Help for refugees – Orkney update

Plans are being finalised for the help and support that will be offered when refugees from Syria make a new home in Orkney later this year.

Two young families are expected to arrive in Orkney in the coming months.

They are currently living in refugee camps in the Middle East after being forced to flee their own homes because of the fighting in Syria.

The move to Orkney forms part Syrian Resettlement Programme. The UK Government has made a commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees from camps during the course of this Parliament. Last year the Home Office took up an offer from Orkney Islands Council to provide homes for two families.

The programme prioritises people in greatest need, including those who need urgent medical attention, people who have survived torture and violence, and women and children at risk. People often live in refugee camps for years and many children have lived their entire lives in such precarious circumstances.

Frances Troup, the Council’s Head of Housing, Homelessness and School Care Accommodation, said: “We are working with a range of organisations and our planning is now at an advanced stage.

“The aim is to help the families settle into their new way of life in a new community that will be very different to their own – and to make them feel at home.

“To assist with this a number of temporary posts are being created with funding support from the Home Office. We are currently advertising for a part time housing support officer who will work with the Syrian families. We will also be looking to recruit an interpreter and provide additional support in schools.”

An Inter-Agency Syrian Resettlement Programme Working Group was formed last year by The Orkney Partnership, to ensure co-ordinated and effective resettlement plans are in place. A range of support measures are being developed and will be implemented by public agencies and the voluntary sector in Orkney.

A new web page provided by The Orkney Partnership has information on this – with contact details for people who might wish to offer help and assistance. This link has been provided to details of the 'Syrian Resettlement Programme' on the Orkney Partnership website.