Living In belfast - Allstate.com

living in belfastIntegratIon guIde

A wide range of information on services is available at:www.nidirect.gov.uk

1l i v i n g i n b e l f a s t – a p o c k e t g u i d e

Contents Page

Chapter 1 Living in Belfast 2Access to services including: • Health• Housing• Education• Banking• Transport• Leisure• RecyclingandCommunitysafety• Individualrights• Voting

Chapter 2 WorkinginBelfast 68• WorkinginNorthernIreland• Workersandindividualrightsand

responsibilities• IntroductiontotheroleofTradeUnions• Introductiontothebenefitsystem• Gainingemploymentsupport

Chapter 3 IntegrationintoBelfastCommunity 109• UnderstandingtheHistoryof‘TheTroubles’

anditsimpactonBelfast• Governanceissuesincludinglocal

Government• Howtogetinvolvedinthelocalcommunity

2 l i v i n g i n b e l f a s t – a p o c k e t g u i d e

Chapter 1

living inbelfast

Access to services including: • Health• Housing• Education• Banking• Transport• Leisure• RecyclingandCommunitysafety• Individualrights• Voting


Health

1. NHS service

MostNHSservicesarefreetomostpeoplelivinghere.Therearesomeexceptionsincluding;

• temporaryvisitors

• studentsresidentforlessthan6months

• thosewhoenteredUKformedicaltreatment

All accident and emergency services are free to everyone. Depending on where you are from you may need to pay for your prescription.

2. Get a medical card

YouwillneedaMedicalcardtoregisterwithafamilydoctororadentist.Medicalcardsarefree.TogetaMedicalcard,youneedtofillintheHS22Xform,whichcanbeobtainedfromanyHealthCentreorfromtheBusinessServiceOrganisation-www.hsc.business.hscni.net.Youshouldfillitinandtakeittoregisterwithadoctor.


3. Register with a doctor

AlistofGP’s(GeneralPractitioner-familydoctor)isavailablefromCitizensAdviceBureau,CentralServiceAgencyandtheGeneralMedicalCouncil.YoumustregistertouseaGP.YouwillneedtofindaGPwhowillacceptyouasapatient.TheGPserviceisfreetoallresidents.YoucanchooseafemaleGPifyouwish.IftheGPacceptsyou,he/shewillsignyourHS22Xformandyouwillreceiveyourmedicalcard.Youwillneedtobringyourpassport,visaandIDdocumentsasyouhavetoproveyouareentitledtoliveintheUK.RegisterwithaGPassoonaspossible,don’twaituntilyouareill.

4. When you need to see your GP

Inmostcases,youneedtomakeanappointmenttoseeyourGP.Sometimesyouwillneedtowaitforafewdaysbeforeyoucanseethedoctor.Ifyouneedimmediatetreatmentaskforanurgentappointment.AllGP’shaveanemergencynumbershouldyouneedtoseethemoutsidenormalhours.Generallydoctorsonlyvisitpatientsathomewhoareseriously


ill.IfyoustillfeelyouaredealingwithanemergencyyoucanvisittheAccident&EmergencyUnitatyournearesthospital.

5. Pharmacy services

Manymedicinescanonlybeprescribedbyadoctor.Ifyouneedanymedicine,yourdoctorwillgiveyouaprescription,givingyoupermissiontogetthemedicine.From 1st April 2010, the charges are free for everyone.

6. Dentist

Youmusthaveamedicalcardtobeabletoregisterwithadentist.

Emergency dental treatment

Ifyouexperiencesuddentoothache,youcanattendthedentalclinicinBelfastCityHospital.Thisoperatesasanaccidentandemergencydentalfacility,treatingpainorotheroraltrauma.


Patientsareseenaccordingtotheurgencyofdentalsymptoms.Longwaitingtimesarelikelybutyouwillbeseenandtreatedbyadentist. Findoutmoreaboutemergencydentalclinicsavailableintheeveningandatweekends.

www.belfastcityonline.net/emergencydentaltreatment

7. Optician service

Ifyouneedtohaveyoureyestestedcontactaregisteredoptician.Youmayalsogethelpwithpayingforeyetestsorwiththecostofglasses.

8. Family planning services

Ifyouneedanyadviceonplannedorunplannedpregnancy,contraceptionorsexualhealth,youcancontactyourGPortheFamilyPlanningAssociation(FPA).Theserviceisfreeandconfidential.TofindoutwhereyournearestFPAisTel: 0845 1228687.


9. If you cannot speak English?

Youcanaskforaninterpreterwhenaccessinghealthservices.YourGPoranyotherhealthserviceproviderhastoarrangeaninterpreterifyouneedone.TheRegisteredInterpretingserviceisfreeandconfidential.IfyouarerefusedaninterpretercontacttheEqualityCommissionNIortheLawCentreNI.

10. Roles within the health service - What they do?

Midwife-Speciallytrainednursetocareforwomenandbabiesduringpregnancy,labourandintheearlydaysafterthebabyisborn.

Health visitor-Everyfamilywithchildrenunderfivehasanamedhealthvisitor.Theirroleistooffersupportandencouragementtofamiliesthroughtheearlyyearsfrompregnancyandbirthtoprimaryschoolandbeyond.

District nurse-Theyvisitpeopleintheirownhomesorinresidentialcarehomes,providingcareforpatientsandsupportingfamilymembers.


11. Help with NHS charges

PeoplewhohavetopayNHSchargesmaybeabletogethelpundertheNHSLowIncomeScheme.Theamountofhelpisbasedonacomparisonbetweenaperson'sincomeandrequirementsatthetimethataclaimismadeorachargewaspaid.Tomakealow-incomeclaim,youwillneedtofillintheHC1formwhichyoucangetfromyourdoctor’ssurgery.

12. Emergency Services

Anemergencyisaseriousorlifethreateningsituationwhichmayincludelossofconsciousness,severechestpainorlossofblood.Call999 from anytelephoneor112fromyourmobiletelephonetocontactthePoliceServiceforNorthernIreland(PSNI),NIFire&RescueService,oranAmbulanceinanemergency.Telltheoperatorwhichemergencyserviceyouneed.Theoperatorwillthenconnectyoutotheemergencyservicewhowillaskyou:-

Yourname,theaddressorlocationandtelephonenumberofwhereyouare?Whatishappening?Youmaythenbeaskedforfurtherinformation.


YouwillneedtoreplytotheoperatorandemergencyservicesinEnglish.OtheremergencyservicessuchastheCoastguard,MountainRescueandCaveRescuecanalsobecontactedthroughthe999 number.

When a 999/112 non-English speaker is connected to the PSNItheywillbeplacedonholdwhilethecontrolroomcontacttheInterpreterServiceandduringthisshortperiodthecallerwillhear"PleaseHold"in14differentlanguages.Thisistopreventthemfromabandoningthe999callanddiallingagain.Assoonasthecontrolroomhaveaninterpreteravailabletheemergencycallisbroughtoffholdandallthreepartiescantalk.The999servicesareforemergenciesonly.Misuseofthenumbercouldresultinprosecution.

13. Non-Emergency Services

IfyouwishtocontactthePolice,NIFireandRescueService,orneedmedicalattentionbutyourproblemisnotanemergencyyoucancallyourGPorthefollowingnumbersinBelfast.


NI Fire and Rescue Service Tel:- 028 9266 4221

Police Tel:- 0845 6008000tocontactyourneareststation.

InformationaboutthePoliceServiceofNorthernIreland(PSNI)-ThePSNIiscommittedtomakingNorthernIrelandsaferthroughprogressive,professionalpolicing.Theyaimtomaketheirservicesaccessibletothewholecommunity.IfyouneedanyfurtherinformationinyourlanguagepleasecontactthePSNI.

The role of the police (PSNI)-inthiscountrymaybedifferentfromthatinyourowncountry.Theirroleistoupholdandenforcethelawandtoprotectpublic.AsaforeignnationalyouhavethesamerighttoprotectionasaBritishnational.Thepolicehavearesponsibilityforpublicsafetyandyoushouldbeconfidentinaskingthemforassistance

Contact PSNI-YoucancontactthePoliceServicebytelephone,email,inwritingandinperson.IfyoudonotspeakEnglishyouwillbetransferredtoaninterpreter.


Reporting race hate crime

ThePSNIhasappointedMinority Liaison Officers ineachareatorespondtotheincreaseinracistincidentsandhavepublishedHate Crime, Racial Incidents: Protecting your Rights.ThisisavailableinUrdu,Hindi,Arabic,Italian,Portuguese,TraditionalChinese,andSimplifiedChinese. Freephone: 0800 0132290

Youcanreportahatecrimeonlineatwww.urzone.com/hatecrime/hatecrime

butinanemergencyyoushoulddial999, and for non-emergencycallsphone0845 6008000.The Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM) hasanOnlineIncidentReportForm.

www.nicem.org.uk/services/support-to-victims-of-racial-harassment-and-discrimination/report-an-incident

Bilingual Community Safety Advocacy SchemeTosupportminorityethniccommunitiesinBelfasttoreducethefearofcrimeandimprovecommunicationbetweengovernmentservicestohelpyoulivesafely.


ChineseWelfareAssociationBilingualCommunitySafetyAdvocateTelephone:07888 398630

PolishAssociationBilingualCommunitySafetyAdvocateTelephone:07916 574225

SouthBelfastPartnershipBoardRaceRelationsCo-ordinatorTelephone028 9024 4070

TheNorthernIrelandHousingExecutive(NIHE)encouragesreportingtotheirdistrictoffices.

ThePSNINon-emergencyandgeneralenquiriestelephonenumber0845 6008000.

Theseservicesarenotmonitored24hoursadayandarenotsuitableforreportinganemergency

FormoreinformationaboutthePSNI,lookattheirwebsite-www.psni.police.uk.Orwriteto:

PSNI,PoliceHeadquarters,Brooklyn,65KnockRoad,BelfastBT56LE.

Crimestoppers - 0800 555111


14. Parental Responsibilities

Whataremyparentalresponsibilities?

• IntheUK,parentsareresponsibleforthecareandcontroloftheirchildren.

