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Rainbow Hearts is a weekly group for women seeking asylum in Leeds and is supported by Leeds City Council.​ At Rainbow Hearts, women of all ages come together to give and receive emotional support from other women who have had similar experiences. Health and social support information sessions are offered around topics such as self-care, well-being and healthy eating. We offer creative sessions such as therapeutic art activities, singing and movement.

Rainbow Hearts offer:

• Support with transport

• Interpreters

• Support with learning English

• Access to donated clothes, shoes and bedding

• Breakfast, fresh fruit and other refreshments

Direct Contacts:

Emily Lawson - 07909407814 emily@womenshealthmatters.org.uk

Hala Wadi - 07719819245

hala@womenshealthmatters.org.uk

Our ISVA Service offers free, non-judgemental, emotional and practical support to women (18+), living in Leeds, who have reported sexual violence to the police, or are considering reporting to the police. Our ISVAs will support you throughout your journey through the criminal justice process, for as long as it lasts, including providing support at Court.

Confidential, free, specialist and independent from the police or statutory bodies. We provide counselling online and in our women-only safe space in Leeds city centre, to women aged 18 and over who have experienced any form of sexual violence or abuse at any time in their lives. We work with interpreters, who are also bound by our confidentiality rules.

We open to referrals once a month. Please see the website for exact dates.

Waiting times are generally around 12 months after a referral has been accepted.

Our helpline provides non-judgemental, listening, emotional support to women and girls ages 13 and over.

This service is confidential and anonymous. The helpline is not able to work with interpreters.

You can call, text, or email.

FREEPHONE – 0808 802 3344

We are open for calls: Mondays 12-2pm / Tuesdays 8-10pm / Wednesdays 6-8pm / Thursdays 2-4pm / Sundays 6.30-8.30pm.

TEXT – 07860022880

EMAIL – support@sarsvl.org.uk

ISVA stands for Independent Sexual Violence Advocate. A Young Person’s ISVA provides emotional and practical support to young people aged between 13 – 17 who have experienced any form of sexual violence, and have either reported to the police, or are thinking about reporting to the police.

If you have reported to the police, our Young Person’s ISVA can support you throughout the criminal justice process, for as long as it lasts, including providing support at Court.

If you are accessing the Service when you turn 18, the Young Person’s ISVA will continue to work with you.

You do not need to have reported to the police to access the Service. If you are unsure about what you want to do, our Young Person’s ISVA can talk you through how to report, and what happens once a report has been made so that you have the information you need to reach a decision which is right for you.

Our Young Person’s ISVA is independent of the police, social services, and other statutory agencies.

This is a space for young people seeking asylum or refugees aged over 16 years old to come together. We run in partnership with the Children's Society and encourage people to come together to make friends, build connections, play games, and receive help with English.

This project is for women only who are refugees or seeking asylum. We have women who come along to sing (you do not need to be a professional singer), alongside this we host a play session for the women with children to play, read and sing songs with creative play experts. We provide hot drinks, biscuits, toast, and fruit.

A confidence boosting Career Coaching session for women at any stage of their job search to enable them to move forward productively with looking for work. This is a supportive session with an experienced coach, who will tailor the appointment to support your clients’ specific needs. Topics include job search techniques, written applications, tweaking a CV or cover letter and more. This service helps women feel positive about their next steps, gives them a clear direction to move in, and helps them secure a job interview. Service is by referral only, please use the link to refer.

https://form.jotform.com/HQWorks/leeds-temporary-referral

For unemployed women who have secured an interview, our Interview Dressing and Preparation appointment enables clients to feel confident and capable to succeed at interview. During this session your client will receive a high-quality interview outfit including accessories, free and theirs to keep, and have a 1-2-1 coaching session delivered by an experienced Employment Coach. Once she has been successful at interview, your client will be invited back to receive additional items of clothing to build up a capsule wardrobe which will see her through to payday. Service is by referral only, please use the link to refer.

https://form.jotform.com/HQWorks/leeds-temporary-referral

Leeds Refugee Forum’s bilingual advocacy services help refugees, asylum seekers and anyone from the local community access services and engage with different organisations.

Our community advocates make sure our clients’ voices are heard and that their rights are upheld.

We have volunteers who speak many languages including Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Tigrinya, French and Azerbaijani. We also have translators available to support in a variety of other languages.

We advocate for our clients on a wide range of issues. We can help with:

• Completing forms

• Contacting organisations such as energy and mobile phone suppliers, insurance companies, etc.

• Accessing health services, including registering with a GP or dentist

• Accessing education services, including primary or secondary schools, or registering with a college or university

For more information please look at the link.

