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Ethnic Minority Voices: Perceptions of Life in

Renfrewshire, Community Engagement and Service

Provision

Report*

By

Dr. Mohammed Ishaq

(School of Business and Enterprise, University of the West of Scotland, UK)

Mohammed Ishaq is a Reader in Human Resource Management at the University of

the West of Scotland’s School of Business and Enterprise. Correspondence should

be addressed to Dr. Mohammed Ishaq, School of Business and Enterprise, UWS,

Paisley Campus, High St., Paisley, PA1 2BE, Scotland, UK. The email address is:

mohammed.ishaq@uws.ac.uk

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my gratitude to Renfrewshire Council for providing the funding

to make this research possible, in particular, thanks to Stuart Graham at the Council.

I would also like to thank Ana Jones, Agnieska Wozniak, and Alison Millar for helping

to recruit participants for some of the focus groups.

*The views expressed in this report are solely the author’s and of focus group

participants and do not necessarily reflect those of Renfrewshire Council.

The following terms are used interchangeably throughout the report: ‘Renfrewshire

Council’ and ‘the Council’; ‘respondent(s)’ and ‘participant(s)’.

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Executive Summary

This research set out to explore the perceptions of individuals representing

Renfrewshire’s largest visible and invisible ethnic minority communities on issues

such as living in Renfrewshire, community engagement and experience of service

provision. The research deployed a qualitative approach involving focus groups with

4 ethnic minority groups representing the Polish, Syrian, Indian-sub-continent and

Black Afro-Caribbean communities.

The following key findings emerged from this research:

Respondents across the focus groups indicated lack of bin provision, dog-

fouling, anti-social behaviour, poor road maintenance, drug and alcohol abuse

and the language barrier as key concerns.

Overall, despite the aforementioned concerns, respondents from all focus

groups rated Renfrewshire positively as a place to live.

Respondents from the Polish, Indian sub-continent, and Black-Afro Caribbean

communities were not fully aware of all the services available to them and

cited that communication from the Council was poor when it came to raising

awareness of the services on offer.

Where there was direct engagement with services, the experience was mixed

with the Syrian and Indian-sub continent groups citing no major issues but

Polish and Black Afro-Caribbean respondents having faced communication

problems.

Health and medical services were the most used service by all focus group

respondents with individuals from each focus group indicating their

dissatisfaction with the service provided by GPs and health service

practitioners.

Respondents from the Syrian focus group, whilst appreciative of the language

classes provided to them, do not feel that these are tailored to their

requirements.

All ethnic minority groups who took part in the focus groups had little or no

awareness of specific initiatives implemented by the Council to support ethnic

minority communities.

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Awareness and engagement with voluntary organisations set up to provide

support and advice to ethnic minority groups was poorest among Indian-sub

continent and Syrian participants and greatest among the Black Afro-

Caribbean and Polish communities.

Respondents from all focus groups identified challenges they faced on a daily

basis including lack of retail facilities for those resident in outer lying areas,

lack of bins, inadequate housing and poor communication from the Council.

Syrian and Indian-sub continent respondents identified a number of additional

challenges such as the language barrier, a feeling of isolation and the lack of

retail outlets catering for the dietary needs of religious minority groups.

In terms of how respondents felt they were viewed by the indigenous

population, respondents from the Indian sub-continent and Black Afro-

Caribbean focus groups did not feel that they were viewed particularly

negatively or differently. In contrast, Polish and Syrian respondents felt that

the indigenous community were very much conscious of their presence in

Renfrewshire and this attracted unwanted attention.

Respondents from all focus groups had faced or knew someone who had

faced racism or racial discrimination from either the general public or from

service providers. In most cases, the racism was ‘perceived’ rather than

actual or real. However, most respondents did not view the perceived racism

as being widespread.

Although the majority of respondents had not heard of the ‘New Buddies

Integration Network’, once the purpose behind the Network was explained,

there was universal support from all groups and even offers to volunteer for

the Network.

Respondents believed that the success of the Network would depend upon

the implementation of practical measures such as making new arrivals aware

of local and community services, arranging social events including tours, and

by adopting a collaborative and partnership approach involving work with

established ethnic minority groups and places of religious worship.

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

1. Introduction 4

1.1 Contextual background 4

1.2 Research aim 5

1.3 Research design and methodology 6

2. Findings 9

2.1 Perceptions and experience of living in Renfrewshire 9

2.2 Awareness of and engagement with Council services 11

2.3 Awareness of services/initiatives implemented by the Council 15

to support ethnic minority communities

2.4 Engagement with ethnic minority organisations in

Renfrewshire 16

2.5 Perceptions of challenges faced on a daily basis and what

the Council can do to help alleviate these 18

2.6 Respondents’ views on how they are perceived by the

indigenous ‘white’ community 21

2.7 Views on the introduction of the ‘New Buddies Integration

Network’ 24

3. Discussion 27

4. Conclusions and recommendations 31

References 34

Appendix 1 – Focus group schedule 35

Appendix 2 – Participant information sheet and consent form 37

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1. Introduction

1.1 Contextual background

Like many regions of the UK, where big towns and cities are located, Renfrewshire

has witnessed an increase in the diversity of its ethnic population over the past 10

years. Factors contributing to this include the arrival of refugees and asylum seekers,

most recently from Syria under the UK government’s resettlement policy, economic

migrants particularly from EU countries such as Poland, and students from outside

the UK including from the Indian-sub continent and Africa. In addition, the rise in the

birth rate among established ethnic minority communities and the resettlement of

ethnic minorities from other parts of both Scotland and the rest of the UK, has also

played a role in Renfrewshire’s increasing racial and ethnic diversity.

Renfrewshire’s growing ethnic diversity is further evident through the range of events

and activities that have been held to celebrate the presence of diverse cultures

across the region. Examples of this include the Paisley Diversity Carnival held

annually and the Renfrewshire Equality Week held most recently in November 2016.

Table 1 illustrates the changes in the ethnic composition of Renfrewshire since the

period 2013/14 and provide further testimony to Renfrewshire’s growing ethnic

diversity. Figures for the current period - 2016/17 - show an increase in the number

of people from ethnic minority groups who have to come to Renfrewshire from other

EU countries as well as from Asia and the rest of the world. In total, almost four

times as many adult overseas nationals arrived in Renfrewshire in the period

2016/17 than did in 2013/14.

Table 1 - Adult overseas nationals arriving in Renfrewshire

in 2013/14 and in 2016/17

Region of origin 2013/14 2016/17

European Union 443 1660

Non-EU (Europe) 8 27

Asia 43 198

Rest of the world 39 159

Total 533 2044

Source: Figures provided by Renfrewshire Council

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At this stage it is difficult ascertain the future demographic profile of Renfrewshire in

terms of the ethnic makeup of the population. This is because not all ethnic

minorities living in Renfrewshire represent long term stayers. This is particularly the

case with refugees, those seeking asylum and students undertaking university and

college courses.

There is a distinct lack of an evidence base as to what the growing population of

ethnic minorities think about life in Renfrewshire and about the services provided by

the Council and other service providers. This research aims to address this gap by

providing a voice for ethnic minorities residing in Renfrewshire. Through planned

focus groups with respondents from a cross section of ethnic minority groups, the

research explores views and perceptions held by ethnic minorities about their

experience of residing in Renfrewshire and what barriers and challenges they face

on a daily lives (see Appendix 1).