Parentsmaydisciplinetheirchildrenbutifthisdisciplineistoosevere,theymaybeprosecutedforassault,orthechildmaybetakenintothecareofthelocalauthority

• Itisdifficulttobeexactabouttheagewhenchildrenareconsideredmatureenoughtobeleftunattendedorgivenresponsibilityforlookingafteryoungerchildren.Asaguideyoushouldmakearrangementsforsomeone,normallyover16,tosuperviseyourchildreniftheyareunder13yearsofage

• AccordingtotheChildren’sAct(law),thelocalauthority(BelfastHealthandSocialCareTrust)hasaresponsibility(adutyofcare)tochildren.Hitting,starvingorneglectingchildrenandpreventingthemfromgoingtoschoolareseenasformsofabuseandtheLocalAuthoritywillinvestigateanyreports


15. How do I register the birth of a baby?

BelfastCityCouncilwebsiteprovidesinformationon:-

i. whentoregisterthebaby’sbirth

ii. wheretoregisterthebaby’sbirth

iii. whocanregisterthebaby’sbirthand

iv. whatinformationisneededbytheRegistrar

• Ababy’sbirthmustberegisteredwithin42days(6weeks)ofthedateofbirth

• Thebirthshouldberegisteredinthedistrictinwhichthebabywasborn.Ifthebabyisnolongerinthedistrictwheretheywereborn,adeclarationcanbemadeatthenearestRegistrarOffice

• ContacttheRegistrarOfficetoarrangea20to30minuteappointmentwiththeRegistrar

• Itisusualforthemothertoregisterthebirth.Ifthemotherandfatherweremarriedatthetimeofthebirth,thenthefathermayregisterthebirthwithoutthemotherpresent


Iftheparentswerenotmarriedatthetimeofthebirth:-

• Themotherisnotobligedtohavethefather’sdetailsincludedonthebirthcertificate.Itmaybepossibleforthebirthtobere-registeredatalaterdateifnecessary

• Thefather’sdetailscanonlybeenterediftheparentsattendtheregistrationtogether

• Friendsorrelativescannotregisterthebirthonbehalfoftheparents

• IfEnglishisnotthefirstlanguageoftheparent(s)andtheywouldlikesomeonetohelpwiththeregistration,theyshouldaskafriendorrelativetocomewiththemtotheRegisterOffice.TheRegistrarwillenterthedetailsontothecomputerandthenontotheregisterofbirths.Theparentsneedtocheckthisinformationcarefullyandsignthatitiscorrect.Itmaybehelpfultobringthebaby'sandparents'passportsandthebirthcertificatesofanypreviouschildren.Ashortbirthcertificatewillbeissuedfreeofcharge.(Furthercopiesatregistrationwillcost£3.50or£5.00atalater


date).TheRegistrarwillalsosupplyaformforyoutofillinandgivetoyourGP.

www.belfastcity.gov.uk/births/index

16. Childcare provision

NICMAtheNorthernIrelandChildmindingAssociation,workstosupportanddevelopregisteredhome-basedchildcare.Avoluntaryorganisationwithcharitablestatus,NICMAprovidesarangeofservicestosupportchildminders,parentsandchildren.www.nicma.org

The Early Years Teams

ThetwoEarlyteamswithintheBelfastTrusthavetheresponsibilityforregisteringandinspectingalldaycareprovisionforchildrenaged0-12years.Youcanobtainalistofyourlocalchildmindersandchildcarefacilitiesfromtheteam.www.belfasttrust.hscni.net


Gateway Services / Child Protection

IfyouareconcernedaboutthesafetyorwellbeingofachildoryoungpersoncontacttheGatewayService.Anyonecancontactthisservicedirectlyinoneofthefollowingways:

By phone:

Duringofficehours(9:00am-5:00pm)contactGatewayon028 9050 7000

Atallothertimes(allthroughthenight,atweekendsandoverBankHolidays)contacttheout-of-hoursEmergencyServiceon028 9056 5444

In person:

SpeaktoaDutySocialWorkerat414OrmeauRoad,BelfastBT73HY

Barnardo’s NI-worksforchildrenfirstandlast.Forover100yearstheyhavehelpedimprovethelivesandopportunitiesoftensofthousandsofchildrenincommunitiesacrossNorthernIreland.www.barnardos.org.uk/northernireland


Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY)-NICCY’sjobistopromoteandsafeguardtherightsandbestinterestsofchildrenandyoungpeople. www.niccy.org

SureStartprogrammeshavebeendesignedspecificallytoreflectandrespondtolocalneeds.Forthatreason,eachSureStartprogrammeisuniqueintermsoftheservicesitprovidesandthemannerinwhichitprovidesthem.Thereare,however,coreelements,whichmustfeatureinanySureStartprogramme.Thesecoreelementsinclude:

• Outreachandhomevisitingservices,tomakecontactasearlyaspossibleinthechild’slifeanddrawfamiliesintousingotherservices

• Familysupport,includingbefriending,socialsupportandparentinginformation,bothgroupandhome-based

• Goodqualityplay,learningandchildcareexperiencesforchildren,bothgroupandhome-basedprimaryandcommunityhealthcareandadvice

• Supportforallchildreninthecommunity,recognisingtheirdifferingneeds


WhileSureStartdoesnotitselfprovidespecialistservices,theyneedtoensurethattheirservicesareaccessibletoallfamilies.

South Belfast Sure Start9LowerCrescent,Belfast.BT71NR Tel: 028 9094 2525

East Belfast Sure Start122AlbertbridgeRoad,BelfastBT54GS Tel: 028 9096 3399

Greater Shankill Sure Start60ShankillRoad,BelfastBT132BB Tel: 028 9087 4000

Glenbrook Sure StartWolfhillCentre148LegoneilRoad,BelfastBT148DTTel: 028 9039 1225

Clan MórSureStart,106AlbertSt.,BelfastBT124HL Tel: 028 9032 7755


Smile Sure Start168-170Duncairn,BelfastBT152GN Tel: 028 9075 6654

Saol Úr Sure StartTopoftheRock,689SpringfieldRoad, BelfastBT127FP Tel: 028 9024 0363

Beechmount Sure StartBlackieRiverCentre, 43BeechmountPass,BelfastBT127NW Tel: 028 9031 9634

TheremaybemoreSureStartsinyourlocalareasoaskyourneighboursorlocalcommunityorganisations.

Ifyou’reavictimofdomesticabuseandyou’reworriedaboutwhatwillhappenifyoureportittothepolice,youshouldcallChildLineonFreephone0800 1111.They’llbeabletoletyouknowwhatwillhappenifyoutellsomeoneaboutyoursituationandhelpyouworkoutwhattodonext.


ChildLineisopen24hoursadayandsevendaysaweek.CallstoChildLinearefreeandthey’llneverappearonyourphonebill.Youmayalsobeabletofindusefulinformationontheirwebsite. www.childline.org.uk

TheNationalSocietyforthePreventionofCrueltytoChildren(NSPCC)protectschildrenacrosstheUK.Theyprovideawiderangeofservicesforbothadultsandchildren. www.nspcc.org.uk

TheNationalSocietyforthePreventionofCrueltytoChildren(NSPCC)operatesahelplinethatoffersconfidentialadviceforpeoplewhoareworriedaboutcasesofpossiblechildabuse.

TheNSPCCcannotinvestigatesuspectedchildabusecases,buttheywillbeabletoprovideyouwiththecontactdetailsoftherelevantlocalsocialservicesteams.Thenumberis0808 800 5000 and it’sopen24hoursaday.


Housing

Housingcanbeprivatelyowned,privatelyrentedorrentedfromasociallandlordsuchastheHousingExecutiveoraHousingAssociation.Youcangetinformationandadviceondifferenttypesofprivaterentedaccommodation,housingrightsandrules,andtenantandlandlordresponsibilitiesfromtheLawCentreGuide,HousingRightsServiceortheHousingExecutive.

www.lawcentreni.orgwww.housingrights.org.ukwww.nihe.gov.uk

1. Private accommodation, renting from the private landlord:

InNorthernIrelandyoucanrentahouse,apartment,flat,bedsitorroom.Thecheapestoptionmaybetoshareaccommodation.Thisiswhenyourentahousefromaprivatelandlordandsharetherentwithotherpeople.Housinginthecitycentreisusuallymoreexpensive,dependingonthelocation.


Private rental accommodation can be found:

• Inlocalpapers

• Advertisementsinlocalshopwindowsoronanadvertisement board

• Letting/Estateagents–FindinyellowpagesOron www.yell.com

• Advertisedontheproperties–someprivatelandlordswillputasigninthewindowofthepropertythatisavailabletorent

• IfyouareastudenttheStudentsUnionwillhaveinformationonpropertytorent.EachUniversitywillprovidedetailsofavailabilityintheirHallsofResidence.www.nistudentpad.co.uk

Tenancy agreement

Atthebeginningofatenancy,thereisalegalrequirementforthetenanttobegivena“StatementofTenancyTerms”andarentbook.Youwillusuallybeaskedtopayonemonth’srentinadvanceandadeposit(usuallyonemonth’srent).Thedepositisrequiredtocoverdamagetothepropertyduringthetenancyandwillbereturnedifnodamagehasoccurred.


Rentisusuallypaidmonthlyandmayincludeelectric,gas,rates,oilorthesemaybepaidseparately.Checkwithyourlandlord.SomelandlordsandEstateAgentsmayrequireguarantors.Aguarantorisapersonwhosignsanagreementtopayyourrentincaseyouareunabletopayityourself.

Ending a tenancy

Youhavetherighttoaminimumof28dayswrittennoticetoendthetenancy.TheHousingRightshelplinecanprovideyouwithadviceandinformation.Tel: 028 9024 5640.

2. Public Social Housing (HousingExecutiveorHousingAssociationAccommodation)

Socialhousingisaccommodationprovidedtopeopleinhousingneed.ThesehousesareownedandmanagedbytheNorthernIrelandHousingExecutiveorHousingAssociations.Noteveryoneisentitledtothishousing.


Rentforthesepropertiesisusuallylessthanyoupaytoprivatelandlords.Duetothehighdemand,socialhousingismadeavailableonapointssystem.FormoredetailscontacttheNorthernIrelandHousingExecutive.www.nihe.gov.uk

Eligibility

Toapplyforsocialhousingyoumustcompleteanapplicationform,whichyoucangetfromanyHousingExecutiveorHousingAssociationoffice.

General enquiries Tel: 0344 8920900

Housing Benefit Tel: 0344 8920902

3. Hostel Accommodation

EmergencyaccommodationcanbeprovidedbytheSalvationArmy,SimonCommunity,NorthernIrelandHousingExecutive,orbycontactingtheCouncilfortheHomelessforNorthernIreland.

