The role of refugee community organisations

Refugee community organisations (RCOs) are often a key source of volunteers and befrienders, providing interpretation and advocacy support to their communities. Their involvement in planning and delivery of services can also contribute significantly to service development. With the cooperation of health professionals, the involvement of RCOs can support health promotion and care that is culturally sensitive and recognises the barriers and disadvantages refugees face. By consulting refugees, practitioners can help ensure that health care is accessible.

The Department of Health’s (DH) 2006 extensive survey Your health, your care, your say recognises that key issues for ‘seldom heard groups’ include poor communication and a lack of cultural sensitivity amongst health professionals and a lack of personalised care. ‘A stronger local voice: A framework for creating a stronger local voice in the development of health and social care services’ sets out Government plans for the future of patient and public involvement in health and social care. These include the establishment of Local Involvement Networks (LINks) which will replace patient forums. One of the functions of LINks is to work with existing voluntary and community sector groups to promote public and community influence in health and social care.

The Compact is an agreement between the voluntary and community sector and government to improve their relationship for mutual advantage. The Compact on relations between Government and the voluntary and community sector provides a framework for partnership working. It includes The Black and Ethnic Minority Code (.PDF) that lays out the rights and responsibilities which the statutory and the voluntary sector should reflect in their relationships to make them work. The BME Code recognises the significant role that the BME voluntary and community sector plays in building stronger communities. The Code supports investment in the BME voluntary and community sector and the development of capacity and infrastructure at local, regional and national levels.

The Strategic Health Authority’s Race Equality Guide 2004: A Performance Framework (.PDF) sets out ways SHAs can promote racial equality and good race relations through the performance management of their local NHS organisations. Race Equality legislation requires patient involvement and consultation to ensure that communities most affected endorse any assessment of the relevance of services.

However RCOs face barriers to developing their role in supporting the health of their communities.

• RCOs may have few resources. The basic activity of many RCOs is to provide advice and signposting to other services. Some RCOs offer more specialist services. These are usually larger and better-funded RCOs.
• Many refugees may be in temporary accommodation. Those who are accommodated in temporary housing may exercise little choice in where they are accommodated. RCOs may therefore have to respond to a membership spread across a broad area. This can stretch the resources of RCOs and make it hard for them to contact all the members of the community that need their help.
• There can be differences and divisions between groups from particular countries, or regions within those countries. These may be for a range of reasons, including ethnicity, political allegiance, religion or specific experiences of persecution and flight.
• Some refugees may feel unrepresented by their RCO. For example women who belong to an RCO led exclusively by men may find it difficult to have their voices heard.