The value of this research is to provide a qualitative evidence base for

Renfrewshire’s policymakers to help them target support and resources more

optimally and prevent the marginalisation of ethnic minority communities through

enhanced engagement with services and community life.

At the time this research was conducted, it is worth noting that simultaneous

research has been undertaken by the Scottish Community Development Centre

(SCDC) into the views of Renfrewshire’s ‘white’ indigenous community. This will

provide an opportunity to compare the views expressed by Renfrewshire’s majority

and minority ethnic communities.

1.2 Research aim

The main purpose of this research was to extract the views and opinions of ethnic

minority groups residing in Renfrewshire and provide a vocal platform to these

groups. The research provides a useful qualitative evidence base that will help the

Council to build a picture of the needs of ethnic minority communities. The research

also represents an opportunity to reflect on the challenges and gaps present and

how these could be addressed through better targeting of resources. The research

provides an opportunity to shape policy and practice and adapt, where possible,

current processes and systems and make them fit to meet the demands of an

ethnically diverse demographic profile.

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1.3 Research design and methodology

The research deployed a qualitative approach as the aim was to elicit the

perceptions of ethnic minority participants based in Renfrewshire. Current figures to

date for the year 2016/17 as shown in Table 1 reveal that there are approximately

2044 adults classed as ethnic minority living in Renfrewshire. This figure represents

an increase from 2013/14 when there were only 533. The main countries/regions of

origin of most ethnic minorities is the Indian-sub-continent, central and southern

Africa, and a number of European Union and other European countries such as

Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Albania, Hungary and Slovenia.

The limited information available about the settlement of Renfrewshire’s ethnic

minority communities reveals that the majority appear to reside in the town of Paisley

which is the biggest town in Renfrewshire. This is not surprising as research shows

that ethnic minorities often choose to reside in the cities and big towns of the UK and

it is also where those seeking asylum and refugee status are often housed (Cocco

and Endley, 2014). Therefore, the distribution of ethnic minority communities across

Renfrewshire is partly based on choice and partly on government policy.

Participants for the focus groups were recruited through a combination of the

researcher’s contacts among Renfrewshire’s ethnic minority communities and

through established voluntary organisations set up specifically for ethnic minority

communities in Renfrewshire such as Renfrewshire Empower Ethnic Minorities

(REEM) and Renfrewshire Polish Association (RENPA). Every effort was made to

ensure that the profile of respondents took into account different age-groups, gender

and professions. In total 4 focus groups were conducted in the month of March,

2017. Table 2 below illustrates the sample size and gender profile of respondents

across the focus groups.

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Table 2: Sample size and gender of respondents by focus group

Focus group Sample

size

Gender

Male Female

Polish 6 2 4

Syrian 7 3 4

Black Afro-Caribbean 5 3 2

Indian sub-continent 6 4 2

Total 24 12 12

The focus groups were moderated by the researcher and were filmed in order to

facilitate the transcription process. All focus groups took place at the University of the

West of Scotland in agreement with participants. The University is an institution that

respondents recognised as an important landmark in Renfrewshire and was viewed

by respondents as a ‘neutral’ venue for the frank exchange of views. The focus

group with refugees from Syria was conducted with the aid of a student who is a

native Arab speaker and also has full mastery of the English language. The student

performed the role of an interpreter during the focus group with Syrian respondents.

The study was given ethical approval by the University of the West of Scotland

through its ethical approval process. The researcher submitted a full ethics

application to the University of the West of Scotland where he is employed. The

application set out the main aim and objectives behind the research and highlighted

the safeguards that would be taken to ensure confidentiality, anonymity, dignity,

respect and obtain informed consent before the focus groups could be conducted.

The following is a summary of the process involved in ensuring ethical approval:

Stage 1 – Ethics application form completed and submitted to the University setting

out details of the proposed study (February 2017).

Stage 2 – Once ethical approval granted, individuals contacted directly and through

organisations. A participant information sheet prepared explaining purpose of

research and inviting voluntary participation (February 2017) (see Appendix 2).

Stage 3 – Once respondents recruited they were contacted directly by researcher to

arrange a mutually convenient time and location to conduct the research (February

2017).

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Stage 4 – On arrival for focus groups, individuals were briefed on the purpose and

format of the focus group and given the option to decide on participation. Those

respondents who agreed to take part were asked to sign a consent form to confirm

their voluntary participation (March 2017) (see Appendix 2).

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2. Findings

In this section of the report, the results generated by the focus groups are reported

under a series of sub-sections related to key themes and issues relevant to the

research. When quoting from respondents, each focus group participant is identified

by their sex and a number e.g. male respondent 1. This allows the research to report

comments made by different respondents without comprising their identity.

2.1. Perceptions and experience of living in Renfrewshire

Respondents from the Polish focus group were largely positive about their

perceptions of Renfrewshire and experience of living there. Most pointed out that

they felt welcome and liked the fact that:

‘Renfrewshire is much better than Glasgow because it’s much more greener

and I think people are nice’ (female respondent 3).

Green issues, protection of the environment and recycling were important to almost

all focus group respondents. This was partly due to the importance they attached to

the issue back home in Poland. In comparison to Poland, respondents felt green

spaces were smaller and in rare supply and were very sensitive whenever they felt

that a green space would be making way for new build. Male respondent 2 summed

this up:

‘…we’ve basically grown up in very green places. You know in Poland you

have like massive forests’.

Others pointed out that they liked Renfrewshire because it was not too big and it was

easy to locate people from the same community and also easy to get around as

everything was quite local. The history attached to the town of Paisley was also

appealing:

‘…it (Paisley) has the University, museum and art centre, you know it’s good

culturally and historically’ (female respondent 2).

As most of the respondents stayed in Paisley, a lot of the perceptions and

experiences of Renfrewshire were shaped around its biggest town. All respondents

would give Renfrewshire 6 or more out of 10. The main negatives associated with

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Renfrewshire appeared to be the litter in the streets and the lack of bin provision

which was viewed as contributing to the former. Other downsides included dog

fouling, anti-social behaviour, pot-holes and drug and alcohol abuse which was

evident especially in the evenings. Some comments in relation to these concerns

were:

‘…there is no rubbish bin from my house to the school on my way. I can go

two different ways but none of the streets has rubbish bins’ (female

respondent 1).

‘pot holes, pot holes, within ten minutes in one evening we were driving from

the house to Asda and we’ve punctured two tyres’ (female respondent 3).

However, overall the negatives did not appear to outweigh a generally positive

viewpoint among the Polish respondents about Renfrewshire.

In the Syrian focus group, all respondents generally had a good opinion of

Renfrewshire and Paisley which is where they are all based. The female

respondents however had a slightly better opinion and said they would give

Renfrewshire 9 or 10 out of 10. The male respondents were a bit more reserved in

their opinion about Renfrewshire and said they would give it 6 or 7. This was mainly

due to Syrian refugees not being allowed to work and this was annoying to the male

respondents as males are seen as the main breadwinners in Syrian culture but in

Renfrewshire they felt under employed. The main negative cited or acknowledged by

all respondents was the language barrier which was preventing respondents from

communicating and engaging with locals and hence unable to feel fully part of the

community.

The focus group with Black-Afro Caribbean people revealed a high degree of

positivity about Renfrewshire. Both among long-time residents and short-term

arrivals, there was unanimity that Renfrewshire was welcoming to people from

different cultural and racial backgrounds as reflected in the following statements:

‘I think it’s quite inclusive…I like the people themselves……I just feel like

people in the streets they’re actually quite polite, quite friendly…I’ve had

situations where I’ve needed help and people have come and asked me if I

need help and have helped me…’ (female respondent 2).

