Over 80 attended the Refugee Information Meeting at Bearsden Hall on Thursday 30 March to hear that plans are in place to prepare for refugee arrivals to the area.
Representatives from the Council and Health & Social Care Partnership teams were joined by Save the Children Scotland and East Dunbartonshire’s Citizens Advice Bureau. Save the Children gave an overview of their work and showed a powerful film which summarised some of the ordeals faced by the children and families fleeing from Syria.
Attendees were advised that detailed planning is in place to prepare for the arrivals, with case files under review to identify who will be coming to East Dunbartonshire. Evonne Bauer, Strategic Lead for Place and Community Planning who chaired the meeting explained, “We know that people are really keen to support the refugees and unaccompanied asylum seeking children that will come here – that was apparent from the numbers that came along to the meeting.
“We gave an overview of all the agencies involved in preparing for these arrivals, and we also emphasised that whilst we will ensure that we have the professional support in place to meet the identified needs of our arrivals we will not know what, if any support they will want from the local community until they are here.
“We must protect and respect the privacy of these vulnerable people when they arrive in East Dunbartonshire. We don’t want to overwhelm then and will take their lead on how they would like to integrate once they are settled in to their new homes.”
Residents were keen to know what practical support they could give and the message is very much to join the organisations that have already been established to support refugees or any other vulnerable groups.
It was confirmed that the accommodation provided would of course be furnished and equipped for the arrivals and anyone who felt that they had particular skills or support to offer could register that with the Council, who would keep a record and contact details of any such offers.
Mrs Bauer added, “There are a number of groups already established in East Dunbartonshire and many in our neighbouring authorities that would welcome new members. We are not looking to collect donations or establish a local fund for refugees – we have ensured that we have identified the resources to meet the needs of the arrivals we are preparing for. The advice from the outset from the Scottish Refugee Council has been to support already established charities and organisations.”
The Council has initially agreed to accommodate four families and four unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Subject to final confirmation between the Council and the Home Office in the coming weeks, arrivals are anticipated up to eight weeks from then.
Follow us on Twitter @EDCouncil or like us on Facebook for the latest updates.