Refugee and Asylum Programme (RAP)

How can we help?

What services we have to offer

TGP Cymru’s Refugee and Asylum Programme (RAP) offers a holistic and rights-based approach to supporting and empowering young people.

We Offer: 

  • Youth Welfare support
  • Specialist independent professional advocacy
  • Mentoring
  • Group well-being / counselling
  • Participation
  • Belong youth group
  • Peer mentoring scheme
  • Advice & guidance for professionals
  • Bespoke training
  • Residential trips

Eligibility: 

  • Age: 11 to 25
  • Seeking asylum, with refugee status or ARE. Includes separated minors (UASC)
  • Hong Kong with British National (Overseas) status

Current Projects and Services

Youth Welfare (Wales) Project

This is a Migrant Help Funded Project which recognises the welfare support needs of young people seeking asylum who have arrived in UK alone, without family and aged between 18 and 25 and who are living in the adult asylum system, in Home Office Initial Accommodation (IA) and or Dispersal Accommodation (DA), including young people claiming to be minors aged under 18.

See more details about additional eligibility below.

TGP Cymru are delighted that following a pilot year our Youth Welfare (Wales) Project will continue until June 2026

We have joined a Partnership with other Youth Welfare Projects based in London, Stockport and Sheffield.

TGP Cymru have 2 Youth Welfare Officers, one based in Cardiff and one in Swansea, whose role is to provide a stable point of contact for young people

The Officers will: 

  • meet and assess young people’s welfare and mental health and other needs
  • provide individual one to one support including to make and attend appointments and meetings
  • undertake individual and group work, including workshops to help young people understand systems and processes
  • ensure access to essential services, including legal, health, housing, education and activities and appropriate mental health support including counselling.
  • help young people acclimatise to their local area
  • support the development of friendships and support networks
  • encourage and support attendance at TGP Cymru’s Cardiff and Swansea local weekly Youth Groups
  • encourage and support attendance at other participation activities and events facilitated by TGP Cymru and other providers
  • seek new free, or affordable opportunities for your people
  • Introduce, refer and signpost to other TGP Cymru projects, and services as well as to external organisations for specialist support, advice and advocacy
  • listen to young people and work towards empowering young people to have more of an understanding, say and control over their own lives.

Eligibility

  • aged 18 to 25 including age disputed young people
  • in Home Office adult asylum system in IA Hotels or DA accommodation
  • if young people have additional vulnerability the Project may support them even if they arrived with family, live with family or have been reunited with family
  • young people recently granted Refugee status may be supported by the Project if they are encountering difficulties with the Move On process.
  • Based in Swansea, or Cardiff or outlying areas eg Ponypridd.

Outreach Work:

TGP Cymru is piloting an offer of a mixture of in person and remote support for eligible young people based in Wrexham and North Wales and rural areas across Wales through the Youth Welfare Swansea Project and other TGP Cymru RAP projects and services.

Please make enquires through Lee Evans RAP Manager


Belong Project

A Big Lottery Funded 4-year Project, for young people seeking asylum and refugees aged 14-24.

Belong aims to help young people develop confidence and resilience and to strive to be “the best they can be”, by offering safe spaces to meet, learn new skills, broaden horizons and opportunities to understand and acclimatise to systems and culture in Wales.

We provide a stepping-stone to more universal youth opportunities supporting young people to fully participate.

Includes:

  • Specialist advocacy – to identify and resolve issues.
  • Mentoring – to set goals and work to achieve e.g. educational objectives.
  • Group well-being / counselling
  • Individual well-being support
  • Participation – group and individual opportunities
  • Weekly youth group, 1630 – 1830 in Cardiff
  • Activities during school holidays in a range of areas
  • Remote zoom sessions to reach young people from rural areas
  • Workshops for young people.

Wales Sanctuary Seekers Service (WSS)

TGP Cymru work in partnership with refugee sector charities including: WRC, Asylum Justice, DPIA, BAWSO & EYST on this new Welsh Government Inclusion Grant funded Service.

We provide:

  • Specialist advocacy to young people aged 11-25.
  • Age Assessments- Supporting young people through the process.
  • A peer mentoring scheme offering training to young people to support their peers.

This new service allows us the build on the range of skills and experience developed during the 5 year Asylum Rights Programme which ended in March 2022, including supporting young people through Age Assessments.

WSS is for refugees including those arriving as part of a Resettlement Scheme and young people from Hong Kong with BN (O) Status as well as those seeking Asylum.


Mind Our Future: Dreamers Project

Following the first phase of the Project which focused on young people working to co-produce activities and opportunities to help build resilience and combat mental health issues, the Project has entered a delivery phase. Young people with the partnership Team staff from TGP Cymru, Oasis Cardiff and CAVHIS (Cardiff and the Vale Health Inclusion Service) are delivering some great activities and opportunities. During this phase there will be initiatives towards making positive change in services available to young people to help reduce potential deterioration in mental health, develop coping skills and resilience.

Dreamers young people and staff are joining the Belong weekly Youth Group to produce a Joint Group with regular wellbeing sessions being delivered by the Project’s Mental Health Worker. These and a variety of other workshops available through Youth Group which will be interactive and fun.

To get involved make a referral to TGP Cymru. The Project is open to young people aged 16-25 who are refugees or are seeking asylum and live, work, or are accessing education or regular activities in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.


Welsh Youth Parliament (WYP) Partner Organisation

TGP Cymru‘s RAP are Partners with the Welsh Youth Parliament again for the second term of the WYP 2022-24.

During the first term our WYP Member was a female refugee who arrived in Wales as part of the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. Hasna thoroughly enjoyed the experience, which she says has helped her feel more confident.

For the second term we have two parliament members: Sultan in South Wales & Amir in North Wales.

Children In Wales – the umbrella organisation for participation in Wales – runs a Young People’s Project Board and RAP are pleased to have the views of our young people represented by Elvis.

Training:

  • Working with unaccompanied children seeking asylum (UASC)
  • Awareness raising Training
  • Advocacy / campaign training for sanctuary seekers
  • Age assessments

Please contact Lee Evans to enquire


Project address

TGP Head Office, Cardiff University Social Science Research Park (SPARK), spark, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ

Ways to get in touch

We welcome referrals or enquiries from young people, professionals or anyone involved in the care and support of young people, including Schools. 

Referrals can be made by telephone or email to Lee Evans: 

Lee.Evans@tgpcymru.org.uk
Tel: 07957 472070 


Who is in our team

Lee Evans
Manager
Kate Rough
Participation Worker
Ruth Jeanes
Participation Worker/ Advocate
Alice Payne
WSS advocacy Caseworker/ Participation
Hasminder Aulakh
WSS Advocacy Caseworker
Dom Wright
Youth Welfare Officer Cardiff
Bori Hardi
Youth Welfare officer Swansea
Martha Ako
Participation Worker