Share
(Photo by Sisi Burn, Talent Beyond Boundaries)
On Saturday 23rd October, 25 refugee nurses coming to work for the NHS arrived in Dewsbury, Great Yarmouth, London, Norwich, Oldham and Portsmouth where they were greeted by local volunteers. The volunteers are taking part in a pilot programme called Neighbours for Newcomers, which has been organized by Reset and funded through a partnership with Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement.
Neighbours for Newcomers connects highly skilled refugees coming to work in the UK through the Government’s displaced talent mobility programme with local volunteers. These volunteers will act as a source of local knowledge and connect the nurses into their new communities.
The refugee nurses welcomed last weekend were identified in Lebanon by TBB. Meanwhile, Reset recruited and trained volunteers here in the UK to support the nurses once they arrive in their new communities. Each local Neighbours for Newcomers group consists of 5-10 volunteers, who will support the nurses for 6 months.
Della from Great Yarmouth found out about Neighbours for Newcomers through social media and quickly signed up to get involved.
Reflecting on her experience so far, Della commented:
“Who would have thought that a chance post on Facebook would have led to such fun training sessions, new friends and the opportunity to help refugee nurses settle in their new home so that they can help our wonderful NHS?”
“Who would have thought that a chance post on Facebook would have led to such fun training sessions, new friends and the opportunity to help refugee nurses settle in their new home so that they can help our wonderful NHS?”
“We were so pleased to see so many people come forward to welcome refugee nurses, and we’ve been so impressed by their commitment over the past few weeks as they’ve completed their training and prepared to support their new neighbours. Once the nurses have arrived, we’ll be checking in with the volunteers weekly and offering advice throughout the next 6 months. We’re so excited to be part of their journeys.”
The volunteers will support the newly arrived nurses by showing them around their new neighbourhoods, pointing out useful services like banks and post offices, and explaining how these services work in the UK. Volunteers will also help to connect the nurses with activities that match their interests, from local sports teams to choirs to allotments, and to practice their informal, conversational English.
Reset’s training equips volunteers with practical skills including safeguarding and teamworking, as well as covering useful background information such as the general context in which the nurses have had to leave their homes. Reset also supports the volunteers to think ahead and plan for some of the key ways that they might support their new neighbour, from practicing for driving tests in the UK to finding their nearest place of worship.
Reset has been training volunteers to welcome refugees through the Community Sponsorship programme since 2018, and has now trained more than 3000 people.
For media enquiries, contact [email protected].
Share
Read all news and insight from our initiatives
See coverage of Reset UK in the press and media
Find out how Community Sponsorship helps refugee families in need build a new life in the UK with confidence and dignity.
How do I sponsor a refugee family? How does the process work? Reset is here to support you every step of the way.
We’ve designed toolkits to make it easy for you if you’re involved as a lead sponsor or a local authority.
Wherever you are on the fulfilling and thrilling journey through Community Sponsorship, we have training courses, videos, articles and more, all designed to help your group and the family you support.
From drop-in sessions to UK-wide networking events, we bring together people and professionals involved in all stages of the Community Sponsorship journey.
Make a direct difference in the world by getting involved with your nearest Community Sponsorship group – or starting one up yourself!
Make an extraordinary difference to the lives of people who have lost everything by signing up to our (free) Landlords for Refugees register.
Not everyone can donate their time, so if you are choosing to donate money today instead or as well as, thank you. Your generosity is vital to the work we do support community-led welcome of refugees.
Help others by sharing your account. Why were you attracted to community-led welcome? What worked, what did you learn, what has the experience been like for you?
Reset empowers volunteers to welcome refugees into communities across the UK. Find out about us and the kinds of programmes we’ve been involved with.
Research, monitoring and evaluation are essential for making evidence-based decisions that will support Community Sponsorship to grow and flourish.
Sponsoring a refugee family is a significant responsibility. We advocate for Community Sponsors to ensure that they are properly supported throughout their journey.
Our advocacy focuses on representing the views of Community Sponsors to the Home Office to support them in implementing the necessary operational changes.
We also represent the views of Community Sponsors to other key stakeholders, including Local Authorities, international organisations, the wider resettlement field, housing providers and financial institutions. We also use our voice to campaign on policies affecting refugees. We are members of the Together With Refugees coalition, campaigning for a more humane approach to people seeking protection in the UK.
