The home office has appealed to churches to help integrate refugees, as it tries to meet a target of accepting 20,000 Syrians.
The Full Community Sponsorship scheme, launched last July, allows community groups to take responsibility for a refugee’s housing, and help them gain the training and knowledge necessary to begin a new life in Britain.
But since the scheme was launched in July, just two groups – the Salford branch of Catholic charity Caritas, and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s residence – have agreed to sponsor a refugee family.
The Immigration Minister, Robert Goodwill, told the Catholic Herald that the scheme was a response to the “wave of compassion” from the British public at the plight of Syrian refugees.
A website, help-refugees-uk.service.gov.uk, lists local authorities which are open to help from community groups. Local residents can put themselves forward to offer a self-contained property for at least 12 months, career coaching or employment, and basic items such as clothes and electrical goods. People can also volunteer services such as fostering children, transport, running errands, and tutoring English.
In September 2015, David Cameron promised to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020. The National Audit Office estimated that this could cost almost £2 billion. As of September 2016, 4,162 had arrived.
Mr Goodwill said that a large church, or two parishes joining forces, could take on the responsibility of housing and supporting a refugee. The government says the sponsoring organisation must be registered as a charity or community interest company, and must have a comprehensive plan and the approval of the local authority. The scheme is based on a similar project in Canada, which Mr Goodwill said had been successful at offering refugees a good start in a new country.
Integration tsar seeks to defuse Catholic school row
A government adviser accused of “excluding Catholics” has defended her remarks in a letter to the Catholic Herald.
Dame Louise Casey, the Government’s “integration tsar”, told MPs last month that it was “not OK” for Catholic schools to be “homophobic and anti-gay marriage”.
She was explaining that head teachers had a difficult task in deciding how far to respond to the concerns of religious groups.
She also said she had a “problem with the expression of ‘religious conservatism’ because I think often it can be anti-equalities”. Her remarks were criticised by Edward Leigh MP in an article for the Herald.
In this week’s letter Dame Louise said she was a “fan” of Catholic schools and supported ending the 50 per cent cap on faith-based admissions for free schools.
On her comments about same-sex marriage, she said: “I was not suggesting that the law should go any further than the existing requirement that teaching is conducted in an appropriate, factual, reasonable, professional and sensitive way.”
She said she was arguing that it was “not OK” for schools to disregard “equalities duties”.
Cardinal marks 25 years as bishop
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has said that every day of his ministry is shaped by remarks made by his predecessor Cardinal Basil Hume.
The cardinal, marking the silver jubilee of his ordination as bishop, recalled Cardinal Hume’s homily at the Mass 25 years ago in which he praised St Francis de Sales as a “true shepherd” and added: “The key to all ministry is to love the people as Christ loved them.”
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