Salvation Army Tel: 028 9067 5000

Simon Community Tel: 028 9023 2882

The Welcome Centre Tel: 028 9023 4387


ForafulllistofproviderscontacttheCouncilfortheHomeless.Tel: 028 9031 7000 www.chni.org.uk

Homeless?

Homelessnessdoesnotjustdescribepeoplesleepingonthestreets.Itcanhappentoanyone,foranynumberofreasons.Evenifyouhavearoofoveryourheadyoumaystillbehomeless.IfyouhavenohomeorareindangeroflosingyourhomeyoushouldcontactyourlocalHousingExecutiveDistrictOfficeortheHomelessnessServicesUnit.32-36GreatVictoriaStreet,Belfast.BT27BA.ortelephoneus on:

Main Tel: 0344 8920900

Out-of-hours Tel: 028 9056 5444

Housing Rights Service

providesspecialisthousinginformationinNorthernIreland.Theyaimtohelppeoplefindthebestpossiblesolutiontotheirhousingproblemsbyprovidingfree,confidentialadviceandrepresentationonawiderangeofhousingissues.www.housingadviceNI.orgisawebsiteprovidingfree,


reliableandpracticalinformationtothepubliconhousingandhomelessnessissues.ThereisasectiondedicatedtothehousingrightsandconcernsofmigrantworkersinNorthernIrelandandinformationisavailableinarangeoflanguages.

Support organisations

Northern Ireland Housing Executive-32-36GreatVictoriaStreet,Belfast.BT27BAwww.nihe.gov.uk

Housing Rights Service-adviceonhousinginNorthernIreland,pleasecallTel: 028 9024 5640 Monday-Friday9.30amto1.30pm4thFloorMiddletonBuildings.10-12HighStreet,Belfast.BT12BA.www.housingadviceni.org/migrant-workers

Council for the Homeless for Northern Ireland-CHNI4thFloorAndrasHouse,60GreatVictoriaSt,Belfast.BT27BB.www.chni.org.uk

Housing Benefit Tel: 0344 8920902

The Welcome organisation Homelessness and Support Service. Tel: 028 9024 0424www.homelessbelfast.org


4. Private accommodation, buying your own property

AnEstateAgentisapersonwhocanadviseyouonpropertysales.Contactdetailscanbefoundinlocalpapers,theyellowpagesorontheInternet.

Itisadvisabletosecureamortgagebeforeyoulookforaproperty.ContacttheMortgageAdviceShoporyourbank/buildingsociety.IfyouwanttobecomeahomeowneryouhavetheoptionofbuyingunderNorthernIrelandCo-ownershipHousingAssociation.Youcanbuypartofthepropertyandrentpart.

Mortgage Advice Shop www.themortgageshop.net

Northern Ireland Co-ownership Housing Association www.co-ownership.org

For Hostel informationwww.yell.com


Education• Nursery

• PrimaryandSecondary

• FurtherandHigherEducation

• Englishclasses

1. Nursery education

Providedonafulltimeandpart-timestatusandisrecommendedforchildrenfromage3aspreparationforPrimaryschool.

Nursery schools-canbefoundontheBelfastEducationandLibraryBoard(BELB)website,localschoolsorthroughvoluntaryandcommunityorganisations.

Playgroups-providepart-timeplaces.Placesneedtobeappliedfor.FurtherinformationavailablefromBELB.www.belb.org.ukHeadquarters40AcademyStreetBelfast.BT12NQ.Tel: 028 9056 4000.


Reception classes-SomePrimarySchoolsprovidereceptionclasses.Thesenurseryclassesareonlyforchildrenwhohavereachedtheir4thbirthdaybutarenotatPrimarySchoolage.

2. Primary School

PrimarySchooliscompulsoryforallchildrenfromage4-5to11.Youmaybeprosecutedifyouhaveachildofthatagewhodoesnotattendschool.

Choosing a School and enrolment-DetailedinformationontheregistrationprocesscanbefoundontheBELBwebsite.YouneedtomakeachoiceofthreeSchoolsontheapplication.

School Uniforms-ChildreninPrimaryandSecondarySchoolsinBelfastwearuniforms.

Somepupilsqualifyforuniformgrantsandfreedinners,askyourschoolformoreinformation.


3. Secondary Education

SecondaryEducationinNorthernIrelandisforchildrenagedbetween11and16.TransfertestsarenotprovidedbytheDepartmentofEducationforNorthernIreland(DENI)butbyeachSchool.Whenchoosingaschoolandconsideringthebestoptionforyourchild,getinformationandadvicefromtheirPrimarySchoolPrincipal.SchoolprospectuseswillbeavailablefreefromPost–PrimarySchoolsandcontaindetailedinformationabouteachschool.Parentscanchooseatleast3Schools.ForfurtherinformationgotoDENI’swebsite.www.deni.gov.uk/index/85-schools/6-admission-and-choice/6-transfer-procedure.htm

AdditionalinformationcanbefoundontheNIDirectwebsite: www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/education-and-learning


4. Further and Higher Education

FurtherEducation-InBelfast,FurtherEducationisprovidedbyBelfastMetropolitanCollege(BMC)andawiderangeoftrainingproviders.Detailscanbefoundinyellowpages.www.yell.com

Career Service for NI

CareersAdvisersprovideanallageadviceandguidanceservice,tohelpyoungpeopleandadultsmakeinformedchoicesabouttheirfuturecareerpaths.BelfastCareersResourceCentre.56,AnnStreet,Belfast.BT14EG.Tel: 028 9072 8418 www.careersserviceni.com

Higher education

Isprovidedbythe3UniversitiesinNIandaselectionofcoursesareavailableinpartnershipwithBelfastMetropolitanCollege.AspartoftheentryrequirementyoumayberequiredtocompleteanEnglishLanguageAssessment.


OpenUniversitywww.open.ac.uk

QueensUniversityBelfastwww.qub.ac.uk

UniversityofUlsterwww.ulster.ac.uk

Community Education

CommunityEducationisavailablethroughawiderangeofcommunitycentresandorganisations.For more information and contact details, www.communityni.org/orgs

5. English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL)

AwiderangeoforganisationsprovideclassesandinformationcanbeobtainedfromtheEducationGuidanceServiceforAdults(EGSA).TrainingprovidersofferawiderangeofESOLclassesatalllevels.AfulllistcanbegotfromEGSA.e.g.Internationalhouse,BelfastMetropolitanCollegeandawiderangeofcommunityorganisationsincludingGEMSNI.


Learning Language For Work-providedbyGEMSNI,isanintensiveEnglishLanguagetrainingprogrammedesignedtohelpyouacquiretheEnglishLanguageSkillsyouneedtoworkinNorthernIreland.Thecourselasts12-weeks.Ifyouwouldlikemoreinformationthencontact–GEMSNIonTel: 028 9033 2313

InternationalEnglishLanguageTestingScheme(IELTS)isavailablethroughBelfastMetropolitanCollege(BMC)andothertrainingproviders.

For more information:

www.yell.com www.egsa.org.uk

www.ihbelfast.com www.belfastmet.ac.uk

www.gemsni.org.uk


Banking

1. How do I open a bank account?

TherearemanybanksintheUKandtheyofferdifferentarrangementsandlevelsofservice.Youshouldspendsometimefindingthebankwhichoffersthebestserviceforyou.Askfriendsandcommunitymemberswhichbankstheyhavefoundmosthelpful.Whenchoosingabank,youneedtoconsider:-

• Theservicesthebankwillofferyouandwhatchargesitwillmake

• Thedocumentsthatarerequiredbythebankinordertoopenanaccount

• ManyUKbankswillasktoseeanidentificationdocumentandadocumentconfirmingyouraddressintheUK(forexampleacontractforaccommodation)

• IfyouexperienceproblemsopeningabankaccountcontacttheCitizensAdviceBureau(seepage62forcontactdetails)


2. What I will need to open an account?

Proof of Identity –AnIDcardsuchaspassport,nationalIDissuedinEnglishandyournativelanguageoryourdrivinglicence.

Proof of address – Thiscanbeprovidedbyautilitybill(gas,electricity,telephonebilletc)aletteroracontractfromyourlandlordoranyofficialmailwithyournameonit.

Proof of employment –Aletterfromyouremployeroncompanypapermayalsoberequired.


Transport• Publictransport

• Privatehiretaxis

• DrivinginNorthernIreland

1. Public transport

How do I use the bus services?

Busstopscanbefoundontheroadsideonallbusroutes.Mainbusstopswillhaveatimetable.Thereareanumberofdifferenttickettypes.Askthedriveraboutthecheapestticketforyourtypeofjourneyandpaytheexactfareincashifpossible.Manybuseshavespecialareasforbuggiesandshoppingtrolleys.Ifthebusisveryfullyoumayhavetostand/orinextremecaseswaitforthenextbus.Pressthebellonceforthebustostop.Checkwherethebusleavesfromforyourreturnjourney.Furtherinformation can be found on www.translink.co.uk.BelfastisservedbyTranslink’sMetroservice.YouhaveachoiceofticketsfortheMetroservicethat


canbegotfromtheTicketKioskinwww.translink.co.uk.ForbusesgoingtolocationsoutsideBelfasttherearetwomainbusstations.North and East boundservicesfromBelfastdeparttheLaganside Buscentre inDonegallQuay-South and West departfromtheEuropa BuscentreinGreatVictoriaStreet.TheseincludeservicestoBelfast’stwoairportsGeorgeBestAirportandBelfastInternationalAirport.

How do I use the train services?

Buyyourticketbeforeboardingthetrainfromthemainstationsoronthetrainforsmallerstations.IfyouusethetrainregularlyyoucanbuyweeklyormonthlyticketsonlineoratoneofthemainstationsfoundatBotanic,Europa,CentralorYorkStreet.TheTranslink websiteisveryusefulinplanningyourjourney.www.translink.co.uk Tel: 028 90 66 66 30

2. Taxis

Youcanhailataxiinthestreetororderonebytelephone.Alltaxisneedtoberegisteredandhaveanofficialbadgedisplayed.www.yell.com.


3. Driving in Northern Ireland

How am I expected to drive in the UK?

IfyouwishtodriveacarintheUK,youmustbeover17yearsofageandhaveavaliddrivinglicence.WhenyouaredrivingorareapassengerinaprivatevehicleintheUK,youarerequiredbylawtowearaseatbelt.Currently,childrenundertheageof12yearsor135cminheightmustbesecuredintoanapprovedchildseat.

