Sandwell Borough of Sanctuary Strategy

Overview

Residents and community groups are being asked for their views on the Sandwell Borough of Sanctuary Strategy, which is being developed by Sandwell Council and Sandwell’s local Borough of Sanctuary organisations (https://sandwell.cityofsanctuary.org/about). The aim of this strategy is to establish and deliver a partnership between local organisations and Sandwell Council.

The draft strategy sets out the Sandwell Borough of Sanctuary Partnership's commitments to welcoming and integrating individuals and families who arrive in Sandwell. This strategy co-ordinates the approach of council officers and organisations, council-wide and borough-wide, delivering services to those arriving and settling in Sandwell.

The consultation will run for a 6-week period from Tuesday 20 June until Tuesday 1 August.

Our vision is for Sandwell to be a sanctuary borough, that welcomes those fleeing violence and persecution in their own countries and protects the rights of all migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. A ‘Borough of Sanctuary’ is a borough which provides a welcoming place of safety for people who are asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants. More information can be found at https://sandwell.cityofsanctuary.org/

The strategy is for five years with a review built in after the second year to ensure our approach continues to align with our vision and objectives and best enables us to support those arriving in Sandwell.

If you are a resident, local organisation or business and would like to get involved in the Sandwell Borough of Sanctuary Partnership, or to find out more, please email Bossandwell@gmail.com

Comments are invited on the consultation by Tuesday 1 August. Your responses to this consultation will be anonymous.

Download a copy of the draft strategy here- Sandwell Borough of Sanctuary Strategy

Why your views matter

We all have a part to play in creating communities where everyone feels safe, welcome and experience a sense of belonging.

The strategy sets out the Sandwell Borough of Sanctuary Partnership's commitments to welcoming and integrating individuals and families who arrive in Sandwell. The strategy will inform our approach to creating a welcoming borough of safety and how we tackle the barriers that are faced by those seeking sanctuary across our six towns.

We want to understand what ‘welcomes means’ and what a welcoming Sandwell looks like to our residents, community groups, existing communities and newly formed communities across the borough. We also want to ensure that the strategy acknowledges any key barriers individuals and families face when arriving in Sandwell so that the partnership can work to address these.

It is really important that we have the perspectives of as many people as possible who live and work in Sandwell every day when developing the strategy. We want to make sure that everyone has had an opportunity to be part of shaping this with us and look forward to hearing from as many of you as possible.

What happens next

We will be bringing forward the Sanctuary Strategy for formal adoption by the Council and local Borough of Sanctuary network in autumn 2023. Your views will help us to shape the the strategy and our approach to making Sandwell a more welcoming place for all. These will be collated anonymously and incorporated, information will be released publicly providing clarity around which comments have been accepted and which were not. The reasons why certain comments or changes will not be accepted, will be shared within the document.

If you have any questions about the consultation, or need a copy of the draft strategy and consultation survey in a different language or accessible format, please email housing_strategy@sandwell.gov.uk and we will respond as soon as possible.