IRC Welfare Support

The Home Office is charged by Government to protect our border and to manage migration in the best interests of the United Kingdom, including enforcing the removal of those with no legal right to remain in the UK. Detainees whose applications and appeals fail are expected to leave the United Kingdom.

However, the Home Office is committed to working with them and their representatives to provide support and assistance with the returns process. The Home Office is seeking to award grant funding to the successful organisation with the appropriate experience and expertise which are willing to work in partnership to ensure the welfare and dignity of the men and women being returned.

The successful applicant will: • provide independent advice to men and women in immigration detention so as to encourage them to comply with the returns process thereby increasing the number of compliant returns, reducing the number of escorted returns and the average number of days spent in detention and allowing the detainees to return home with dignity; • provide regular structured intervention at Heathrow (Colnbrook and Harmondsworth) and Yarl's Wood immigration removal centres (IRCs), with the aim of supporting returns and compliance; • provide a timetabled programme of workshops to support the returns process and further one to one sessions with those who wish to take part; • explain the probability of the individuals' return, provide information on how they may be helped with re-settlement in their home country and promote re-integration assistance available on their return. This allows detainees to make informed decisions on their return and to return home in a dignified way; • work with detainees throughout their stay in the IRCs to help ensure they leave on the first planned return date.

Provide insight and necessary practical assistance during the returns experience to help people more easily resettle in their home country. It is the responsibility of the Bidder to ensure that their bid is submitted in a timely manner: The Authority does not undertake to consider bids received after that time.