Everytimeyoudriveyourcar,makesureitisroadworthyandtheessentials,suchasbrakes,alllightsetcarefullyfunctional.

Itisagainstthelawtouseamobiletelephonewhilstdriving.Thereareseriouspenaltiesfordoingso,youcanreceiveafine,pointsonyourlicenceorcouldcauseanaccident.

Familiariseyourselfwiththe‘Highwaycode’.ThisprovidestherulesforroadusersintheUK.ObtainacopyfromBelfastCentralLibraryorbuyacopyinanygoodbookshop.


4. What driving licence do I need to drive in the UK?

Full information on valid driving licences and fees can beobtainedbyvisitingtheDVLNI www.dvlni.gov.uk.

European Community/European Economic Area

LicencesissuedintheEuropeanCommunityandthreeothercountriesintheEuropeanEconomicAreamakeuptwogroupsthataretreatedequally.ThefulllistofECCOUNTRIESare:-

Austria LithuaniaBelgium LuxembourgBulgaria Malta CzechRepublic NetherlandsDenmark PolandEstonia PortugalFinland RepublicofCyprusFrance RomaniaGermany SloveniaGreece SlovakiaHungary SpainIreland SwedenItaly UnitedKingdomLatvia


EEA COUNTRIES- All EC countries

Iceland,Liechtenstein,Norway.

Visitors-IfyouholdavalidEuropeanCommunitylicenceandyouarevisitingNorthernIreland,youcandriveanyvehicleforaslongasyourlicenceremainsvalid.Theappropriatefullentitlementforthevehicleyouwishtodrivemustbeshownonyourlicence.

Residents-IfyouhaveavalidEuropeanCommunitylicence,thiswillauthoriseyoutodriveinthiscountryfortheperiodssetoutbelow.Alternatively,youcanapplytoexchangeyourlicenceforaNorthernIrelandoneprovidingyoumeetthespecifiedconditionsforexchange.ProvidedyourlicenceremainsvalidyoumaydriveinNI:

• OrdinaryLicenceHolders-Untilaged70orfor3yearsafterbecomingresidentwhicheveristhelongerperiod


• VocationalLicenceHolders-Until aged 45 or for 5 years after becoming resident whicheveristhelongerperiod.Ifyouareagedover45(butunder65)untilyour66thbirthdayorfor5yearsafterbecomingresidentwhicheveristheshorterperiod

• If you are aged 65 or over for 12 months after becoming resident–Inordertocontinuedrivingaftertheseperiods,aNorthernIrelanddriving licence must be obtained

• ProvisionalLicence-Beforeyoucanlearntodriveacar,mopedormotorcycleyoumustapplyforaprovisionaldrivinglicence.Ifyoualreadyholdavalidfulldrivinglicenceandyouwanttolearntodrivelargevehicles,minibusesorbusesyouwillneedtoapplyforaprovisionalentitlementforthesevehicles


5. How do I get car insurance, an MOT certificate, a tax disc?

Car Insurance

TodriveintheUK,youmusthaveavalidinsurancecertificate.Itisadvisedthatyougatherseveralquotationsforinsurancebeforeyoudecideontheappropriateinsurancetopurchase.Thesecanbegathereddirectfrominsurancecompaniesorfrominsurancebrokerswhosearchforthebestquotesforyou.YoucanfindinsurancecompaniesandbrokersintheYellowPagesorontheInternet.www.yell.com

Vehicle Test Certificate - MOT

Everyonewhousesavehicleontheroadisrequiredtokeepitinaroadworthycondition.TheMOTtestisrequiredbylawforvehiclesoverthreeyearsold.Itspurposeistoensurethatvehiclesarecheckedatleastonceayeartoensurethattheycomplywithkeyroadworthinessandenvironmentalrequirements.IfyourcarfailstheMOT,itisillegaltodriveitawayuntilthefaultsarecorrected.


Tax Disc

Itisalegalrequirementforallvehiclesontheroadtohaveavalidtaxdiscdisplayedonthewindscreen.TaxdiscsarepurchasedforeithersixortwelvemonthsattheTaxOfficeinGasworksoronlinewithDVLNI.

If you are keeping your vehicle off of the road for a period of time you need to declare SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). To declare SORN you need to complete a V890 application form available from Post Offices or the DVLNI website. All information on vehicle and drivers licences can be found on the www.dvani.gov.uk.


Leisure

1. What sport and leisure facilities are there available in Belfast?

VisittheBelfast City Council Website (Leisureandsport)tosearchfor:-

ArtsandEntertainment

Libraries

MuseumsandGalleries

Parksandopenspaces

Sports,ClubsandCentres

TourismandTravel

What’sonGuideinBelfast?

www.belfastcity.gov.uk/leisure

www.gotobelfast.com

Art Galleries

ThereareawiderangeofartgallerieslocatedacrossBelfast.TofindoutmoregototheBCCwebsite.www.belfastcity.gov.uk/PublicArt


The Arts Council for Northern Ireland

TheleaddevelopmentagencyfortheartsinNorthernIreland.Theyarethemainsupportforartists and arts organisations, offering a broad range offundingopportunitiesthroughtheirExchequerandNationalLotteryfunds.ArtsCouncilofNorthernIreland 77MaloneRoad,Belfast.BT96AQ Tel: 028 9038 5200E:[email protected] www.artscouncil-ni.org

ArtsEkta

NorthernIreland'sleadingorganisationforthepromotionofethnicarts.Theyareanorganisationthatproudlypromotesallcultures. www.artsekta.org.uk


Libraries

ThereareanumberofLibrariesfoundacrossBelfast.Itisfreetojointhelibrary,whichyoucandowithaformofID.TofindyournearestLibrarygototheNorthernIrelandLibrarywebsite.www.ni-libraries.net

Museums

TheareanumberofmuseumsinBelfastwiththeUlsterMuseum,locatedinBotanicGardens,beingthelargest.FormoreinformationaboutallthemuseumsgototheNIMuseumCouncilWebsite.www.nimc.co.uk

Sports Clubs and Centres

ThereareawiderangeofclubsandcentresacrossBelfast.FordetailsofwhatisavailablechecktheSportsCouncilwebsiteforinformationorcallthemon Tel: 028 9038 1222.www.sportni.net


Community Centres

arelocatedacrossBelfastandprovideawiderangeofservicesandactivities.www.belfastcity.gov.uk/communitycentres

Outside Belfast

TofindoutabouttripsandwhatishappeningoutsideBelfastgototheVisitor&ConventionBureau.47DonegallPlace,Belfast.BT15AD. Tel: 028 9023 9026.

2. Do I need a television licence?• Ifyouhaveatelevision,avideorecorder,aset

topbox,aDVDrecorderoracomputerwhichcanreceivebroadcastprogrammes,thenyouarerequiredbylawtohaveavalidtelevisionlicence

• AtelevisionlicencecanbeboughtfromashopdisplayingPayPalorfromtheTVLicensingwebsite.Itcosts£145.50forcolourand£49.00(asatApril2010)forablackandwhiteTVLicence.www.tvlicensing.co.ukCash


EasyEntryschemeallowsyoutospreadthepaymentsofyourtelevisionlicenceweekly,fortnightlyormonthly

• Atelevisionlicencemustberenewedeveryyearandre-registeredifyoumovehouse

• Ifyouliveinarentedpropertywithatelevision,youneedtomakesurethepropertyhasalicence.Thelandlordmayberesponsible,butthepropertyleaseshouldbecheckedincaseitistheresponsibilityofthetenant.Ifthereisnolicenceforthepropertythenbothlandlordandtenantareresponsibleandcouldbefined

• Ifyoushareahouse,buthaveaseparatetenancyagreementandhaveatelevisioninyourroom,thenyouneedalicence

• Ifyoushareahouseandthereisonlyonetelevisioninacommunalareathenonlyonelicence is needed


Recycling and Community safety

Recycling

1. What is recycling? Recycling istheconversionofwasteproductsintonewmaterials,suchaswastepaperthatcanbeconvertedintonewpapergoods.Toorderabinorget more information contact Tel: 0800 0328100

2. How do I recycle?• Recycleaerosols,cartons,foodanddrinkcans,

mixedpaperandcard,plasticbottlesusingyourBlueBin

• Recyclegardenwastesuchasgrasscuttings,leaves,shrubs,weeds,beddingplants,deadflowers,shreddedpaperetcusingyourBrownBin.

• Ifyoudonotputthecorrectmaterialinyourgreenorbrownbin,itwillnotbeemptieduntiltheincorrectitemsareremoved


• DisposeofallotherhouseholdwasteinyourBlackBin

• Onlywastecontainedwithinyourbinswillbecollectedandbinlidsmustbeshut.Ifyouplacewastesuchasrubbishbagsandbulkyitemsonthepavement,youmayriskenforcementactionsandprosecution

• Onlyplacethecorrectbin(s)outonyourdesignatedcollectiondayby7am

• Binsshouldbestoredonyourownpropertyatallothertimes

This information relates to households within the Belfast City Council area

• Recycleyourglassbytakingallglassbottlesandjarstoyournearestrecyclingcentre.Manylargersupermarketshavecollectionbinsforglass.SeeBelfastCityCouncilforafulllistofglassrecyclingbinlocations

• Torecycleyourlargeitemssuchaswashingmachines,TVs,freezersetccontactthecouncilwhocancollectthem.Tel: 0800 0328100.www.belfastcity.gov.uk/recycling


3. Community Safety

Aimstoreducecrime,thefearofcrimeandantisocialbehaviour.

Community safety wardens

CarryouthighvisibilityfootpatrolsacrossBelfast,helpingtocreateasafercity.Theirdutiesinclude:

• tacklingantisocialbehaviour,forexample,streetdrinkingandrowdybehaviour

• reducingcrimeandfearofcrime

• workingwithlocalcommunityandvoluntarygroupstogivefeedbackonenvironmentalissues,suchaslitter,fly-tippinganddogfouling

• respondingtoissuesincertainareas

Thewardenscarryoutpatrolsthroughoutthecityandspenduptothreemonthsinanareabeforemovingon.


Bogus callers

ABoguscallerissomeonepretendingtobeanofficialfromanorganisation.Mostpeoplewhocallatyourhomearegenuinebutdon’tbeafraidtoaskforidentification(ID).Sometimeshowever,so-called‘boguscallers’canturnupunannouncedwiththeintentionoftrickingtheirwayintoyourhome.Theiraimistodistractyou,oftenasawayofstealingmoneyorvaluables,andtheyarelikelytostrikewhenyouarebusyormaybecaughtoffguard.