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‘Everywhere I go people try to help me so I think it’s good’ (female respondent

1).

Male respondent 1 said that Renfrewshire reminded him a bit of home:

‘..you know Africa where everyone else takes care of everybody. So I, I get

that sense that your neighbour wants to know who you are, how you are, that

kind of thing and it’s quite welcoming in that way…’.

Male respondent 3 commended Renfrewshire Council:

‘..even Renfrewshire as a council have actually tried their best and developed

some deprived areas to make them really more accommodating, for instance,

like Ferguslie Park, which a long time ago used to be a no-go area’.

Views from the focus group with Indian-sub continent respondents revealed that all

respondents very happy with life in Renfrewshire and had little or nothing negative to

report. Location was a key factor in the minds of most respondents in this focus

group. The following quote encapsulates some of the positive aspects of living in

Renfrewshire according to one respondent:

‘Renfrewshire has good links. The airport is just down the road from us.

Glasgow city centre is just down the road from us as well. The schools have

been good as well as all my kids all went to schools in Renfrewshire. The

transport is very good. Glasgow Airport is close. Every time buses and the

train service is good’ (male respondent 4).

Respondents found that Renfrewshire was ‘nice and quiet’ in comparison to Glasgow

yet had good links to allow travel to Glasgow.

All respondents, regardless of whether they had been born in Renfrewshire or were

long or short-term residents would award Renfrewshire 7 or more out of 10.

2.2. Awareness of and engagement with Council services

When asked about the awareness of council services most of the respondents in the

Polish focus group said that they very rarely got any information leaflets about

services or events as everything was online nowadays and if you wanted to find

something out you had to go online. However, the respondents had differing opinions

as to whether online was the most effective way of making the public aware of

services. Female respondent 3 stated:

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‘Yeah because we all, all of us have some duties and we all live in a rush, to

be honest, and doing things online is much more convenient than calling’.

In contrast, female respondent 4 stated:

‘..sometimes the information on the website can mislead…..once I tried to

apply for a parking permit but couldn’t find this information so this was a huge

problem…. I went to the council in person and I asked the lady at the

reception where I can find this information and she said let’s have a look and

she couldn’t find it as well’.

Respondents felt that the lack of information through the post meant that if you

wanted to find out something or what was going on you had to look yourselves via

online.

In terms of engagement with council services, not all respondents had had the need

to engage with council services. Those who did said that generally speaking there

were no issues when they went to the Council to get something done. The support

and advice they got in those instances was effective. However, it was a different

story when they had a problem or complaint to report. Then the system was not very

effective and often complaints were ignored. One example cited by a respondent

was when she had mould growing in her house and she had contacted the Council

several times to ask someone to come and have a look and treat it before she gave

birth. However, the Council employee arrived after she had already given birth and it

was not suitable therefore to have the house treated with chemicals:

‘I contacted the council again for them to do it again but got no reply.

Eventually I just ended up moving house. But I know that the problem is still

there as the new tenant told me’ (female respondent 1).

In the Syrian focus group, all respondents appeared to be well aware of the services

offered by the Council. This was because they had individuals from the support team

set up by the Council who briefed them about the services available during their stay

and how to access them. Hence, all the information they needed was available to

them via this process. All respondents knew where the Council’s headquarters are

and can identify with the Council.

When it came to engagement with services, according to male respondent 2, all

participants were able to get access to a GP straight away and access to emergency

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medical help was available even during the weekend through the support team.

Through the support team, the Syrian refugees are well connected to the Council.

Female respondent 1 had used GP services but states that they can be very slow in

providing equipment and facilities. She has a son who is disabled and has been

waiting months to get him the equipment and support he needs. She claimed that the

constant rescheduling of appointments designed to discuss the issue, had frustrated

her. Doctors and consultants giving differing medical opinions also emerged from the

focus group discussion.

In addition to GP and health services, respondents referred to the support they got

from the Council via free English classes that were provided to them once a week in

Renfrewshire. All participants viewed learning English as a key priority. Male

respondents particularly viewed learning English as imperative as it provided a

gateway to finding a good job once they were permitted to work.

Distance and the time involved in travelling to classes were affecting respondents

from engaging more with English classes. Distance was viewed as an issue because

the classes were far from where respondents resided and this posed problems.

Classes are one hour but it can take up to 3 hours just for the travelling, according to

some respondents. Although the classes are in Paisley, buses and trains are still

needed as the respondents don’t have cars and this can add to the travel time. The

other problem raised by male respondent 3 was that the classes are not necessarily

suited to the level of each individual. This respondent stated that he had only been

here for three months but has been put in a class with people who came to the UK a

year ago. So the English level in the class needs to be customised to the needs of

the student. Respondents want more classes and consistency in delivery as pointed

out by female respondent 1. She was frustrated because at the moment they are

‘always changing staff’ i.e. different teacher at every session. The structure and

organisation of the English classes is a problem for example one week they learn

something with one teacher and the following week with another. The other problem

is that there are not enough translators. Respondents stated that they need a

translator who speaks Arabic and who can translate for them as they try to learn

English. This makes their situation very difficult especially as most do not speak any

English at all. They feel that they are going to classes and coming back having

learned nothing.

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In the Black-Afro Caribbean focus groups, there was a sense that awareness of what

the Council does and what services it can provide was not communicated to

communities directly and that often people found out about council services by

chance or through word of mouth. There was a sense that the Council expected

people to come to them rather than the Council going out and reaching out to

communities. This had to be addressed because:

‘in my opinion I think because they feel like we’re here, we’re at this building, if

people want to know anything they’ll come to us, we don’t need to go out to

them (female respondent 2).

Male respondent 1 added:

‘I don’t think the council was prepared for the you know, cultural differences

and I don’t think they have done enough homework just to look at the cultural

differences you know exist’.

Female respondent 1 and male respondent 1 said they knew very little about what

the Council did and it is only because they have now been in Renfrewshire for more

than five years that they know about all the services.

Once respondents had become aware of the different services available to them,

their experience when they engaged with those services was largely positive. This

was particularly the case with the use of GP and health services and was in contrast

to the experiences of those in the Syrian and Polish focus groups noted earlier. Male

respondent 1 stated:

‘Personally I have to be honest with you coming from Africa, it’s been a

revelation because you know walking into a GP and being served without

paying money so in terms of that I am very grateful’.

Female respondent 2 echoed this point:

‘If you are coming from a country where you have to pay for it (health

services) you are then grateful because you would be able to get any kind of

help and any kind of medication without fear of your health deteriorating or the

fear of being long-term sick’.

One negative point stressed by male respondent 1 when engaging with services was

his view that different departments in the Council did not always know what the other

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was doing and this often led to duplication of services. So communication was seen

as a big issue.

Female respondent 2 pointed out that one way to improve ethnic minorities

engagement with council services was to make the Council more representative of

the diverse communities it serves.

Male respondent 3 pointed out that he engaged with the Council because it funded

the African Association in Renfrewshire in which he is involved. Male respondent 1

said that engagement could be improved if events and activities were more

supported by the Council and where activities or events were Council-led:

‘….for instance there was a diversity week…and you just come and probably

if you do a song or a presentation but what is the objective? What is it that you

want to get out of it? Is it just to show that we’re doing equalities’?

