Our Partnerships

How we work and what we do 

Are you an agency seeking to engage with African and other ethnic minority communities? Are you keen to gain access and the trust of black and minority ethnic groups (BAME) so that you can make your services more accessible? Would you like to explore options to increase the uptake of your services by these communities to improve outcomes for these families?

AFiUK works to bridge the gap between agencies and practitioners of all kinds, in all communities and settings. We also work with parents, parent groups and anyone who works with children or young people voluntarily in a club or a community group to equip and support you to become more effective in what you already do.

We provide information on any parenting issues, as well as an understanding of the legal aspects of parenting / working with children in the UK.

The Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) has recently asked Rachel Walton at African Families in the UK based in Colchester for her advice on how to approach a project on developing community leaders to connect with local people and help to improve access to health and care services. Rachel has recently published a book ‘The Ambassador: Growing Community Leaders’ see here The Ambassador (communityambassador.co.uk). Rachel and AFiUK are key members of the ICS’s Community Ambition workstream that is actively enabling links between grass roots Black, Asian and ethnic minority community groups across Suffolk and North East Essex and also coproducing projects around mental health, maternity and other key areas. Community Ambition - Suffolk & North East Essex Integrated Care System (sneeics.org.uk). The ICS has also recently shared Rachel’s work and her book with NHS England in the East of England, which received very positive feedback.

The approach we are working on would see AFiUK leading a collaborative of community organisations representing underprivileged communities to develop a range of Community Connectors based on the Community Ambassador Approach advocated by Rachel. Linked to this would be learning opportunities across the ICS including holding a Thinking Differently Together event showcasing the work, its challenges and its achievements; as well as input into the ‘What are we Missing’ programme in Suffolk. Suffolk and North East Essex ICS is proud of its partnership with AFiUK and we continue to work together to support communities in North East Essex and across the ICS area.


Family intervention support

We work with social workers on the ground to engage with individual families, providing culturally sensitive parental support, bridging the gap between social worker’s own professional skill set, and the needs of the communities in which they work.

Family learning sessions

In collaboration with Abingdon & Witney college in Oxford, we train parents in understanding more about the school curriculum so that they can better support their children's learning.  We also offer cross-cultural parenting training to support migrant parents to sensitively and effectively manage their children's behaviour as they navigate the different cultures in their homes.

Professional workshops

In collaboration with Changing Life-course Training, AFiUK offer training in Cultural Awareness and facilitates Open Dialogue workshops between practitioners and BAME services users.  These workshops are aimed are frontline public service professionals, third sector organisations and community groups.

Cultural Awareness workshop scope

  • Gain a better understanding of a range of safeguarding issues pertaining to ethnic minorities
  • Be able to identify a range of barriers that Black Minority Ethnic (BME) groups and individuals experience in accessing public services
  • Identify a range of cost-effective solutions for developing greater access to public services for ethnic minority individuals
  • Identify relevant adaptations that could be made in their own practices to develop greater inclusiveness with regards to BME groups
  • Explore ways of building greater links with local ethnic minority groups and organisations
  • Identify outreach strategies, provision of information in appropriate format and ways of engaging with the BME communities
  • Develop opportunities for networking, signposting and joint working

Open Dialogue workshop scope

  • Gain a greater understanding of the impact of culture/ethnicity on ethnic minority members’ ability to access and participate in local services and initiatives
  • Initiate and explore ways of developing sustainable relations with local BME groups and individuals
  • Provide the opportunity for local BME members to have their voices heard regarding access local services
  • Identify barriers to accessing local services through sharing experiences of accessing or using public and social provision
  • Identify ways to increase participation in integrated and joint up work and initiatives
  • Explore how information sharing can be made more accessible and relevant to BME individuals
  • Identify ways forward to develop culturally relevant services and processes that reflect and include BME needs

Mixing Matters

Mixing Matters is a project celebrating the rich culinary heritage of Oxford's communities.

Started through a partnership with the Oxford Hindu Temple & Community Centre Project, it has involved three other community groups. Participants brought food-related objects which carried meaningful memories, which they shared with others. Inspired by the objects, participants created collaborative art pieces. Favourite recipes were also shared during the sessions. At the end of the project, participants cooked their favourite foods and shared them in a community feast, open to all.

  • Discussing our cooking utensils and how they help us to still connect with our roots and heritage.
  • The opportunities for shared experiences
  • It was interesting to discover that sometimes we make the same meal, just different ways!
  • A compilation of authentic recipes from the African diaspora 

Other workshop examples

We have organised other workshops at different times:

  • Family support programmes
  • Bespoke cross-cultural parenting sessions
  • Tailormade family programmes to support social workers in-situ
  • Cultural awareness programmes
  • Faith development in children and the place of the child in the ministry of your church
  • Behaviour management in children
  • Effective family communication

We can also coordinate and run children’s sessions for any event or function, including conferences, National Day celebrations or weddings. Our seminars can be run as lectures and workshops or as interactive family sessions aimed at parents and children together.

We are open and flexible, creating bespoke sessions to meet the needs of specific groups, families or professionals.

THE PARENT ADVOCACY PROJECT


The Parent Advocacy Project is a new collaboration between Oxford Hub (https://www.oxfordhub.org/) and African Families in the UK (AFiUK) CIC. It builds on the work that AFiUK does with parents and families, particularly through their parent ambassadors and the work Oxford Hub does through Parent Power, in the Community Impact Zone. The project is funded by Lankelly Chase. (https://lankellychase.org.uk/)

TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST

Supporting people with HIV and poor sexual health.