• Thisisparticularlycommonatcertaintimesoftheyear,especiallyatChristmaswhenthereisanincreasedriskofburglary.

• Thesetypesofburglariesusuallytakeplaceonweekdaysbetween8amand6pm,thenormalworkinghoursofgenuinecallers.

Freephone No: 0800 0132290

Hate crime

Whenpeopleabuseorattackothersbecauseofsectarianism,race,disability,faithorsexualorientation.


Safe shopping

Whenyou'reoutshopping,thievesmayalsobelookingforanopportunitytocommitacrime.ThisisespeciallycommonduringbusyperiodssuchasChristmas.Youshouldalwaysbeawareofyourpersonalsafetywhenshopping.Herearesomeusefultipstohelpyoustaysafe:

• alwaysbeonyourguard-robberiescanhappenanywhere,atanytime

• keepyourvaluableshiddenfromview• keepbagszippedandmakesurethatyour

purseorwalletcannotbeseen.Ifpossible,wearasmallbagacrossyourbodyorunderyourcoat

• keepallyourreceiptsandstorethemcarefullyathomeastheymaycontainyourcreditordebitcarddetails.

Alley-gates

Arehelpingtoreduceantisocialbehaviour,burglariesandfearofcrimeinareasofBelfastwheretheyhavebeeninstalled.Aswellasmakingneighbourhoodsfeelsafer,theyarealsohelpingtobuildacleanerenvironment.


Antisocial behaviour (ASB)

Intheparksandleisurepropertiescostsbetween£500,000and£1millioneachyear.ASBcantakemanyforms,suchasdrinkinginpublicplaces,damagecausedbyquadbikesandscramblers, graffiti,vandalismandthreateningbehaviour.

Alcohol bye laws

BelfastCityCouncilworkwiththePoliceServiceofNorthernIreland(PSNI)andothergroupstoenforcealcoholbye-lawsinpublicareas.Whenyou'reoutandabout,pleasebeawarethat:

• anyoneovertheageof18caughtdrinkinginaspecifiednon-drinkingareawillbeprosecuted

• anyoneundertheageof18caughtdrinkingwillhavetheirdetailspassedontothePSNIYouthDiversionOfficerandhavealettersenttotheirparents.Anacceptablebehaviourcontractmayalsobeusedasanearlyinterventionmethodtoencouragepositivebehaviour

• alcoholatparadeswillbeconfiscated(thismaybeextendedtoincludeothereventssuchasfestivals).


Neighbourhood watch

ThisschemeoperatesacrossNorthernIrelandreducingcrimeandthefearofcrimeandantisocialbehaviour.Itisrunbylocalvolunteerstohelpmakelocalareassafer.Itinvolves:

• appointingalocalschemecoordinator

• encouragingotherneighbourstoparticipate

• meetingwiththelocalpoliceteam,and

• keepingotherlocalresidentsup-to-datewithcrimepreventionadvice.

Safety for Senior Citizens

Communitysafetyisaboutworkingtogethertoreducecrime,thefearofcrimeandantisocialbehaviour.Fromtimetotime,BelfastCityCouncilorganiseSafetyseminarsforolderpeopleaimedatreducingthefearofcrimeandgivingadvicetoolderpeopleonhowtopreventaccidentsandcrime.www.belfastcity.gov.uk/communitysafety


Individual rights

1. What are my rights in the UK?

EveryoneintheUKisprotectedbytheHumanRightsActpassedbythegovernmentin1998.Everyonehasarightto:-

• Life

• Prohibitionoftorture,slaveryandforcedlabour

• Libertyandsecurity

• Afairtrial

• Nopunishmentwithoutlaw

• Respectfortheirprivateandfamilylife

• Freedomofthought,conscienceandreligion

• Freedomofexpression

• Assemblyandfreedomofassociation

• Freedomtomarry

• Prohibitionofdiscrimination

• Protectionofproperty

• Education


• Freeelections

• Prohibitionofthedeathpenalty

2. Equal Opportunities

IntheUK,therearelawstoensurethatpeoplearenottreatedunfairlybecauseoftheirsex,race,religionordisability.DiscriminationlawsintheUKprotectpeopleinareaslikework,education,shoppingandleisure.

Ifyoufacediscriminationyoucanobtainmoreinformationfrom(forcontactdetailsseepage62-64):-

• TheCitizensAdviceBureau

• TheEqualityCommissionforNorthernIreland

• LabourRelationsAgency

• HumanRightsCommission

• LawCentre


3. Racial, Religious and Sexual Harassment

What do I do about racial, religious or sexual harassment?

IntheUK,itisacriminaloffencetouseabusiveorinsultingwordsoractionstowardsanotherpersonbecauseoftheirrace,religionorsex.Ifyouareavictimof,orwitnesssuchanattack,itisimportanttoreportittothePolice,whohaveadutytotakeactionagainstsuchincidents.

ItisanoffenceintheUnitedKingdomtocarryweapons,suchasknivesorguns,eveniftheyareintendedforyourownprotection.


4. Domestic Violence

What can I do about domestic violence?

DomesticViolencemeans‘violenceorthreatofviolencefromarelative,acurrentorformerspouse,apersonyouarelivingwith,apartnerorotherpeoplewholiveorhavelivedinthesamehousehold’.BrutalityinthehomeisasmuchacrimeunderUKlawasanyotherformofviolence.Thetypeofabusecanbephysical,emotional,mental,sexualorfinancial.TheUKhaslawsthatprotectpeopleagainstdomesticviolence.Ifyouexperiencedomesticviolence,itisimportanttogethelpassoonaspossible.TheCitizensAdviceBureauorasolicitorcanexplaintheoptionsthatareavailabletoyou.

InBelfastthereareplacesofrefuge,orshelters,forwomenwhoexperiencedomesticviolence:-

• BelfastWomen’sAid

www.belfastwomensaid.org.uk

24hr Helpline Freephone 0800 9171414

• ThePolicemaybeabletoassistyoufindsuitableplaces


• Emergencytelephonenumbersarelistedinthe‘Helpline’sectionatthefrontoftheYellowPages(Businesstelephonedirectory)

Citizens Advice Bureau

www.citizensadvice.co.ukCitizensAdviceCentresBelfastCABBelfastCentralBelfast Merrion Business

Centre,58HowardSt,Belfast.BT16PJ

02890

261970

Falls 8SpringfieldRoad,Belfast.BT127AG

Suffolk&Andersonstown

208AndersonstownRoad,Belfast. BT119EB

02890

301916

NorthBelfast 40-44DuncairnGardens,Belfast.BT152GG

02890

357990

Shankill 268ShankillRoad,Belfast.BT132BL

EastBelfast TheArchesCentre,1aWestminsterAveNorth,Belfast. BT41NS

02890

223747


The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

AnindependentpublicbodyestablishedundertheNorthernIrelandAct1998. Vision: TheEqualityCommissionhasthevisionofNorthernIrelandasashared,integratedandinclusiveplace,asocietywheredifferenceisrespectedandvalued,basedonequalityandfairnessfortheentirecommunity. Tel: 028 9089 0890. www.equalityni.org

The Law Centre (NI)

Promotessocialjusticeandprovidesspecialistlegalsupporttoadvicegivingorganisationsanddisadvantagedindividuals.Theydeliverlegalservicestomembersincommunitycare,employment,immigration,socialsecurityandmentalhealth.TheLawCentreworkscloselywiththeirmembershipofindependentadvicegivingagenciesandassociatemembersincludingsocialservicesandprobationoffices,solicitors’practices,tradeunionsandcommunitybasedorganisations.TheyworkinpartnershipwithAdviceNIandCitizensAdvice.Forfurtherinformationabouttheirservicesgototheirwebsite.www.lawcentreni.org. Tel: 028 9024 4401.


LabourRelationsAgency Tel: 028 9032 1442 www.lra.org.uk

NorthernIrelandHumanRightsCommission Tel: 02890243987 www.nihrc.org

WomensAidSupport&ResourceCentre Belfast&LisburnWomen'sAid.Tel: 028 9066 6049 Open9am-5.30pm.

24 hour Helpline Tel: 0800917141

Policenon-emergencyTel: 028 9065 0222 to contactyourneareststationthroughtheexchange.PoliceEmergencynumber999fromanytelephoneand 112fromamobile.


Voting

1. What is voting?

VotingisyourchancetohelptochoosethepeoplewhorunNorthernIreland,theUK,Europeandyourlocalarea.Thetimetovoteiscalledelection.Itdoesnotcosttovote.

2. Who can vote?

Almostallmenandwomenover18yearsofagecanvote.EUandqualifyingCommonwealthcitizensresidentinNorthernIrelandcanregistertovote.HowevertheymusthavebeenresidentinNorthernIrelandforthepreviousthreemonths.RegisteringtovotemeansEUcitizenscanvoteforNorthernIrelandAssembly,localgovernmentandEuropeanelections.OnlyUK,IrishorqualifyingCommonwealthcitizensontheelectoralregistercanvoteforelectionstotheUKParliament.


3. Why should I register to vote?

Itgivesyouasayonimportantissuesthataffectyou,everythingfromroadsandrecyclinginyourarea,toeducationandclimatechange–Youmaythinkyoudon’twanttovotenow,butifanissuecomesupthatyouwanttohaveyoursayon,ifyou’reontheregisteryou’llhavethechancetovoteonit.Remember,registeringtovotedoesn’tmeanyouhaveto,itjustmeansyoucanifyouwantto.Ifyoudonotregister,youcan’tvote!TovoteinanyUKelections,youhavetobeontheelectoralregister.

4. How do I vote?

MostpeopleintheUKchoosetocasttheirvoteinpersonatalocalpollingstation.Votingatapollingstationisverystraightforwardandthereisalwaysamemberofstaffavailabletohelpifyouarenotsurewhattodo.Ifyouareontheelectoralregister,youwillreceiveapollcardbeforetheelectiontellingyouwhereandwhentovote.Thepollingstationisoftenaschoolorlocalhallnearwhereyoulive.


