Increasing access to complex casework advice through training, supervision and peer support
Asylum Aid is delighted to launch a pilot programme of training, supervision and peer support for immigration advisers working in advice deserts across England and Wales.
The pilot, kindly funded by the Justice Together Initiative, will increase access to high-quality and holistic immigration legal advice for people seeking asylum, refugees and other vulnerable people in the immigration system. It addresses the fall in immigration advice availability in recent years, which has left thousands of vulnerable people unable to access vital legal support. This has particularly affected people with complex needs and those who life in advice deserts.
Through this pilot, we will demonstrate that investment in training a sustainable pipeline of expert immigration advisers is a key element in creating a strengthened, better coordinated and well-networked immigration advice system.
Over the course of three years, Asylum Aid will provide training, supervision and shadowing opportunities to three cohorts of OISC Level 2 advisers, enabling them to provide complex, client-centred casework and eventually train and support new advisers moving into the field and increase the availability of immigration advice in their regions. The first cohort began the programme on 17 July in Cardiff. The participants work for Asylum Justice and Safe Passage International, and bring a variety of skills and experiences to share with this new peer network.
Our vision is that Asylum Aid can support the development of a resilient advice sector across England and Wales, enabling more people access vital immigration advice. Further information about how to join the second and third cohorts in the pilot programme, which will commence in 2024, will be published on our website in due course.