ago

• 13 years ago

• Doctors surgeries in Thetford

• Approached Thelma Pains

• Called together group to analyse data

• Identified large numbers of Portuguese

• Why were they here ?

They would be:

• They would be:

• Living somewhere

• Working somewhere

• Using facilities

• Accessing services

• Needing assistance

• Impacting on existing communities

Research indicated they were economic migrants – migrant workers in food processing and agriculture

• Research indicated they were economic migrants – migrant workers in food processing and agriculture

• How many ?

• Where were they ?

• How do we approach them ?

• What expectations they had?

Appointed a Portuguese speaking community liaison officer – or Lukie for short

• Appointed a Portuguese speaking community liaison officer – or Lukie for short

• Made contact with employers – go to where the workers were

• Districtwide survey for HMOs and caravans

• Paid for some employees to learn Portuguese

Need to build trust

• Need to build trust

• Can’t do it by ourselves

• Need to build capacity in community to help themselves

• Understand that timely, appropriate, interventions can change peoples lives

• Assist and listen – don’t take over

• Work with – not impose

• Cultural events as well as formal

New waves of migrants

• New waves of migrants

• Polish

• Latvian

• Lithuanian

• Hungarian

Breckland New Communities project

• Breckland New Communities project

• 2 years – many £‘000s

• Help people into work or training

• Inspections of HMOs to improve living conditions

• Help set up, nurture and grow self help groups – Mid Norfolk Association, International Friendship Group, European Challenge, Project Amigos

• Links with faith groups

• Articles in Voice in Portuguese

Wayland Community Radio

• Wayland Community Radio

• BBC Radio Norfolk

• BBC television ( Politics Show )

• Café surgeries

• Honourable mention in Cohesion and Migration in Breckland ( specialist cohesion report )

• Delivered 3 STEPS programmes for Investors in Excellence

• Settling In international conference

Portuguese Consulate

• Portuguese Consulate

• Archbishop of Canterbury

• Government Ministers

• MEPs and MPs

• Union officials

• Audit Commission

• Communities and Local government

• And today….Portuguese Ambassador !

Gordon is a peer reviewer for Local Government Association’s Improvement and Development Agency Migration Excellence programme;

• Gordon is a peer reviewer for Local Government Association’s Improvement and Development Agency Migration Excellence programme;

• West Wiltshire

• Suffolk County Council

• Peterborough Council

• Northern Housing Consortium

Lukie has written Good Practice Report on Migrant Workers and Black and Minority Ethnic Groups

• Lukie has written Good Practice Report on Migrant Workers and Black and Minority Ethnic Groups

• Has received commendations from Norfolk Constabulary for her work on training police officers in community cohesion; Adult Education; CAB; ARP; Norfolk Voluntary Services

Gordon appointed as a Peer Reviewer for Local Government Association Improvement and Development Agency

• Gordon appointed as a Peer Reviewer for Local Government Association Improvement and Development Agency

• ( IDeA Migration Excellence Programme )

• Worked with:

• West Wiltshire District Council

• Suffolk County Council

• Peterborough Council

• Northern Housing Consortium

Learn about the community

• Learn about the community

• Listen to the community

• Build confidence

• Build trust

• Accept that you will not always get it right

• Remember that it is about people…not strategies, policies and targets !

Gordon Partridge BSc(hons), Dip EH, CMS, MCIEH, Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner

• Gordon Partridge BSc(hons), Dip EH, CMS, MCIEH, Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner

• Lukie Gooda BA( journalism and social communication)