Onelectionday,gotoyourlocalpollingstation.Pollingstationopeninghoursare7am-10pm.Ifyouaredisabledandneedassistancegettingtothepollingstation,contactyourareaelectoralofficetofindoutwhathelpisavailable.Youcanalsoasktohaveacompanionwithyouwhenyouvote,orstaffinthepollingstationmaybeabletohelpyou.Tel: 0800 0323700 to register.

www.aboutmyvote.co.uk


Chapter 2

Working in belfast

• WorkinginNorthernIreland• Workersandindividualrightsand

responsibilities• IntroductiontotheroleofTradeUnions• Introductiontothebenefitsystem• Gainingemploymentsupport


1. Working in Northern Ireland

National Insurance Number (NINO).

InordertoworkintheUKyouwillneedanationalinsurancenumber.YoucanapplyforaNationalInsuranceNumberinConorBuildingsJobcentreinGreatVictoriaStreet,Belfast.Whatyouneedtodofirstdependsonyourcategory.Tel 028 9054 5476 / 028 9054 5477

2. Categories of workers

Who can work in the UK?

IfyouwanttocometotheUnitedKingdomtowork,whetheryoucandependsonwhoyouare.IfyouarenotaBritishcitizenoracitizenofoneoftheEuropeanEconomicArea(EEA)countries,youmayneedavisabeforeyoutravelhere.Ifyouhavetogetavisa,you'llneedtobeclearedbyofficialsataBritishOverseasMissioninyourcountryoforigin.Oncecleared,theentryclearancecertificate,orvisa,willbeputintoyourpassportortraveldocument.


EEAnationals-NearlyallEEAandSwissnationalsarefreetoenter,liveandworkintheUnitedKingdomwithouttheneedtoapplyforpermission.IfyouarefromanewEuropeanUnion(EU)memberstate(called'accessionstates')thenyoumayneedtoregisteroraskpermission.

TheEEAcountriesare:

Austria LatviaBelgium LiechtensteinBulgaria LithuaniaCyprus LuxembourgCzechRepublic Malta Denmark NetherlandsEstonia NorwayFinland PolandFrance PortugalGermany RomaniaGreece SlovakiaHungary SloveniaIceland SpainIreland SwedenItaly UnitedKingdom


A8 countries

ThecountriesthatjoinedtheEUin2004areknownas'A8countries',theseare:

Estonia,Hungary,Latvia,Lithuania,Poland,Slovenia,SlovakiaandTheCzechRepublic.

IfyouareanationalofoneofthesestatesyouhavetofollowtheWorkerRegistrationScheme(WRS).ThismeansyouhavetoregisterwiththeUKBorderAgencyforpermissiontoworkintheUK.Ifyouareanagencyortemporaryworkeryouwillneedtoregistertoworkwithinamonthofstartingwork.YoudonotneedtoregistertoworkintheUKifyouare:

• self-employed

• fromCyprus

• fromMalta

ForfurtherinformationvisittheHomeOfficewebsite.

www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

www.lawcentreni.org


After12monthsofcontinuousregisteredemploymentapplicantswillhavefullrightsoffreemovementandwillnolongerneedtoregisterontheWRS,youcanthenobtainaregistrationcertificateconfirmingyourrighttoliveandworkintheUK.

Bulgarian and Romanians A2 countries

ThecountriesthatjoinedtheEUin2007areknownas'A2countries',theseare:

BulgariaandRomania.

Ifyouareanationalofoneofthesecountriesyoumaybesubjecttoworkerauthorisationrequirements.ThismeansthatyouneedauthorisationfromtheUKBorderAgencybeforeacceptingorstartinganyemploymentintheUK.IfyouwanttoworkasanemployeeintheUnitedKingdomyouwillneedHomeOfficepermissionbeforeyoustartwork.DetailsofthetypeofworkyoucantakeandhowtoapplyforpermissiontoworkcanbefoundintheBulgarianandRomaniannationalssection.

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/eea/bulgariaromania/liveworkuk

www.lawcentreni.org


OnceyouhavebeenworkinglegallyasanemployeeintheUnitedKingdomfor12monthswithoutabreakyouwillhavefullrightsoffreemovementandwillnolongerneedHomeOfficepermissiontotakework.YoucanthengetaregistrationcertificateconfirmingyourrighttoliveandworkintheUnitedKingdom,althoughyouarenotobligedtodoso.

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/bulgarianandromaniannationals

www.lawcentreni.org

Refugees

IfyouareaRefugeeandhavebeengrantedleavetoremainanyofthefollowingdecisionsthenyouareabletoworkintheUK.Pleaserefertodocumentationonthetimelimitsofyourstatus:-

• ExceptionalLeavetoRemain/Enter(ELR)(nolongerawardedbutyoumaystillbeunderthisdecision)

• IndefiniteLeavetoRemain(ILR)

• DiscretionaryLeave

• HumanitarianProtection


• RefugeeStatus

• LimitedLeave

(Asof30thAugust2005,refugeeswillbegivenLimitedLeaveof5yearsinitially.AfterthistimethecasewillbereviewedtoseewhetherIndefiniteLeavetoRemainareawarded.

OthercategorieswillrequireaworkvisathathasbeengainedbyanemployerpriortopeoplecomingintotheUK.ThereisacomplextiersystemoutlinedindetailontheUKBordersAgencywebsite.

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/comparisons

3. Deduction from Wages

Somedeductionsareautomaticallytakenfromyourwages.National Insurance,youneedtopaynationalinsurancetoqualifyforcertainbenefitswhenyouneedthem.Taxes,bypayingtaxesyouarecontributingtopayforservicesprovidedbythegovernmentsuchaseducationandhealthservices.


Ifyoufeelyouarepayingtoomuchtax,youmaybeentitledtoclaimsomeback.YoucanenquireaboutthisbycontactingHerMajesty’sRevenueandCustoms.(HMRC)www.hmrc.gov.uk

4. National Insurance and Income Tax

YoushouldhaveaNationalInsurance(NINO)numbertoworklegallyintheUK.Ifyouearnmorethan£80perweekthenyouandyouremployerpayNationalInsurancecontributions.

Income Tax

Ispaidasapercentageoftheamountofmoneythatyouearn.Thispercentageisidentifiedbyataxcode.Allemployeesareallocatedataxcodewhichdeterminestheamountoftaxthatyoupay.Ifyouarestartingyourfirstjobthenyoumayhavetopay‘emergencytax’untilataxcodehasbeensetup.

IfyouareofferedemploymentwithoutpayingNationalInsuranceorIncomeTax,thenthisisagainstthelaw.Ifyoutakethiswork,youmayfindthatyoucannotenforceyourworkingrights.


Employersdonothavetherighttoholdyourpassportoridentitydocuments.Theymaymakecopiesonlyfortheirrecords.

5. Minimum Wage

TheNationalMinimumWageistheminimumthatyouareentitledtobepaidforyourworkperhour.Itisdifferentdependingonyourageandiscurrently:

Age16-17£3.57perhour

Age18-21£4.83perhour

Age22andover£5.80perhour

Thenationalminimumwageissettoincreaseon1stOctober2010.Thenewrateswillbe:

Age16–17yearolds£3.64perhour

Age18–20yearolds£4.92perhour

Age21yearsandover£5.93perhour

www.hmrc.gov.uk/nmw


Workers and individual rights

and responsibilities

1. Worker responsibilities

Everyoneatworkisprotectedbyaseriesofbasiclegalrights.Changesareoccurringallthetime,andpeopleshouldalwaysseekdetailedadviceabouttheirparticularcircumstances.Thebasicrightsthatgiveeveryonesomeprotectionareknownasstatutoryrights.ThesecomefromagovernmentinitiativeorfromtheEU,althoughsuchrightsstillhavetobeturnedintoUKlaw.Youhavetheresponsibilityto:

• Arriveandleaveontime

• Listencarefullytohealthandsafetyrules

• Lookafteryourownhealthandsafetyatwork

• Beawareofthehealthandsafetyofyourco-workers

• Learnasmuchasyoucanduringyourplacement


• Followyoursupervisor’sinstructions

• Treatotherswithrespect

• Askquestionswhenyoudon’tunderstand

• Workashardasyoucan

• Askforhelpifyouneedit

2. Workers Rights

IfyouareworkinginNorthernIreland,nomatterwhatageorracialgroupyoubelongtoyouareentitledtorightsanddignity.Employmentrightsareastatementofthemaintermsandconditionsofemployment-acontractbetweenyouandtheemployer.Youareentitledtoawrittenstatement,statingthetermsandconditionsofyouremployment.Itshouldincludedetailsofpay,workinghours,holidays,noticeperiod,sickpay,andpensions.(Makesureyouhaveunderstoodeverythingbeforeyousignit.)


3. Time off Work

Holidays

Yourholidayentitlementwillvaryfromemployertoemployerandshouldbestatedinyourcontract.Checkwithyouremployer.Althoughyouremployermayofferyoumore,theminimumrightsare24daysayear.Youstartbuildingyourholidayentitlementassoonasyoustartwork.Youareentitledtogetpaidduringtheseholidays.Whenyoufinishajobyougetpaidforanyholidaysyouhavenotyettaken.Youremployercancontrolwhenyoutakeyourholidays.Youdonothaveastatutoryrighttopaidleaveonbankandpublicholiday.Ifpaidleaveisgivenonbankandpublicholidays,thiscancounttowardsyour24daysminimumholidayentitlement.


Bank and public holidays in Northern Ireland:

NewYear’sDay 1stJanuaryStPatrick’sDay 17thMarchGoodFriday VarieseachyearEasterMonday VarieseachyearEarlyMayBankHoliday 1stMondayinMaySpringBankHoliday LastMondayofMayBattleoftheBoyne(12thJuly) TwoclosestweekdaysSummerBankHoliday LastMondayinAugustChristmasDay 25thDecemberBoxingDay 26thDecemberIfChristmasorBoxingdayfallsonSaturdayorSunday,thenextweekdayaftertheweekendisgiven

Illness

Yourcontractmayprovidedetailsofyoursickpayentitlement.Ifnot,youmaybeentitledtoStatutorySickPay(SSP),whichisalegalminimum.Thiscanbepaidforupto28Weeksandstartsonthe4thdayofillness.IfyouremployerdoesnotwanttopayyouSSPyoucancontactHMRCforfurtheradvice.www.hmrc.gov.uk


Maternity Leave

Allwomenareentitledtopaidtimeoffformedicalappointments.Youcantakeupto26weeksmaternityleaveandyoumaybepaidStatutoryMaternitypayratedependingonhowlongyouhaveworkedforyouremployer.