Among the focus group of respondents from the Indian sub-continent, it was

noticeable that there was little or no awareness of services provided by Renfrewshire

Council but an awareness that if there was a problem then the Council was the place

to go. This suggests perhaps that subconsciously whilst respondents could not

identify specific council services they knew that the Council could help with various

issues. Male respondent 4:

‘I mean I know where Renfrewshire council is, I’ve been down there on, you

know, several occasions for different things. …they’re very cooperative, they

know what they’re doing. They help out as much as they can, that’s not a

problem’.

When probed on their engagement with council services, most had used the Council

to help deal with council tax queries etc. However, engagement with council services

appeared to be more on a needs basis i.e. on an ‘as and when’ basis.

2.3 Awareness of services/initiatives implemented by the Council to support

ethnic minority communities

In the Polish group, none of the respondents were aware of any initiatives or events

arranged by the Council to support ethnic minority communities. A couple of the

respondents said that the only time they became aware of events was through the

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Renfrewshire Polish Association (RENPA), an organisation specifically set up to look

after the needs of Polish people in Renfrewshire.

The Syrian focus group revealed that respondents were aware of events and support

provided by the Council to help ethnic minority groups through the support team.

However, most of the respondents found that the timing of events and activities was

inconvenient as was the language barrier:

Female respondent 2:

‘the problem is the timing and the clash with other commitments such as

needing to look after the kids.

Female respondent 1 added:

‘if I could learn to speak and understand English I could actually work for the

council and help other refugees’.

Among the Black Afro-Caribbean focus group there was no one who was aware of

any initiatives implemented by the Council to support ethnic minority needs. The only

initiatives they identified with were the Paisley Diversity Carnival and that was only

because it was organised under the direction of a voluntary organisation set up to

provide support to ethnic minorities living in Renfrewshire called Renfrewshire

Empower Ethnic Minorities (REEM).

A similar picture was painted by the respondents from the Indian-sub continent.

None of them were aware of any Council-specific initiatives targeting ethnic minority

groups except for the Carnival and again that was essentially through REEM.

2.4 Engagement with ethnic minority organisations in Renfrewshire

A number of third sector voluntary organisations have emerged in Renfrewshire over

the past five years or so specifically to provide support to ethnic minority

communities. Focus group respondents were asked about their awareness of these

organisations and the extent to which they had engaged with them.

In the Polish focus group, all respondents had heard of RENPA and most had made

use of its services. Four of the 6 respondents had also heard off REEM but had

never used its services. A couple of respondents had a negative view about REEM

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based on experience with a REEM employee but didn’t want to elaborate too much

and for reasons of sensitivity this issue was not probed further.

Male respondent 1 volunteers with RENPA and stated:

‘we do development work at RENPA on new projects and would like to

develop more’.

A number of other respondents had used RENPA’s services and had a positive

experience:

‘RENPA brings the Polish community together so you feel more comfortable

and welcoming’ (female respondent 1).

In the Syrian focus group, none of the respondents were aware of the existence of

ethnic minority organisations in Renfrewshire such as REEM or RENPA. They stated

that the support team from the Council was whom they turned to if they needed any

help or support. As a result they had no need to look into the existence of other

support mechanisms as their needs were already being catered for.

Among the Black Afro-Caribbean focus group respondents, all had heard of REEM

as it was run by individuals from the Black Afro-Caribbean community, although its

purpose was to serve all ethnic minorities. Male respondent 2 who had arrived in

Renfrewshire recently stated:

‘when I met Richard he took me to REEM, since then I come to know REEM,

this is better for me…they are marvellous’.

Male respondent 1 was also very complimentary of REEM stating:

‘I started volunteering with REEM actually and I think services like REEM are

very important but they need support’.

Both male respondent 1 and female respondent 1 added that organisations faced

hurdles such as lack of funding and resources yet they were very important:

‘these groups are like the frontline services for the diverse minority groups’

(male respondent 1).

Female respondent 2 pointed out that REEM was used by several ethnic minority

groups and ‘attracted a large spectrum of people’. Given the increasing numbers of

students from the Black Afro-Caribbean communities studying at UWS, it was not

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surprising that a lot of them used the services of REEM which is based only a few

hundred yards from the main university campus.

Another organisation serving the needs of the Black-African Caribbean community in

Renfrewshire is the African Association. Male respondent 1 pointed out that there

was a role for all such organisations:

‘Personally I think there is very much a need because the African Association

cannot do everything on their own, REEM cannot do everything on their own’.

The Indian-sub continent group were the least engaged with ethnic minority

organisations. In fact none of the participants from this focus group were aware of

the existence of REEM or similar organisations. A couple of the respondents said

they would have been more likely to be aware of such organisations if they had been

set up specifically by and for people from the Indian sub-continent.

2.5 Perceptions of challenges faced on a daily basis and what the Council can

do to help alleviate these

Participants in the Polish focus group identified a range of challenges that they faced

on a day to day basis. Male respondent 2 mentioned the lack of retail facilities for

shopping:

‘lack of good stores closer to the Love street, like the superstores I mean..’.

This respondent was unhappy that there were not enough shops in areas outside the

city centre of Paisley. He felt there should be more investment in the areas outside

the city centre:

‘…because the city centre is dying anyway…that’s to be honest’.

A similar point was echoed by female respondent 4 regarding lack of retail facilities:

‘In Foxbar there’s a lack of retailers, yeah’.

A few of the other respondents believed there should be more independent shops.

Female respondent 2 mentioned that litter and rubbish was an issue and that this

was having a negative influence on her attempts to bring up her children who were

‘taking on’ some of the same habits as native people in throwing rubbish anywhere.

Male respondent 1 referred to the problem of communication and in particular the

difficulty in understanding the Scottish accent:

19

‘….still after more than three years here I struggle to understand some people

here..’.

A number of the Polish respondents also cited concerns about the way GPs dealt

with health issues and that they were not great at diagnosing health problems. This

was very frustrating according to them.

In terms of how the Council could help to alleviate some of the challenges,

respondents made reference to the need for more bins and regular road

maintenance.

In contrast to the Polish focus group, Syrian respondents identified a number of

different challenges perhaps reflecting their cultural background and recent

experience that had led to their arrival in Renfrewshire.

Male respondent 1 was concerned that:

‘because we are all living in a kind of compound with other Syrians we are

not really benefiting as everyone speaks the same language…we are not

therefore able to become accustomed to the culture and are not integrating in

any way’.

Female respondent 1 added:

‘being homesick and trying to get used to the Scottish environment was a key

issue’.

All respondents except one had kids who went to school in Renfrewshire. Female

respondent 4 stated:

‘Scottish culture and dialect were the main problems facing my children at

school’.

There was at times a feeling of isolation as there was little or no opportunity to have

contact with other communities.

Housing needs were viewed as not being appropriate and were a big challenge.

Female respondent 1 pointed out that she had 4 kids but only one bedroom and that

the accommodation where they had been housed was effectively designed for

students.

20

Male respondent 3 was concerned at the lack of shops that provided halal food to

cater for his dietary needs, meaning that he had to venture into Glasgow as there

was nothing available in Renfrewshire.

In general, all of the Syrian respondents, whilst appreciative of the support they had

received from the Council, agreed that being dependent on the Council for

everything was counterproductive because when they have to eventually leave their

temporary accommodation they will have to be self-sufficient and independent but

fear that they will not be able to cope.