Volunteer led support sessions for primary school students from school years 1 to 6. These sessions alternate between maths and English each week. Sessions act as an opportunity for students to revise while also giving them the chance to work on their assigned homework in a supportive environment. The club lasts for an hour and a half, with the first hour is focussed on studying and the last half hour is more focussed on students expressing themselves creatively.

Term time only.

Our Men’s Wellbeing Group is thriving and growing in momentum. The multicultural group provides support to men from all over the world who live in Leeds. We give service users the chance to enjoy a variety of games and activities, trips and events, wellbeing exercises and volunteering opportunities.

The Men’s Wellbeing Group allows men to practise and develop their English language skills, make new friends, learn and share knowledge.

Our Ukrainian Wellbeing Group at LRF is a welcoming space for everyone, regardless of gender, to come together and enjoy creative and relaxing activities. From handmade crafts and DIY projects to gardening and seasonal decorations, there’s always something fun and meaningful to do. We focus on connection, creativity, and community, all in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Whether you’re looking to learn something new or just want to unwind and chat, you’re very welcome to join us!

Our Women’s Wellbeing Group provides vital support to women from a range of backgrounds. We encourage service users to join our art therapy workshops, which bring women together to create handmade items.

The Women’s Wellbeing Group allows women to practise and develop their English language skills, make new friends, learn and share knowledge. The women who attend build trust knowing they have a safe space to go where they are never alone; they always have people around to support them.

PAFRAS offers casework support to asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers who live in the Leeds area every Wednesday from 9.45am at St Aidans Community Hall in Harehills. Our weekly drop-in is extremely busy and we can only see a limited number of people every week. We recommend arriving as early as possible to give yourself the best chance of being seen.

At the drop-in we provide:

• Advice and casework

• Food parcels and toiletries

• Specialist casework support to people who are destitute, or at risk of destitution

• Immigration advice (IAA L1 and L2)

• Non-complex advice e.g. HC2 forms, etc.

• Mental health assessments and mental health support.

• Specialist casework for young unaccompanied people age 16-24

• Support with age disputes

• Support for people experiencing domestic abuse

Free Children’s films in summer holidays, relaxed atmosphere, snacks and drinks provided. Contact us for more information on when this is running

Come along and get involved in a great community building afternoon. Everyone welcome, bring along something thatn needs fixing or share your skills at repairing!

A 6–8-week course, 2 class based lessons a week plus work placement in the shop and warehouse. Basic English. Free, open to all, runs 4 times a year, designed to be really flexible so that it can fit in with other commitments. Runs on Mondays, Thursday and Fridays, but you don’t need to commit to all three days. Lunch included. Certa accredited Level 1. Contact us for the schedule. Term time only.

In this class, we will practice speaking English together. We will learn how to talk about simple things like saying hello, talking about your day, asking questions, and more.

Don’t worry if your English is not perfect. This is a place to learn and practice. It’s okay to make mistakes that’s how we learn! We will speak, listen, and have fun. You can ask questions anytime.

Work placements in our shop, warehouse and van. Lots of training and support given. Good way to build your CV, improve English skills and gain confidence working in the UK.

Our drop-in provides a safe and welcoming environment. We provide a hot meal cooked by a different volunteer or beneficiary each week; fresh and dried food parcels and a nearly new shop; confidential help and advice; Language Cafe and conversation; computer and internet use; fun activities, holistic therapies and children’s arts and crafts.

Our women's group is a welcoming and inclusive space where women come together for peer support, wellbeing sessions, along with creative activities, and occasional English support to help build confidence in communication.

Refugee Legal Support works in solidarity with people who migrate. We advocate for the promotion and protection of people’s rights throughout the migration process.

We can support with:

• Family reunification with a family member in the UK; and

• Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) applications where the applicant is in Afghanistan or the surrounding region.

How to access:

If you would like to register your case in the event we can assist in the future, please complete the client registration form below – please note we cannot consider queries which have not completed a form: https://refugeelegalsupport.org/legal-info/for-people-from-afghanistan/

You can find more information in our FAQs and self-help guides, available in multiple languages.

This is a service for people with qualifications gained overseas who would like to compare their qualifications to the UK education system.

Services Include:

Statement of Comparability-

• A general purpose statement of qualification comparability which compares overseas qualifications to the UK education system, comparing them to UK qualifications and framework levels.

• This allows persons with qualifications completed outside of the UK to evidence the comparable level of these in the UK education frameworks.

• This service costs £49.50 plus the price of your chosen delivery option. The time-frame to complete your order is 15 working days from when we receive all necessary documents for each submitted qualification and full payment.

How to access:

Self referral. Need to create an online account via https://ecctis.com/signup.aspx

If you have an urgent query about your application or UK ENIC account, you can call us on +44 (0)330 912 0030. Please make sure you have your unique Enquiry ID ready so that we can assist you as quickly as possible.