Paternity leave

Asafatherofanewbornchildyouareentitledtotwoweekspaidtimeoffwork,ifyouhaveworkedforyouremployerfor26weeksendingwiththefifteenthweekbeforethebabyisdue.PaternitypayforthetwoweeksispaidattheStatutoryPaternitypay,notfullpay.

Parental rights

Maleandfemaleemployeeshavetherighttorequestflexibleworkinghours.Youarealsoentitledto13weeksunpaidparentalleaveuntilthechild’s5thbirthday,orifthechildisdisabled,18weeksunpaidleaveuntilthechild’s18thbirthday.Youcanalsoqualifyforpaternityleavewhenyouadoptachild.


Time of for dependants (compassionate leave)

Compassionateleavedescribestimeoffworktodealwithpersonalcircumstances.Thereisastatutoryrightcalled‘timeofffordependants’whichgivesyoutherighttounpaidtimeoffinsomecircumstances.

4. Working Hours

Youshouldnothavetoworkanymorethan48hoursonaverageeachweek.Thisisanaveragelimit.Forexample,youmayworkfewerthan48hoursoneweekandthenmorethan48hoursinanotherweek.Buttheaverageshouldnotbemorethan48hours.Ifyouwish,youcansignanagreementtolosetherightofthisprotection.

Rest Breaks

Ifyouareanadultandyourdailyworkingtimeismorethan6hoursthenyouareentitledtoarestbreak.Thebreakshouldbeduringthesix-hourperiodandnotatthebeginningorendofthattime.Ifthereisnowrittenagreementaboutthelengthofthisbreakthenitshouldbeforaperiodofnotless


than20minutesanditshouldbeuninterrupted.Youarealsoentitledtospendthetimeawayfromyourworkstation.

5. Health and Safety

HealthandSafetylawisdetailedandbasedontheHealthandSafetyatWorkAct1974.Itrelatesto:

• Ventilation

• Temperature

• Lighting

• Cleanlinessandwastematerials

• Floorspace

• Seating

• Sanitation

• Washingfacilities

• Smoking

• VisualDisplayUnits(VDUsorcomputermonitors)

Ifyouseesomethingat/inyourworkplacewhichisunsafethenyouhaveadutytoreportittoyoursupervisor.


6. Bullying

Isdefinedasbehaviourofeitheraphysical,psychologicalorverbalnature,whichisunwelcomeandunwanted.e.g.abuse,threats,intimidationsneering,spreadingmaliciousrumours.Theseactionsaredesignedbythebullytomakethepersonfeelupset,threatened,humiliatedorvulnerablewhichoftenleadstoanunderminingoftheirconfidenceandcanoftenleadtostress.

7. Harassment

Isdefinedasanyactorconductwhichisunwantedandunwelcomeandwhichcouldreasonablyberegardedasoffensive,humiliatingorintimidating.

8. Sexual harassment

Isdefinedasunwantedverbal,non-verbalorphysicalconductofasexualnaturewhichviolatesthedignityofapersonorwhichcreatesforthemanintimidatinghostile,degrading,humiliatingoroffensiveenvironment.


9. Discipline and grievance procedures

Thereareminimumstepsthatmustnormallybeincludedinthedisciplinaryprocedure–theseareknownasthe‘statutoryminimumprocedure’.Youremployermustfollowthisprocedureorthedismissalcouldbedeemed‘automaticallyunfair’.

Grievanceprocedures-Anemployeeisalmostalwaysrequiredtofollowthestatutorygrievanceproceduresifs/heiscomplainingaboutactiontakenbyanemployerorwhichtheemployeriscontemplatingtakinginrelationtoanyissues,exceptthosetowhichthestatutorydisciplinaryanddismissalproceduresapply.Ifthecomplaint(s)arisewhollyfromtheterminationofemployment,thegrievanceproceduresdonotapply.

www.lawcentreni.org/EoR/rights_of_employees

www.hmrc.gov.uk

www.lra.org.uk


Introduction to the role of Trade Unions

EveryonewhoworksinNorthernIrelandhastherighttojoinatradeunionandworkfreefromdiscriminationandharassment.

1. What is a trade union?

Atradeunionisanorganisation,whichrepresentstheinterestsofworkingpeople.Tradeunionsseektoimprovethepayandworkingconditionsoftheirmembersandcampaignforbetterlivingstandardsforworkingpeople.Tradeunionsareindependentofthestateandemployers.Theyarerunbyandforthemembers.

2. What Trade unions do?• negotiateagreementswithemployersonpay

and conditions

• discussmajorchangestotheworkplacesuchaslargescaleredundancy


• discusstheirmembers’concernswithemployers

• accompanytheirmembersindisciplinaryandgrievance meetings

• providetheirmemberswithlegalandfinancialadvice

• provideeducationfacilitiesandcertainconsumerbenefitssuchasdiscountedinsurance

3. Why join a trade union?• Toensureyouremploymentrightsareupheld

• Toprotectyourpay,termsandconditions

• Toreceiveadviceandguidanceaboutyourrightsatwork

• Tocreateamoreinclusiveanddiverseworkplacethroughthepromotionofequalityandgood relations

• Tohaveaninfluenceonyourworkenvironment

• Youcannotbediscriminatedagainstforbeingatradeunionmember.


ICTUNI

TheIrishCongressofTradeUnionsNIisthesingleumbrellaorganisationfortradeunionsinIrelandrepresentingawiderangeofinterestsofalmost750,000workingpeople,bothintheRepublicandinNorthernIreland.In2006,therewere64unionsaffiliatedtoCongress,48unionswith543,882membersintheRepublicofIrelandand36unionswith215,478membersinNorthernIreland.TheirMigrant Worker Unit can be contacted on Tel: 028 9031 9644.

www.ictuni.org

The TUC

IsthevoiceofBritainatwork.With58affiliatedunionsrepresentingnearlysevenmillionworkingpeoplefromallwalksoflife,theycampaignforafairdealatworkandforsocialjusticeathomeandabroad.TheynegotiateinEurope,andathome


buildlinkswithpoliticalparties,business,localcommunitiesandwidersociety.www.tuc.org.uk

www.unionlearn.org.uk/about/regions_info_northernireland.cfm?backhome

Unison

AtWorkisyourstartingpointtoseehowUNISONrepresentsandhelpsitsmemberswhoarespreadacrosssevenservicegroups,coveringtheenergy,healthcare,highereducation,localgovernment,policestaff,transport,andwaterandenvironmentindustries.Clickonthelinksbelowtofindouthowthesejobgroupsareorganisedandreadthelatestnewsanddocumentsrelatingtotheseemploymentcategories:

• HealthCare

• Localgovernment

• Businessandenvironment

• Communityandvoluntary

• Educationworkforce

• Policestaff


• Privatecontractors

• Professionalregistration–registrationunit www.unison.org.uk

Other unions

Unionsaresectorspecificandinclude:

UlsterTeachersUnion www.utu.edu

AmalgamatedTransport&GeneralWorkersUnion www.tgwu.org.uk

NorthernIrelandPublicServiceAlliance www.nipsa.org.uk

UnionofShop,DistributiveandAlliedWorkers www.usdaw.org.uk

IrishNationalTeachersOrganisation www.into.ie

Thisisnotacompletelistofunionsavailable. Foramorecomprehensivelistgoto www.4ni.co.uk/0x878x27_trade-unions


Introduction to the benefit system

1. Get a better understanding of the benefits system

Thebenefitssystemprovidespracticalhelpandfinancialsupportifyouareunemployedandlookingforwork.Italsoprovidesyouwithadditionalincomewhenyourearningsarelow,ifyouarebringingupchildren,areretired,careforsomeone,areillorhaveadisability.

Benefitsandservicesforpeopleofworkingage,forexampleJobseeker'sAllowance,aredealtwithbySocialSecurity/JobsandBenefitsofficesaroundNorthernIreland.Theseofficescanhelpyouwith:

• findingwork

• startingyourownbusiness

• managingonalowincome


2. Benefits for non-UK nationals

Benefitsyoumaybeabletogetare:

• PensionCredit

• IncomeSupport

• income-basedJobseeker'sAllowance

• HousingBenefit/RateRelief

• DisabilityLivingAllowance

• AttendanceAllowance/CarersAllowance

3. How do I check if I am Eligible?

EligibilityforthesebenefitswilldependonyourimmigrationstatusandifyouarelookingforemploymentandcanapplyforbenefitsinthesamewayasaUKnational.Tofindoutifyouareregisteredorneedtoregistercheckthewebsite:www.nidirect.gov.uk/money-tax-and-benefits or CitizensAdviceBureau.www.citizensadvice.org.uk


4. Benefits you may be entitled to?

Therearedifferenttypesofnon-UKnationals,thefollowingsectionstellsyouaboutsomeofthegroupsandthebenefitstowhichyoumaybeentitledifyouareinoneofthem.Thisisnotacompletelistandtheremaybesomeexceptionstotheserules.Theserulesalsochangefromtimetotime.

Third country national-(nationalsofanon-EUcountry)withlimitedleaveincludingworkpermitholders,spousesandcivilpartnersduringthe2yearprobationaryperiodyougenerallywon’tbeabletogetanybenefits.

Asylum seeker-whoaredestitute,(i.e.youarehomelessorcan’tbuyfood)financialsupportmaybeprovidedbytheHomeOffice,NICRAS,RAGorBrysonOneStopServiceforAsylumSeekers.(seepage96forfulldetails)

Refugee-orsomeonewhohasbeengrantedHumanitarianProtection/DiscretionaryLeaveyouwillbeabletoapplyforbenefitsinthesamewayasaUKnational.


Person with indefinite leave to enter/ remain-youwillgenerallyhavethesameaccesstobenefitsasUKcitizensunlessaUKSponsorhasagreedtofundyourstayintheUK,whichmeansyouwon’tbeentitledtoanybenefits.

EEA national-exercisingTreatyrights,forexampleaworkerorself-employedpersonyouareeligibletoaccessbenefitsonthesamebasisasUKcitizens,providedyoumeettherelevanteligibilitycriteriaforthosebenefits.Thosewhoareeconomicallyinactive,includingA8andA2nationalsmaynotgenerallybeentitledtoincome-relatedbenefitsunlesstheymeetthe12monthrule.