In the Black Afro-Caribbean focus group, communication problems faced by ethnic

minority people when using services was a major issue muted by respondents. This

was mentioned by female respondent 2 who also pointed out the problem of getting

effective translating. Male respondent 3 identified the language barrier and the

different cultures as Africa is very diverse and there can be major differences for

example in cultural attitudes among those from Egypt and those from Somalia.

Male respondent 1 who volunteers for groups that help ethnic minority communities

found that the main challenge was trying to get all ethnic minority communities to

engage with services and that there were a lot of hard to reach communities and

therefore difficult to know their needs.

Among the Indian-sub continent focus group, the key challenges identified by

respondents included the issue of waste management. Male respondent 1 stated:

‘the rubbish was not collected by the council when it was supposed to’.

Male respondent 4 echoed this concern:

‘..I’ve got a few properties here and there’s always, my tenants ask what’s

going on, what day are they (refuse service) coming, what day are they meant

to come’?

Male respondent 4 pointed out that another problem was the state of the roads and

especially the issue of potholes: ‘….our roads is really, really bad’!

Rubbish on pavements was another issue and male respondent 4 put the blame

partly on the fact that there were not enough bins available on the street:

21

‘..I’ve not seen a bin on a lamppost for a long time. They have got some big

bins but sometimes they are far away so if people have rubbish in their hands

they are likely to just throw it on the floor’.

Male respondent 2 mentioned the issue of food and the fact that he could not get

access to halal food as there were no ethnic shops catering for halal food.

Some of the Indian sub-continent respondents felt that parts of Renfrewshire were

run down and needed regeneration. They pointed to the Council needing to deal with

road maintenance, provide more bins and carry a general ‘clean-up’ of the area

especially in relation to graffiti on shop shutters. Male respondent 4 stated:

‘Graffiti is rife, you know even on my shopfront when I put the shutter down

every other week there’s someone else spray painting on it.. it’s a kind of

vandalism’.

In terms of what respondents felt the Council could do to alleviate some of their

challenges, the Polish respondents made reference to the need to invest more in

road maintenance and use better raw materials. In the case of the Syrian

respondents who felt that language was their biggest challenge, they would like to

see the Council help them to learn English more ‘quickly and effectively’ (male

respondent 2). For the Black-African Caribbean respondents, they would like the

Council to communicate more effectively with ethnic minority communities and

perhaps provide more help with employability especially for those individuals entitled

to work here but who cannot find work. In the case of respondents from the Indian-

sub continent, they would like the Council to direct more resources to aid the

regeneration of parts of Renfrewshire and do more to maintain roads.

2.6 Respondents’ views on how they are perceived by the indigenous ‘white’

community

Respondents in each of the focus groups were asked about how they as an ethnic

minority community were perceived by the indigenous ‘white’ community. All of the

Polish participants felt they were viewed differently because they were ethnic

minorities. Even although they are an invisible ethnic minority group as they would

be classed as ‘white’ they did experience bullying and verbal harassment when they

spoke the Polish language. Some examples provided by respondents included the

following:

22

Female respondent 4:

‘I went to catch some wi-fi to the local pub and the guy heard that I speak

Polish via Skype with my family and he started to yell and shout that go back

to your country’.

Female respondent 3 added:

‘I have heard of stories about children from Poland hiding their identity in

schools because they are kind of being bullied’.

Male respondent 1 shared his experience:

‘When I was working at Pizza Hut I was at the counter serving the customers

and one customer, a woman, mocked me about my way of speaking and told

me to go back to Poland and said many bad things’.

Male respondent 2 stated that alcohol was at items a contributory factor in poor

behaviour towards ethnic minorities:

‘sometimes you know native person in the community who is fine and maybe

when they are drunk or on drugs they change their behaviour’.

Most Polish respondents felt that older people were more tolerant of ethnic minority

communities than the younger generation or the ‘middle’ generation. Female

respondent 1 stated:

‘I think the older generation has more positive feelings about us comparing to

the younger generation. The younger generation are brought up in a I don’t

care way and that you are intruding but the older generations is more

welcoming’.

Male respondent 2 said that it was not quite as simple as saying that the younger

generation was less welcoming than the older ones. He stated that there was some

good and some bad in everyone but:

‘when older people get to know you they probably change their views’.

The same male respondent stated that younger people were being:

‘bombed with misinformation’.

23

Some respondents felt that the upbringing of young children by their parents - the

middle generation - was responsible for children’s attitudes and behaviour towards

Polish people. It was felt that a lot stemmed from ignorance.

‘Sometimes native people did not say anything but their body language made

it clear that they were observing Polish people’ (Male respondent 1).

In the case of the Syrian focus group, there were mixed experiences. Male

respondent 2 stated that he had not personally experienced racism as he stays in

the temporary accommodation provided but he had heard from friends who had left

the accommodation that they:

‘received mail telling them to behave in a certain kind of way as they were

now in Scotland’.

Female respondent 1 commented that when they go out in a group together that’s

when they are more self-aware or conscious of people watching them. She cited

people staring and giving them ‘funny looks’. This was more blatant when the women

went out together and this leads to ‘people really focusing and looking’. Female

respondent 2 stated that this was also because the females all wore headscarves.

Male respondent 2 stated:

‘Scottish people do say hi to them in the streets but they can’t respond and

socialise with them because of the language barrier’.

Cultural differences also prevented the opportunity to integrate because Syrian

people are mainly Muslim and do not drink alcohol and eat only ‘halal’ meat.

In terms of experience with service users of native origin, all respondents said they

had used services such as the post office and had received ‘a good and friendly

service’ (female respondent 1).

Black African Caribbean respondents had mixed views on how they were viewed by

the ‘white’ community. These views were shaped to an extent by whether they had

faced racism or racial discrimination. Female respondent 2 had never personally

encountered racism despite having been here for more than ten years. She felt that

complaints from other Black Afro-Caribbean people about being racially

discriminated against was often based on perceptions of the service they had

received from a service user. In contrast male respondent 3 stated:

24

‘I’ve had examples of racism and I’ve managed to deal with it in the

past…racism is racism, it’s not something that is going to go away today’.

Overall, respondents from the Black Afro-Caribbean focus group did not feel that

they were viewed particularly negatively by the indigenous community.

Indian sub-continent respondents largely stated that they had not faced any major

discrimination and did not feel that they were perceived differently because of their

race or ethnicity. Male respondent 4 who had been brought up in Renfrewshire and

had lived there all his life with his family said he could not think of any occasion

where he had been treated differently or abused ‘aside from the odd drunk customer’

who used his shop. Female respondent 2 shared this sentiment and said:

‘I don’t have any problems with people…they are very helpful....even when I

am walking I talk to them…..they are very good..’

Male respondent 2 who had moved to Renfrewshire in the past year said he felt

more comfortable in Paisley than he did in London where he had been robbed on

two occasions by a gang of white youths.

2.7 Views on the introduction of the ‘New Buddies Integration Network’

When the Polish focus group respondents were asked about the introduction of the

‘New Buddies Integration Network’, none of them had heard of the Network.

However, most believed it to be a good idea in principle as male respondent 2

stated:

‘it would be ‘useful to have something whereby people could be introduced

properly to their new environment. They need to be showed everything’.

When prompted on what kind of things such a Network should do, respondents

indicated ‘regular meetings’ and ‘follow up meetings’. Some others referred to

‘information classes’ and ‘social events’.

