Welcome information

Welcome packs typically give introductory information about the local area, and more general information about living in the UK. Some packs are designed for all new arrivals to an area, others are especially relevant to particular groups, for instance refugees, asylum seekers or migrant workers. This page contains a list of welcome packs for migrants in Yorkshire and Humber; in the rest of this section you can find information about national welcome information; templates for producing welcome packs; and archive packs.

Yorkshire and Humber welcome information for new migrants

Barnsley
Calderdale
Doncaster
Kirklees
Leeds
North East Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Yorkshire
Rotherham
Sheffield
Wakefield

Briefing packs for asylum seekers [UK Border Agency asylum accommodation contract]

Barnsley

Asylum seekers and migrant workers advice and support services

Available from www.barnsley.gov.uk/asylum-seekers-advice-and-support [Barnsley Council website]
Who for Asylum seekers and migrant workers
Content Information about support for asylum seekers, useful phone numbers and links, voluntary organisations providing opportunities to meet up with other new arrival, and ESOL classes.
Format Web page
Languages English

The Barnsley Council website also has interactive maps which display information about council and other services in Barnsley, you can find these at www.barnsley.gov.uk/barnsley-maps-online

Calderdale

Asylum seekers: support and advice

Available from www.calderdale.gov.uk/community/equality/asylumseekers/index.html [Calderdale Council website]
Who for Asylum seekers
Content Support and advice on the asylum process, education, health and useful organisations.
Format Web pages
Languages English

Doncaster

Welcome to Doncaster - new arrivals handbook

Availability Hard copies should be available in Doncaster Central Library, the Council Customer Service Centres, NHS Health Focus, Doncaster CAB and community outlets. Electronic versions in pdf format are available from the Northern Refugee Centre website at www.nrcentre.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=368:doncasters-new-welcome-pack-for-migrants&catid=12:nrc-news&itemid=9
Produced by members of the local community. Development of the pack was supported by Migration Impact Funding Steering Group.
Who for Anyone new to Doncaster.
Content Basic information and signposting to services. Includes sections on: the local council; employment and work; advice and benefits; accommodation; recycling and waste; health; education; emergency services; community support; business and enterprise support; and useful contacts.
Format hard copy and pdf.
Languages The pack is multilingual, with information in English, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and Slovak.

Kirklees

Welcome pack for new arrivals

Available at www.netvibes.com/mipsite1#Home_Page Under development.
Content Links to other websites, divided into sections by subject [such as: support, legal, housing, heating and power, education] and by country.

Leeds

Support for asylum seekers

Available at www.leeds.gov.uk/welcome [Leeds City Council]
Content Basic information about what support is available, the law , and community safety – for anyone recently arrived to the UK. Also ‘welcome to leeds’ multilingual leaflets about how the education system works, with Leeds contact numbers.
Who for Asylum seekers
Languages English, with the education leaflets in: Arabic, English, French, Kurdish, Mandarin, Polish, Somali and Urdu.

See also Go to www.lassn.org.uk to download a copy of the 'Directory of Services in Leeds for Refugees and Asylum Seekers' produced by LASSN [Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network].

North East Lincolnshire

Life Guide - a guide to life in the UK

Available from www.nelincs.gov.uk/community-people-and-living/equality-and-diversity/welcome-north-east-lincolnshire/
Produced by North East Lincolnshire Council.
Who for Anyone new to North East Lincolnshire.
Content A welcome guide covering issues such as: livng in the UK; housing; working in the UK; education; health and care; transport; the law and personal safety. Also includes a directory section which signposts to local services.
Format pdf
Languages Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Czech, English, French, Kurdish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish and Urdu.

North Lincolnshire

Welcome guide to living in North Lincolnshire

Available from http://e-voice.org.uk/welcome/
Who for Anyone new to North Lincolnshire.
Content A welcome guide covering issues such as: introduction to North Lincolnshire; livng in the UK; housing; working in the UK; education; health and care; transport; the law in the UK and personal safety. Also includes a directory section which signposts to local services.
Format website
Languages English

North Yorkshire

Welcome to North Yorkshire

Available at www.nysp.org.uk/html/nysp/welcome-pack
Produced by the North Yorkshire Strategic Partnership.
Who for Anyone moving in to North Yorkshire, whether from abroad or from other parts of Britain.
Content A welcome guide including information on accommodation, health care, schools, working and transport. Directory section which signposts to local services in: Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.
Format pdf
Languages Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Czech, English, French, Kurdish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Mandarin, Nepalese, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish and Urdu.

Rotherham

Welcome to Rotherham

Available at www.rotherham.gov.uk/info/169/translating_and_interpreting_services
Produced by the Rotherham Partnership.
Who for Visitors to Rotherham from abroad.
Content Contact details for local services and groups. Introductory information on: health, employment, housing, benefits, safety, education, the law, recycling.
Format pdf
Languages Czech, English and Slovakian.

Sheffield

Welcome to Sheffield booklet

Available from the Living and working in Sheffield page of Sheffield City Council's website.
Produced by Sheffield City Council and its partners.
Who for New arrivals to Sheffield from Europe, and organisations working with new arrivals.
Content Information about living and working in Sheffield: an introduction to the city, advice on issues such as housing, health, employment and education, and information on activities happening in the city. It includes useful local telephone numbers and contact details.
Format and languages The welcome pack is available to download as a pdf in English, Polish and Slovak. An audio version in Slovak Roma is also available from the web page, with individual mp3 files corresponding to the different sections of the welcome information, such as for information on health, education or housing.
Produced 2011

Wakefield

Welcome to the Wakefield District - a guide for migrant workers

Produced by Wakefield Together, the Wakefield District Partnership
Who for Migrant workers living and working in the Wakefield District.
Content Basic information, advice and contact details. Subjects include: living in the Wakefield district; education; health and wellbeing; housing; the fire service; waste disposal and recycling; working; health and safety at work; the police.
Format Hard copy booklet
Languages English. Polish, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian and Latvian versions may become available.
Contact Nasim Aslam, Senior Community Cohesion Officer on 01924 305 735 or naslam@wakefield.gov.uk

Briefing packs for asylum seekers

The UK Border Agency [UKBA] requires, as part of its asylum accommodation contracts, that housing providers give service users a briefing pack to assist them in settling in to the accommodation and the local area. UKBA provides an outline pack, and each housing provider fills in the details according to local area information and requirements of its particular contract.

For example, the Yorkshire and Humber Public Sector Group produces a briefing pack template covering headings such as personal safety and the law, emergency services, health services, and outlining rights and responsibilities for the service users under the contract. This is translated into 26 languages and issued to the local authority asylum teams in the region, they then include locally relevant information, such as contact details for some local services, a map and so on; every service user is issued with a pack within 24 hours of arriving in the accommodation.