Asylum Matters has launched a number of new resources focusing on the new asylum support and accommodation contracts. The Providers delivering these services to people in the asylum system are responsible for ensuring that they meet the requirements set out in their contracts with the Home Office. These contracts are lengthy documents which are largely inaccessible to those seeking to support people in the asylum system and assist them in resolving often urgent and critical issues.
For that reason, Asylum Matters has read through the contracts to extract key information and present this in a more accessible way, in order to increase transparency around the contractual obligations of Providers and strengthen accountability. The resources we have created are intended primarily for frontline organisations helping people seeking asylum navigate the system, as well as for those agencies that are engaging in advocacy with Providers and the Home Office around the contracts.
We have created two posters which clearly set out the service standards in the contracts:
- The first poster focuses on accommodation maintenance standards and the contractually required response and repair times for all defects reported to asylum accommodation providers.
- The second sets out the requirements of the Advice, Information, Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service and the role and services covered by AIRE and contractual requirements of the service provider.
You can find digital versions of the AASC poster here and the AIRE poster here which are ready for printing. Alternatively, please get in touch with our team if you would like to request hard copies of the posters.
The posters are accompanied by guides to the AASC and AIRE contracts, which set out the respective contractual frameworks and provide more detail around the expectations and obligations of the service providers. The guides also set out the framework for the interaction between the AASC and AIRE providers.
You can find the guide to the AASC contract here and the guide to the AIRE contract here.
Asylum Matters will also be working with our partners over the coming months to document issues with the current contracts, in order to work towards improvements. If you are interested in taking part in this work by sharing your experiences of working with Providers and supporting Service-Users to resolve their issues, please get in touch. We’d also love to hear from you with any feedback on if/ how you’ve put these resources to use and what other assets you might find helpful to support your work in ensuring these services deliver for people seeking asylum.