When the Syrian refugees were asked about the Network, all the respondents had

heard of it but did not have any idea about what the initiative entailed. They all

however thought it was a good idea as they felt it could give people an idea about

who refugees are and where they come from. All respondents seemed very positive

about the initiative. One concern and obstacle to integration identified by several

respondents was language. Male respondent 2 stated:

25

‘there is no point with integration unless the language barrier can be

overcome’.

Female respondent 2 commented that she and her fellow Syrian refugees:

‘had opportunities to go out and do some voluntary work but it’s the language

barrier hindering progress’.

When prompted on what kind of activities they would like to see as part of the

Network, they stated social events and outdoor trips to tourist areas. They also felt

that the initiative should encourage more Scottish people to come forward and get to

know about Syrian culture. Therefore, initiatives that bring together all communities,

both Scottish and ethnic minorities, would be ideal and help to counteract negative

stereotypes in the media, according to respondents.

Among the Black Afro-Caribbean respondents, half had not heard of the Network or

were unsure as to whether they had heard of it whilst a few had due to their

involvement with the Council on other initiatives. Female respondent 2 thought:

‘I think it’s a good idea. But I think the only way it’s going to work is if they

work with the NGOs…they have to. If they don’t then it’s going to be really,

really tough and they should have all sorts of activities from different angles,

you know….they should have interfaith activities because a lot of people

they’re looking to work with are going to be refugees and asylum seekers’.

Male respondent 2 stated that the network should be something unique. He said:

‘I hope they won’t be trying to copy the other integration networks that are

around. I hope they will develop something that is unique to Renfrewshire and

the advice I have for them is listen, listen, listen. They should engage with

people and find out what they need. They should actually do what you are

doing right now with a lot of the diverse communities to know what their needs

are’.

Many of the respondents in this focus group felt that the media was responsible for a

lot of the myths about people who were coming to this country. Both male

respondents 1 and 3 stressed the problems with the media and viewed the Network

as a possible gateway for dispelling some of the myths in the media as to why

26

refugees were coming to the UK and indeed to Renfrewshire. Male respondent 3

summed up by saying that ‘the media does not portray reality’.

In the Indian sub-continent focus group, like the Polish focus group, none of the

respondents had heard of the Network but they all thought it was a good idea. Male

respondent 2 said:

‘it’s a very good idea for city of culture thing....and also helpful when persons

coming over here and are helpless’.

Male respondent 1 felt that it could be a source of ‘mental support’. Male respondent

4 said that the initiative is a ‘great idea. Really excellent’. He also wanted to get

involved and asked ‘how can we get involved with that...’? When asked what kind of

activities the Network should be involved in, respondents made reference to the

need for the Network to make new arrivals aware of key services like housing, GP

services and do ‘some awareness raising things’ like let churches and mosques

know about the work so that they can get involved and help. All respondents were

enthusiastic about getting involved. Female respondent 2 stated:

‘Me..my contact number I can give if the council if they want it’?

Male respondent 4 said:

‘I mean you know if they are coming with nothing you can give them clothes.

You are more than welcome to pass on my details if I can help’.

27

3. Discussion

Respondents from all four focus groups painted a positive picture of life in

Renfrewshire. Despite raising various issues of concern such as the lack of bin

provision, dog-fouling, anti-social behaviour, drug and alcohol abuse, the language

barrier, and the poor state of the roads, these did not adversely affect the ratings

respondents gave to Renfrewshire. No respondent allocated less than 6 out of ten

when asked how they would rate Renfrewshire. Overall, Renfrewshire is viewed in a

very positive light by respondents from across all ethnic minority communities who

took part in this research.

The results show that respondents from all focus groups, except the Syrian focus

group, were not fully aware of all the services provided by Renfrewshire Council.

This finding supports previous research conducted in England which revealed a

similar lack of awareness of local services among ethnic minority groups (SCIE,

2009).

Polish, Indian sub-continent and Black Afro-Caribbean respondents all indicated that

there was a lack of communication from the Council and that the Council was not

very effective at making communities aware of services on offer. They felt that

individuals were expected to seek information about council services rather than it

being sent to them. This concurs with research conducted by Chahal which found a

desire among ethnic minority groups for more information about services from

service providers (2004). The importance of managing service delivery to ethnic

minority groups has been well documented in the work of Collier (1998). The Syrian

respondents were an exception because as new arrivals they had been allocated a

support team who provided them with the necessary information.

In terms of engagement, respondents from across all focus groups had engaged with

council services once they had become aware of them but most of this engagement

was on a needs basis and was limited. This has implications for the Council given

that equality legislation encourages public sector organisations to monitor the uptake

of services by different ethnic groups and gauge their level of satisfaction with

services. If ethnic minority groups are not engaging with services at sufficient levels

then this hampers the process of monitoring uptake and measuring satisfaction.

Research conducted into service delivery to ethnic minority groups in Northern

28

Ireland and Scotland has already demonstrated that increased engagement with

minority ethnic communities is essential for improving the uptake of services (CCBS,

2006).

However, when there was direct engagement with council services or council

personnel the experience was mixed. On a positive note, respondents normally felt

that their query was dealt with satisfactorily. However, some of the Black-Afro

Caribbean respondents felt that communication between different council

departments was often ineffective. In the Syrian focus group, respondents also

indicated that English classes provided for them were not entirely suited to their

needs as well as the time required to travel to classes, which was affecting

engagement.

In terms of engagement with other services, GP and health services were the most

commonly used services but some respondents from each focus group were

dissatisfied with the quality of the service provided by GPs and hospitals. This was

especially the case amongst the Syrian and Polish respondents. Research

commissioned by the King’s Fund revealed that unhappiness with NHS services is

higher among some ethnic minority groups than it is among the white majority

(2006).

It is clear from the focus groups that ethnic minority communities had little or no

awareness of specific initiatives implemented by the Council to support ethnic

minority communities. It was only through the work of ethnic minority voluntary or

third sector organisations like REEM and RENPA that particular initiatives such as

events and activities came to light.

The results of the focus group reveal a contrasting picture of awareness and

engagement with ethnic minority organisations by respondents. Whilst the Black

Afro-Caribbean and Polish respondents were most aware of ethnic minority

organisations, the Syrian and Indian sub-continent respondents were least aware.

This had a direct impact on levels of engagement with the Syrian and Indian sub-

continent indicating negligible engagement with such organisations. In the case of

the Syrian respondents it should be stressed that the lack of engagement may

simply be down to those respondents’ needs being adequately catered for via the

Council support team. This is in contrast to the experience of refugees in other parts

29

of the UK which has revealed a greater reliance on voluntary organisations and a

lack of a formal coordinated support service to help refugees (Doyle, 2014).

The work of Black and Ethnic Minorities Infrastructure in Scotland (BEMIS)

recognises the important role that ethnic minority voluntary and third sector

organisations can play in supporting and empowering diverse communities (2010). It

is clear from this research that some groups are missing out on support from these

organisations.

For the Polish and Black-Afro Caribbean respondents it is evident that ethnic

minority organisations are an important service that many have used and rely upon.

What is also noticeable from the Polish and Black Afro-Caribbean focus groups is

that those respondents who used the services of the ethnic minority organisations

were more likely to do so if they were staffed and operated by individuals

representing their own ethnic group.