We provide free advice and advocacy to migrants with no recourse to public funds.

We can help adult migrants with no recourse to public funds who also have care needs to access local authority social care.

Services include:

• We provide information and advice to help people understand their rights under the Care Act 2014 and advocacy to support people in talking to their local authorities.

• We also want to support other organisations that are already helping people with NRPF. Please follow the link below to look at our templates and guides and get in touch if you would like further advice or to discuss training: https://www.thecarerightsproject.org/advisersandprofessionals

How to access:

If you would like to discuss a specific case with us, please use this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSei7GFnd7w6NfqWd-iDBRMZVsIPKcnwQ9p2bBrPWhcow7Hzog/viewform

(Or)

Email or call us on 07565109799 and leave us a message - we will aim to contact you within three working days.

We are immigration law specialists who can offer you sound and easily understood advice and give you the guidance that you need.

Whether you're trying to sort a work permit or you need details on immigration, we will help you complete the relevant paperwork as well as making sure you are aware of any legal ramifications.

Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to cover some of your costs by claiming legal aid.

Services include:

• Human rights cases

•Asylum services

•Settlement

•Fresh representations

•Domestic violence

•Immigration advice

How to access:

Please call us at 020 884 31172 or 07988 100 480 or email us for more information

As the go-to experts in asylum support law, we build expertise amongst other organisations helping destitute asylum seekers to apply for support.

Services include:

• ASAP guide to asylum support appeals

• Searchable resource library: Here you can find a fully searchable library of ASAP resources on asylum support and asylum support appeals.

Training:

We provide monthly webinars, face to face training and e-learning for community organisations, advice agencies and legal practitioners, helping them understand and apply this complex area of law.

Advice Line:

ASAP is the only agency in the UK which specialises in asylum support appeals about Home Office housing and financial support. Our second-tier Advice Line enables other advisers to access our expertise directly and receive legal advice for their clients.

020 3716 0283 (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 2pm-4pm).

How to access:

To view the Training Calendar please follow this link: https://www.asaproject.org/training/upcoming-training

To view the ASAP Guides please follow this link: https://www.asaproject.org/guides

To view the Searchable Resource Library please follow this link: https://www.asaproject.org/resources/library

Emmaus communities provide a home and meaningful work to people who have experienced homelessness and social exclusion. Our communities are situated all across the UK.

Most offer between 20 and 40 places for people to live. Once someone joins an Emmaus community, they are known as an Emmaus companion.

Unlike a lot of provision for homeless people, Emmaus communities offer a home for as long as someone needs it. Emmaus companions get a room of their own, food, clothing and a small weekly allowance.

How to access:

If you are currently homeless, or if you know someone who could benefit from support from Emmaus, get in touch with your local community. They will be able to tell you if they have spaces available and if they are able to meet your individual needs.

To find your local Emmaus, please use this link: https://emmaus.org.uk/your-local-emmaus/?region=all

To contact Emmaus please call us or complete this contact form: https://emmaus.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/

The Phoenix Project provides 1-to-1 online (Teams/Zoom) OET teaching sessions, run by either clinical medical students or doctors for one hour each week. Each session focuses on one or more of the assessed core skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), with tasks set weekly to complete outside of each session. In addition, the operations and culture of the NHS is discussed. We write our own resources, reflective of the OET standard and format, that are used initially in sessions, before using official OET resources when a participant is closer to taking their exam. Currently, we are in a trial period of being able to offer participants one OET mock test with SET English to help inform final exam preparation and booking. The Phoenix Project is able to provide part-financial sponsorship for the OET exam as per our financial policy at the time; currently this is 50% retrospectively of the exam passed.

Passing the OET exam or IELTS at 7.5 is essential to registering with the GMC.
To access support email us directly or complete the contact form on our website.

PLAB-1:

The Phoenix Project is able to provide financial sponsorship for either a 1 year Passmedicine or a 5 month Plabable PLAB-1 question bank subscription.

PLAB-2:

The Phoenix Project provides 1-to-1 online (Teams/Zoom) PLAB-2 teaching sessions, run by either final year medical students or doctors for one hour each week. Our PLAB-2 sessions are run as clinical roleplays and important principles and features of NHS practice are also discussed. Resources written by our PLAB-2 teachers are mainly used during sessions, alongside other appropriate resources. Unfortunately we are not able to provide in person clinical skills support at the moment, but this is something we hope to be able to provide in the future. The Phoenix Project is able to provide part-financial sponsorship for the OET exam as per our financial policy at the time; currently this is 50% retrospectively of the exam passed.

To access support email us directly or complete the contact form on our website.