Challenge (Before)
On 20th of June 2022 an Afghan family arrived in the UK. Originally living in a hotel in the North of England; in October 2022 the family was offered a house in Wales and accepted.
On 03-11-2022 DPIA Case Workers and Interpreters met the family to start settling them into their new home. The city and area were completely new to the family and their level of English was mainly pleasantries. Case Workers in the hotel, had ensured the family received BRPs and had set up a Universal Credit online account. Husband had a bank account and bank card; husband and wife had national insurance numbers. However, neither had any actual understanding of these things and the related processes and systems. It was clear that our DPIA interpreter would be essential as the family’s DPIA Case Worker explained the complexities and the culture.
Family had a great asset in their car. Husband had realised early on that a car would be essential. However, he had only driven it very locally around the hotel and he told us how terrified he was as he drove, following the taxi all of the way to his new home in Wales. He said he did not dare to have his family with him in the car for their personal safety and they travelled safely in the taxi in front of him.
Intervention (Action)
DPIA implemented a structured and a person-centred support plan to work together with the family to achieve their goals including:
- Signposting the family to English classes to improve communication skills, which proved challenging as there was not sufficient provision in the local area so we supported husband to register in Cardiff and Vale College, where he joined full-time Entry 3 Level ESOL. Wife continued with her two sessions of one-to-one Home ESOL classes
- Enrolling children into school and introducing them to their teachers, purchasing school uniform and arranging access to free school meals.
- Teaching the family how to book appointments for the GP, Dentist, Optician, energy companies, how to respond to letters and manage online UC account.
- Orientation in Cardiff and in the local area, getting to know the supermarkets, the most cost effective places to shop and how to access the free bus travel.
- taking driving lessons to improve confidence and how to learn driving theory and sit theory and practical tests before the 1 year grace period ended.
Results (After)
The family was delighted to find that they didn’t need to buy anything for the house and appreciated the food and the furnishing provided.
DPIA staff “took to” the couple immediately admiring their resilience, positivity and great sense of humour. We often shared jokes together. The couple had the great quality of being intensely curious to know and understand everything in detail and being teachers by profession, learned English quickly and enthusiastically. In one year husband achieved Level 1 ESOL.
The father has remained employed with Cardiff Council and is hoping to become a manager. His speaks English fluently and enjoys feeling he is “giving back” by helping the families coming into the hubs to ask for help. He enjoys meeting families who are learning English and speaking their home language to them when he can. The family is thriving with a stable financial situation and makes visits to their family in Europe and their family from Europe visits them in Caerphilly.
Service User told us that at that time he was offered to move to Wales, many Afghan families were telling each other don’t go to Wales because the locations offered are too remote from halal shops and the mosque. SU checked online and liked the area and decided it was better for the welfare of his family to be living in a house rather than stuck in an hotel. He says he does not regret the decision because he has made friends with his neighbours, his family lives in a safe and friendly neighbourhood and family members have never experienced any racism, only a warm welcome wherever they go. The children love school saying they prefer it to their school in England.
