9 October 2008, 08/230
New welcome pack to help
migrant workers and new residents
Migrant workers and new residents to
West Lancashire will receive a warm welcome in the form of a brand
new information pack to help them access services.
West Lancashire District Council has
produced the welcome packs in partnership with Lancashire County
Council, Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust, Lancashire
Constabulary, Lancashire Police Authority, West Lancashire Local
Strategic Partnership and other organisations.
The booklet is to be unveiled at a
special event tonight (9 October) and is being targeted
specifically at people who have come to work in the area from
overseas to help them access services - but is also useful for new
residents.
It is jam-packed with useful
information to let them know what services each agency provides and
how they can access the services that they are entitled to. From
finding accommodation and work, education and training, advice
about health, emergency services and reporting crimes to
information about money, banks and bills, advice and legal issues -
the pack contains everything they would need to know to help them
during their stay in West Lancashire.
The information was actually put
together with help from migrant workers themselves who were
consulted on the project earlier this year. They were asked for
their views on what information they felt would be useful for
anyone in their situation coming to the district to start a new
life.
Cllr Iain Ashcroft, West Lancashire
District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Human Resources and Chair
of the Migrant Worker Cabinet Panel , said: "In West Lancashire we
have a large agricultural base and several years’ experience of
receiving migrant workers as they play a large role in our local
economy. Therefore, we have taken a proactive approach in making
sure that we help them integrate into the community and adapt to
our cultures and way of life. In fact, our work for rising to the
challenges of tackling migrant working issues was highlighted as an
example of best practice last year and we have continued this good
work with the launch of these new welcome packs.
"We first produced a similar pack in
2005 but we are now a lot more knowledgeable about the issues that
migrant workers face and so the new pack is even better than the
last. Especially as we took the unique approach of speaking to
workers before we produced the packs for their comments to ensure
it covers all the information they need."
The pack has been published in
English, Polish and Portuguese, as these are the most common
languages, but is also available in other languages on request. It
can be downloaded from our living pages or contact Public Relations
for a copy on 01695 585011.
Other key initiatives that the Council
and its partners are involved in to continue their good work around
migrant worker issues include: developing a common web page;
creating a register in West Lancashire for safe, decent, affordable
accommodation; producing a research paper; and developing
initiatives for increasing dialogue between partners to share
information. These new initiatives will compliment the existing
work, which has also been recognised as an example of good practice
by the Audit Commission.
Related
information
> Migrant workers
information
> Life advice
> Living in West
Lancashire