Respondents in all the focus groups identified specific challenges ranging from those

probably not unique to ethnic minority communities such as lack of retail facilities out

with the city centre, lack of bins and littering, inadequate housing, poor

communication from the Council and waste management, to those that could be

deemed endemic to specific ethnic minority groups such as the language barrier,

feeling of isolation and the lack of ethnic shops catering for dietary needs cited by

both Indian sub-continent respondents and Syrian refugees. The challenges cited by

Syrian and Indian sub-continent respondents were also noted in a study of refugees

conducted in the Yorkshire and Humber region (Dwyer, 2009). There has been much

debate in the UK about the importance of everyone speaking English (Foges, 2017).

In this research, respondents from the Syrian focus group highlighted their lack of

proficiency in English as a key challenge in their attempts to integrate.

Respondents’ views on how they were perceived by the indigenous community

revealed that individuals from all 4 ethnic minority groups represented in the focus

groups had faced some kind of racial discrimination either from the general public or

from service users. This is in line with previous studies of minority ethnic groups

which have highlighted similar experiences (Hussain and Miller, 2006). Respondents

from the Black Afro-Caribbean community felt that race played a role in the poor

service received when accessing services but no racism reported by this group from

30

the general public. In contrast, some of the Polish respondents had faced direct

racism from young people especially when they were heard speaking in their mother

tongue. In the case of the Syrian refugees most of the perceived racism was based

on their opinion that they were being looked at differently and the body language of

the members of the public. The racism therefore was more ‘perceived’ rather than

actual. Syrian female respondents were more conscious of being seen ‘differently’

due to how they dressed.

Whilst the Indian sub-continent and Polish respondents had not heard of the plan to

introduce the ‘New Buddies Integration Network’ and only half of the Black and Afro-

Caribbean group had, respondents from all focus groups were unanimous in

declaring their support for such an initiative. The initiative was welcomed as a

positive development that would help eradicate ignorance, help integration, tackle

the sense of isolation felt by ethnic minority groups, help individuals to settle, and

provide ‘mental support’. Respondents from all groups felt that if the Network was to

be successful, it would need to implement practical measures such as arrange social

events for groups, and make new arrivals aware of important services in

Renfrewshire.

Furthermore, ultimate success of the Network would depend on adopting a

collaborative and partnership approach that would involve working with established

ethnic minority groups, engaging with places of religious worship and involving

members of the indigenous community. Several respondents from the focus groups

were willing to put themselves forward as volunteers for the initiative.

The importance of ensuring that there are adequate mechanisms in place to help

refugees integrate has received widespread attention in recent years (see Hale,

2016). Indeed, in 2013, the Scottish Government outlined “a strategy which provides

a clear framework to support the integration of refugees and asylum seekers to

rebuild their lives in Scotland and make a full contribution to society” (Scottish

Government, 2013).

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4. Conclusions and recommendations

This research has provided a platform for Renfrewshire’s visible and invisible ethnic

minority communities to express their views on key themes such as service delivery,

Renfrewshire as a place to live, integration, and how they are perceived by the

indigenous community. Given the increasing ethnic diversity of Renfrewshire, this

research is a pivotal opportunity for key stakeholders such as the Council and other

service providers to shape their policies and practices to ensure that the needs of

diverse communities are being catered for. Whilst Renfrewshire has lower

percentages of minority ethnic groups than the Scottish average, and most of its

inward migration comes from other areas of Scotland and the UK, nevertheless there

has been a documented increase in the overall number of ethnic minority groups

who have come to Renfrewshire over the past few years. This raises challenges for

community cohesion and has implications for service providers.

Whilst there are already statutory requirements on public sector organisations such

as local councils to address equality and diversity issues, this research has

highlighted shortcomings that require attention. Although the findings reveal that

Renfrewshire is deemed an acceptable place to live by ethnic minority groups, there

are areas of concern identified which possible policy prescriptions should focus

upon.

In the light of the findings, what recommendations should be made to Renfrewshire

Council in terms of specific actions? What should be recommended for policy and

practice going forward? What subsequent research might be of benefit? Whilst the

following recommendations are aimed primarily at Renfrewshire Council in the

context of this research there may also be lessons for other councils in Scotland to

take on board. Furthermore, some of these recommendations are derived directly

from the views of respondents in this research when prompted on how Renfrewshire

Council could help them to overcome areas of concern:

Given that the focus groups in this research are not necessarily representative

of all individuals representing Renfrewshire’s ethnic minority communities, the

Council should consider carrying out a survey of all households identified as

ethnic minority in order to gauge the views of a greater proportion of ethnic

minority communities.

32

There are other ethnic minority groups that this research was unable to

involve or capture. Through links with ethnic minority organisations and places

of religious worship, the Council should aim to engage with such communities

so that their needs do not become marginalised.

Educational authorities in Renfrewshire should provide cultural awareness

classes to children at an early age so that they can learn about the rich

cultural, racial and ethnic diversity of Renfrewshire. This would help to remove

ignorance and tackle bullying and the feeling of isolation felt by children from

ethnic minority groups attending school.

There should be more community events where the indigenous community

and ethnic minority groups can interact and gain a greater understanding of

each other’s cultures and values.

The Council should look at ways to improve the provision of English classes

by making more resources available for classes that can bring new arrivals up

to speed on the English language. The current arrangement has been

deemed unsuitable by ethnic minority groups such as the Syrian refugees.

There are also implications for ethnic minority organisations such as REEM

which need to make greater efforts to target those groups not engaging with

their services. More outreach work is required in this respect and the Council

should provide more support and resources to such organisations to help

build capacity.

Organisations involved in community policing and safety should do more to

tackle alcohol and drug abuse and anti-social behaviour which is clearly an

issue that affects all communities.

The Council should consider how it communicates with ethnic minority

communities and what steps it can take to raise awareness of any initiatives

or activities that are implemented for the benefit of such communities.

The Council should take steps to ensure that all ethnic minority groups are

aware of the services available to them and not just new arrivals such as

refugees who appear to have access to a more effective support network.

GPs and health services should work with ethnic minority organisations to

understand issues of concern to ethnic minority communities to help improve

satisfaction rates among ethnic minority users.

33

Established ethnic minority organisations should do more to engage with and

raise awareness of the services they can offer to ethnic minority communities.

Given that we are operating in a climate where resources are limited, a

smaller number of such organisations better equipped with resources might

be the way forward rather than several organisations setup to meet the needs

of specific ethnic minority groups.

Whilst continuing to meet their statutory obligations, councils should also

consider the business and social justice cases for promoting equality and

diversity. In particular, Renfrewshire Council should aim to make its workforce

more representative of the diverse communities it serves.

The Council should invest more time and money into research that can yield

more information and statistics on the situation facing ethnic minority

communities.

The Council should establish a dialogue with the indigenous community on

issues related to ethnicity to ensure effective consultation and buy-in from the

majority ethnic community.

The ‘New Buddies Integration Network’ being proposed has a lot of support

among ethnic minority groups. This support should be harnessed by providing

adequate support to ensure the success of the Network.

Overall, all councils should demonstrate their commitment to the race equality

agenda by protecting their work in this area from the impact of austerity that is

likely to place financial pressures on budgets.

34

References

Black and Ethnic Minorities Infrastructure (BEMIS) (2010), Local Authorities and

Race Equality, Glasgow: BEMIS.

