they saw their role expanded to include community development. Another argued that they now treated the community as a partner. Attitudes to language provision also changed in some instances. Translation of information into community languages became more of a priority. The range of languages was expanded and one provider highlighted the importance of language by creating a section detailing provision in their annual report.
Sustainability A small number of organisations planned to keep the placements going after Reach In had finished, while others were exploring ways of rolling out the model to other locations or community groups. There were two notable successes where the approach had been expanded. One organisation developed a spin off project “Woven together” and applied to use the funding in other areas and with other groups: “we know that the model works and is good for the housing sector – we can promote this to young people – helps to inject young people into the organisation”. Another explained how as a result of the project and the link to refugee households ‘Fresh Vision’ (youth work) had agreed to sustain the funding for another year. The provider was able to link refugees into a personal development programme with six months mentoring and a general employment project linked to the 2012 games Olympic Games. This meant they had the potential to support 250 people into volunteering and 120 into employment in the Games. This provider had 94 job starts in the last year alone. Beyond the volunteering project, the changes in relationships, systems, outlook and approaches outlined above were viewed by respondents as permanent. New volunteering systems had replaced old and new approaches adopted strategically: “it has certainly moulded the way the organisation deals with vulnerability across the organisation. All the work with refugees has fed into protocols
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signed up with the local authority. We now work strategically as well as operationally”. Working with refugee communities had become part of mainstream activity for Reach In providers.