Harrogate & Area Council for Voluntary Service

Project Background and Update
In 2006 Harrogate CVS produced a report entitled 'The Black and Minority Ethnic Population of the Harrogate District: an Overview of Activities and Issues' This report sought to understand the level of engagement between service providers and the increasing minority population, particularly migrant workers, in the Harrogate District in order to identify some of the new issues that were emerging.  The report attracted considerable interest. There have since been two subsequent brief Interim Updates. All reports can be downloaded via the following links.

April 2006 report

November 2006 Interim Update

January 2007 Interim Update

Since then the team at Harrogate CVS has continued work on raising awareness through collaborative work and has also run a short-term project facilitating regular meetings of a migrant worker group focusing on 'conversation, language and local culture'

In March 2007 Harrogate CVS organised a multi-agency meeting to explore current activities to support the growing numbers of migrant workers and the wider minority ethnic population in the Harrogate District, and to formulate priorities for future partnership working. The report from this meeting can be downloaded via the following link:

March 2007 Minority Ethnic Meeting Report

The meeting identified that there was a need for a Forum to enable ongoing dialogue to:
- Identify gaps in services
- Share good practice
- Share opportunities for training
- Share opportunities for joint action
- Develop and monitor the delivery of an action plan on behalf of the Forum

Funding has been granted for a Development Worker to facilitate the Harrogate District Minority Ethnic Forum and to oversee the formation and delivery of an Action Plan.

The inaugural meeting of the Harrogate District Minority Ethnic Forum was held on 23 April 2008 at the St Roberts Centre, Harrogate.  Since then we have been working with migrant workers, local people and partners to understand the issues facing minority ethnic communities.  The Forum plans how local partners, including voluntary sector organisations, can work with minority ethnic communities to help improve access to services such as health, housing and education services such as ESOL provision. 

Contact Helen Jillings, Minority Ethnic Development Worker on 01423 504074 or email  helen@harrogate.org if you would like to know more about this work or would like to attend future meetings.