Regional Priorities for the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) Welcome Programme

We have 8 regional priorities awaiting ratification with a potential 26 subsections each of which we anticipate will evolve overtime.

Please get in touch with info@swcouncils.gov.uk for further information.

Develop regional welcome pack – including advice and guidance on many to the below including orientation and access to services such as renting a home, registering for a GP, and understanding their rights and entitlements in the UK.
Cultural orientation and life in the UK – workshops and events that explain and rights and responsibilities, expectations and ‘norms’, understanding of what is different and skills adjust.

Destitution – identifying and supporting with our LA leads who have fallen into destitution and need to apply for a change to their recourse to public funds and other assistance available via LA to support them at this time.
Regional welfare hub – extend our current virtual offer jointly with sub regions and localities to ensure the right help is available at the right time.
Immigration advice – explore and if possible ways to address regional gaps and build availability of professional and qualified advice for those who need it.
Health and Social Care – Navigating services – signpost to national guidance and encourage LAs to develop resource directories where not already available. Ensure that new arrivals understand the pathways to accessing health and social care including children’s services.
Mental health – signpost to national guidance and encourage LAs to develop resource directories where not already available; encourage LAs to have a trauma informed approach
Community cohesion connections – initiatives that address loneliness and social isolation

Advice and guidance – about buying and renting , signposting to practical and legal support and in particular ensuring scams and other exploitation is minimised.

ESOL – assist LAs to build on capacity in anticipation of increased demand in assessment (screening); informal and formal provision for adults.
Conversation Clubs – maximise the opportunities to build confidence and skills for everyday use for our new arrivals.

LA – work with LA leads to ensure that school admissions teams are updated and confident in processing forthcoming applications.
Parents – facilitating parents access and understanding about finding and applying for school places including appeals processes.
Schools – supporting local authority leads facilitate best practice within schools settings regarding new arrivals and especially those who are 15-19 (Key Stage 4 and 5) in the key examination ages including promoting and using the emerging best practice toolkit
FE and HE – updating admissions teams re applications and facilitating access to places including grants and bursaries – work with SW colleges association (?)
Work – liaise with DWP (business side) teams re opportunities and ways to disseminate them to those who are not on benefits as they are not entitled. Training on how to seek, apply and secure employment within UK processes and customary arrangements such as CVs and interviews. Support with interview attendance and presentation – eg clothes and IT.
Self-Employment – Advice and Support for starting new businesses esp SME – encouraging LA Economic Development teams to offer training – encourage LA leads to liaise with Chambers of Commerce
Qualification transfers – guidance available and shared re this process.
Volunteering – explaining and facilitating opportunities based on personal ambitions and quality experiences.

Community Cohesion – initiatives to assist belonging and getting on well with specific focus on inter-racial groups harmony and social bonds. Particular attention to the need of children and young people and their developing identity within new cultural boundaries and legal frameworks. Getting together type initiatives eg big lunch, new year celebrations ensuring these are open to all. Intergenerational initiatives within and across communities of interest and characteristic.
Addressing hate incidents and crime – join up already available local systems and support services and ensure that they connect to police reporting systems; ensure these are promoted; support to services that assit those who have been impacted; encourage restorative justice; monitor and enable action on trends and concerns.

Translation and interpreting – building on current services availability and capacity to deal with increased demand. Encourage sharing of translated materials across the region and best practice by agencies when working with interpreters.
Working in partnership and collaboration – with local authority leads to identify and address local needs and potential gaps; liaising with and feeding back to MHCLG with data; intelligence and ideas re service improvements.
Capacity building and long term legacy with VCS organisations – to provide locally based advice based on their requests and suggestions; build specialisms.
Upskilling professionals – cultural awareness learning and development opportunities and other bespoke events such as understanding the migratory journey; mental health/connect 5 and trauma informed practice etc; creation of advice notes and toolkits.

encouraging and arranging for the voice of Hong Kongers to be at the heart of all we do across the region.