Chahal, K. (2004), Experiencing Ethnicity: Discrimination and Service Provision,

York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Centre for Cross Border Studies (CCBS) (2006), Improving Government Service

Delivery to Minority Ethnic Groups, Armagh: CCBS.

Cocco, F. and Endley, N. (2014), “Immigration map of Britain: Where do foreign

migrants choose to live in the UK”? The Mirror, 22 November.

Collier, R. (1998), Equality in Managing Service Delivery, Open University Press:

Buckingham.

Doyle, L. (2014), 28 Days Later: Experiences of New Refugees in the UK, Stratford:

Refugee Council.

Dwyer, P. J. (2009), Integration? The Perceptions and Experiences of Refugees in

Yorkshire and the Humber, Leeds: Yorkshire and Humber Regional Migration

Partnership.

Foges, C. (2017), “If integration is going to work, everyone needs to speak the same

language”, Telegraph, 24 July.

Hale, S. (2016), “It’s time for supporters of refugees to talk about integration”,

available at: www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2016/04/18/supporters-of-

refugees-need-to-talk-about-integration (accessed 19 July 2017).

Hussain, A. and Miller, W. (2006), Multicultural Nationalism, Oxford: Oxford

University Press.

King’s Fund (2006), Access to Health Care and Minority Ethnic Groups, London:

King’s Fund.

Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) (2009), Doing it for Themselves:

Participation and Black and Minority Ethnic Service Users, London: SCIE.

Scottish Government (2013), New Scots: Integrating Refugees in Scotland’s

Communities 2014-2017, Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

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Appendix 1 – Focus group schedule

1. Perceptions/experience of living in Renfrewshire

What perceptions do you have of living in Renfrewshire? Think of positives

and/or negatives. What do you like/not like about Renfrewshire?

2. Awareness of services provided by Renfrewshire Council and others

Are you aware of the services provided by Renfrewshire Council for all

communities? Can you identify any of these services? If you are aware of any

Council services, how did you become aware of these? What about other

services e.g. NHS, third sector or community run services?

3. Engagement with services provided by Renfrewshire Council

Do you use Council Services? If yes, which services and how often? How

would you rate your experience? If no, why not?

4. Awareness of services/initiatives implemented by Renfrewshire Council

to assist minority ethnic communities

Are you aware of any work done by the Council to support the needs of ethnic

minority communities? If yes, how did you become aware and can you identify

any specific examples of initiatives or measures instituted by the Council?

5. Awareness of and engagement with ethnic minority organisations in

Renfrewshire

Are you aware of the existence of organisations like REEM and RENPA who

have been around to help ethnic minorities in Renfrewshire in recent years? If

yes, have you made use of their services? What has been your experience?

6. Perceptions of main challenges faced on a daily basis

What challenges or difficulties do you/your family face on a day to day basis in

Renfrewshire?

7. What can the Council do to help overcome challenges?

Can the Council play a role in helping with some of the issues and challenges

you face and what help would be of value?

8. Any views on how ethnic minorities in Renfrewshire are viewed by the

indigenous ‘white’ community?

How do you think ethnic minorities are viewed by the ‘white’ or ‘indigenous’

community? Please explain your answer. Do your perceptions of what the

‘indigenous’ community think about you have any bearing or influence on how

you go about your daily lives? Any experiences of racism and discrimination

that you may have had? How easy has it been to develop friendship with

indigenous native Scottish/British people?

36

9. Renfrewshire Council has introduced a new initiative called ‘New

Buddies Integration Network’. The aim of this Network is to provide

support and advice to those newly arriving into Renfrewshire from

abroad especially refugees and asylum seekers. Have you heard of this

Network?

If yes, what do you know about it? Do you think such a Network is a good

idea and what type of work/activities should the Network engage with?

37

Appendix 2 - Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form

Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form

Name of Department/School: School of Business and Enterprise

Researcher: Dr. Mohammed Ishaq

Title of Research: Ethnic Minority Voices: Perceptions of Life in Renfrewshire,

Community Engagement and Service Provision Click here to enter text.

Dear participant,

I would like to invite you to take part in this research. Before you decide you need to

understand why the research is being done and what it involves. Please take time to

read the following information carefully. Please feel free to ask questions if anything

you read is not clear or you would like more information. Take time to decide

whether or not you want to take part. This research is sponsored by the University of

the West of Scotland.

What is the purpose of this investigation?

Renfrewshire has witnessed an increase in the diversity of its ethnic population over

the past 10 years. Factors contributing to this include the arrival of refugees and

asylum seekers, economic migrants and students from outside the UK. However,

there is a distinct lack of engagement with mainstream services among

Renfrewshire’s ethnic minority communities. This research aims to address this gap

by providing a voice for ethnic minorities residing in Renfrewshire. Hence, as an

academic at the University of the West of Scotland, I am conducting a study into the

perceptions that ethnic minorities living in Renfrewshire have about both life in

Renfrewshire and about the services provided by the Council. Through planned

focus groups with members from a cross section of ethnic minority groups, the

research will explore views and perceptions held by ethnic minorities about their

experience of residing in Renfrewshire and what barriers and challenges they face in

accessing services.

Do you have to take part?

Participation in this study is voluntary. I or my representative will describe the study

and go through the information sheet, which will be given to you. I will then ask you

to sign a consent form to show you agree to take part. You are free to withdraw

anytime without giving a reason.

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What will you do in the project?

If you agree to participate in the research, you are required to take part in a focus

group, which I will moderate. During the focus group I will lead a discussion on a

number of themes and issues relevant to this research. You will be free to participate

in the debate and discussion that these themes will generate.

Why have you been invited to take part?

You have been chosen to take part because you represent a stakeholder whose

contribution would be valuable in meeting the objectives of the research.

What are the potential risks to you in taking part?

During the research you will not be exposed to any physical, psychological or legal

risk or harm. Focus group themes have been structured in such a way as to protect

your privacy and no pressure will be put on you to answer sensitive questions. All

information provided will be anonymised and kept confidential.

What happens to the information in the project?

Every care will be taken to maintain confidentiality and anonymity. All information

received will be stored securely and out with the reach of any third party.

The University of the West of Scotland is registered with the Information

Commissioner’s Office who implements the Data Protection Act 1998. All personal

data on participants will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data

Protection Act 1998.

What happens next?

If you are happy to be involved in the research then please proceed to take part in

the group interview, which will be viewed as your agreed consent and sign the

consent form. If you do not wish to be involved then thank you very much for your

time and you may leave the room.

Research Ethics

This study was granted ethical approval by the UWS School of Business and

Enterprise Ethics Committee.

If you have any questions or concerns, during or after the investigation please

contact:

School of Business and Enterprise University of the West of Scotland Paisley Campus High Street Paisley

39

PA1 2BE

Researcher contact details:

Dr. Mohammed Ishaq; mohammed.ishaq@uws.ac.uk

Consent Form

Name of School/Department: School of Business and Enterprise

Title of Study: Ethnic Minority Voices: Perceptions of Life in Renfrewshire,

Community Engagement and Service Provision

I confirm that I have read and understood the information sheet for the

above project and the researcher has answered any queries to my

satisfaction.

I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to

withdraw from the project at any time, without having to give a reason

and without any consequences.

I understand that I can withdraw my data from the study at any time.

I understand that any information recorded in the investigation will

remain confidential and no information that identifies me will be made

publicly available.

I consent to being audio/video recorded as part of the project.

I…………………………………(PRINT NAME) hereby agree to take part in the above project.

Signature of participant

……………………………………………..