A8 national-(nationalsofCzechRepublic,Estonia,Hungary,Latvia,Lithuania,Poland,SlovakiaandSlovenia)andareworkingandregisteredontheWorkerRegistrationScheme(WRS),orifyouareselfemployedyouareeligibletoapplyforSocialHousingorHousingBenefit.Following12monthsofcontinuousemploymentasaregisteredworker,youwillgainfullEEAstatusandwillbeeligibleforbenefitsonthesamebasisasexistingEEAnationals–ifyoumeetthe12monthrule.


A2 national-(nationalsofBulgariaandRomania)andarealow-skilledworker,youwillneedtoregisterwiththeWorkerAuthorisationScheme(WAS)unlessyouareontheHighlySkilledMigrantProgrammeorhavebeenadmittedtotheUKwithaworkpermitbefore31stDecember2006.

WhileregisteredwiththeWASyouareeligibletoapplyforSocialHousing,HousingBenefit/RateRelief.Following12monthsofcontinuousemploymentasaregisteredworker,youwillgainfullEEAandwillbeeligibleforbenefitsonthesamebasisasexistingEEAnationals-ifyoumeetthe12monthrule.

Forfurtheradvice-Ifyouareindoubtoverwhichcategoryyoufallintoorifyouneedfurtherinformation contact:

• YourlocalSocialSecurity/JobsandBenefitsofficeortheEmploymentSupportAllowancecentre www.jobcentreonline.com

• theDisabilityandCarersservicefordisabilitybenefits www.jobcentreonline.com


• TheNorthernIrelandHousingExecutiveorLandandPropertyServicesforhelpwithhousingcosts/ratereliefwww.nihe.gov.uk Tel 0344 8920900; www.lpsni.gov.uk Tel 028 90251515

• HerMajestiesRevenueandCustomsforTaxCreditswww.hmrc.gov.uk Tel 0845 3000627

• TheUKBorderAgencytofindoutaboutyourimmigrationstatusoraboutworkingintheUKwww.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk;BelfastPublicEnquiryOfficeTel 0870 6067766

• AsylumSupportCustomerContactCentreonTel: 0845 6021739between9am-5pm,MondaytoFriday,excludingbankholidays

• RefugeeActionGroup–RAG www.refugeeactiongroup.com

• NICommunityforRefugeesandAsylumSeekers-NICRASwww.nicras.org.uk Tel 028 9024 6699

• BrysonOneStopServiceforAsylumSeekersTel: 028 9043 922624houremergencycontactTel: 028 9024 2025

• Multi-CulturalResourceCentre-MCRC www.mcrc-ni.org


5. Illness or disability

Ifyoucannotworkbecauseofanillnessordisabilityvisittheillorinjuredbenefitsinformationpageformoreinformation.IllnessoraccidentscausedbyworkaredealtwithbyIndustrialInjuriesBranch.IndustrialInjuriesBranchoftheDepartmentforSocialDevelopment,9-5Mon-FriTel 028 9033 6000

Pensionersandpeopleplanningfortheirretirement.ThePensionService,whichispartofDepartmentofSocialDevelopment(DSD)providesservicesto:

• Anyoneplanningfortheirretirement

• Peopleapproachingretirement

• Peoplewhohavealreadyretired

• Employers

• Pensionprovidersandadvisers

ThePensionServicelooksafterStatePensionandPensionCredit.www.nidirect.gov.uk/pensions-and-retirement-planning


6. Families and children

SocialSecurity/JobsandBenefitsofficeslookafterbenefitsandservicesforfamilies,includingthose:

• Bringingupchildren,includingchildrenwithspecialneeds

• Managingonalowincome,includinghelpwithhealthcosts

• TheChildMaintenanceandEnforcementDivisionpartofDSDandisresponsibleforrunningthechildmaintenancesystem-itassesses,collectsandpayschildmaintenance.

7. People with disabilities and carers

TheDisabilityandCarersService,whichispartofDSD,isresponsibleforbenefitsandservicesforpeoplewhoaresickorhaveadisability,andtheircarers.(i.e.DisabilityLivingAllowance,AttendanceAllowanceandCarer’sAllowance)


8. Housing Benefit

HousingBenefitisasocialsecuritybenefitpaidbytheHousingExecutive.Ithelpspeopleonalowincomepaytheirrentandrates.YoudonotneedtobeunemployedtogetHousingBenefitortobeaHousingExecutivetenant.Anyonewhohastopayrentorratesfortheirhomecanclaim.Ifthisisthecase,theHousingExecutivewillthencompareyourincomewiththeamountthatthegovernmentsaysyouneedtoliveontodecidehowmuchHousingBenefityoumaybeentitledto.(HousingExecutiveTel: 0344 8920902)www.nihe.gov.uk

TrytheBenefitsAdviserService-Getbenefitadvice,foryou/yourfamilyorforsomeoneelse.Simplyanswerquestionsanonymouslyonlineaboutyoursavings,incomeandoutgoings.www.nidirect.gov.uk/money-tax-and-benefits


Gaining Employment Support

Employment Support Organisations

Askforhelpfromyourlocalemploymentsupportorganisation.

South Belfast and City Centre – GEMS NI, East – Oasis and Stepping Stone, West – Job Assist Centres on the Shankill Road and Springfield Road, North – Ashton Community Trust and North City Training (see page 101).EachorganisationhasMentorsorGuidancePractitionerswhowillbeabletohelpyouwithjobsearch,applicationforms,completingCV’sandinterviewtechnique.

Theseorganisationswillhelpyoupresentandmarketyourselfbothonpaperandthroughouttheinterviewprocess.Inthecurrentemploymentmarketcompetitionforjobshasincreased.


Forexampleemployersandcompaniesarereceivingmoreapplicationsthanbefore,whichmeanstheyhavemoreofachoiceofpotentialemployees.

SouthBelfastandCityCentre–GEMSNILtd www.gemsni.org.uk

GreaterShankill–ImpactTraining www.shankilljac.org.uk

WestBelfast–UpperSpringfieldDevelopmentCoLtd.,WestBelfastJAC's,TopoftheRock,689SpringfieldRoad,BelfastBT127FP.Tel: 028 9032 2003

EastBelfast–OasisCaringinAction www.oasis-ni.org

EastBelfast–SteppingStone,240NewtownardsRoad,BelfastBT41HB.Tel: 028 9073 8989

NorthBelfast–AshtonCommunityTrust www.ashtoncentre.com

NorthBelfast–NorthCityTraining,503CrumlinRd,BelfastBT147GA.Tel: 028 9071 2408


1. What you have to offer?

Startbyaskingyourselfhonestlywhatskillsandexperienceyouhave.Thinkabouttheskillsyouhavedevelopedinthejobsyouhavehadbefore,andinyourlifeoutsideofwork.

a. Employment skills and experience

Ask yourself the following questions to think about skills you have developed, including those built up in jobs you have had before:

• Didyoudevelopanyskillsthatwillbeusefulinthejobyou'relookingfor?

• Didyouworkaspartofateam?

• Didyougainexperienceofsharinginformationwithothers?

• Didyoufolloworgiveinstructionswell?

• Didyougetanyqualifications?

• Didyoureceiveforanypartofyourjob?

• DoyouhaveITskills?

• Areyouagoodtimekeeper?


b. Personal and social skills

Askyourselfthefollowingquestionsaboutlifeoutsidework:

• Doyougetonwellwithpeople?

• Areyouonalocalcommitteeoramemberofacommunityorganisation?

• Areyoupartofateam,(forexample,asportsorquizteam)?

• Doyouhaveskillsfromcaringforyourfamily,(forexample,organisationalskills)?

• Haveyoudoneanyvoluntarywork?

• Haveyoubeentoanyeveningclassesortraining?

2. How to find a job

Employment Support

Job Centre-isabletoprovidealistofcurrentvacanciesandmethodsofapplication.JobCentreisalso available online: www.jobcentreonline.com


Newspapers-Checkyourlocalnewspapersforjobsinyourarea:e.g.BelfastTelegraphonTuesdaysandFridays.TheIrishNewsJobFinderonThursday.

The Internet-Somecompaniesadvertisecurrentvacanciesontheirwebsite.

Useful Websiteswww.hscrecruit.com www.belfastcity.gov.uk/jobswww.belb.org.uk/jobs www.nicsrecruitment.gov.ukwww.jobcentreonline.com www.nijobfinder.co.ukwww.nijobs.com www.recruitni.com

GEMS NI ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENT OF THESE WEBSITES.

Notice boards/ Windows-Advertisements:onwindows,billboards,inshopsandrestaurants.

Word of Mouth-Itisimportanttotalkwithfriends,colleaguesorcommunitymemberstofindoutiftheyknowofjobvacanciesandtorequestthemtoletpotentialemployersknowthatyouarelookingforwork.


Employment Agencies-ManyagenciesarelistedonlineandintheYellowPages.Theycanbefound on www.yell.com.Theseagenciesmustnotchargeyoumoneyforfindingyouajob.Itisbettertoregisterwithafewtoincreaseyourchancesoffindingemployment.

4. The application process

ThiscanvaryfromapplyingbyCV,onlineorpaperbasedapplication.

Application Forms-Attentiontodetail-Readthejobdescriptionoradvertisementcarefully.Thiswillgiveyouagoodideaofwhattheemployerislookingfor;youshouldaimtoreflectthisinyourapplicationformandCV.Checkyouaredoingtherightthing,e.g.doyouhavetocallforanapplicationform,writealetterofapplication,sendanemailordownloadanattachment.Followinstructionsexactly,e.g.useblackink,andwriteinBLOCKCAPITALS,iftoldtodoso.


References-Trytogetawrittenreferencebeforeyouleaveajob,and(or)askyourlinemanagercanyouusethemforareference.

ElectronicApplications-Makesuretheformatstaysthesame.Ensureyouaretypinginthecorrectfield/box.

5. Are my qualifications valid in the UK?

IfyouhaveobtainedqualificationsfromanothercountryandyouwishtofindouthowtheycomparetosimilarqualificationsintheUK,youcandosobycontactingtheNationalAcademicRecognitionInformationCentre.(NARIC)ThisCentrecanissueyouwithadocumentstatingtheequivalentUKqualificationyouhaveobtained.Toreceivethisdocument,youwillneedproofofyourqualificationanditwillneedtoberecognised.Forfurtherdetails,visit.www.naric.org.uk


What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)

ACVisadocumentcommonlyusedintheUKtoquicklyshowyourqualificationsandexperience.Itnormallyisnomorethan2sidesofA4papertoenableanemployertofindoutquicklywhetherapersonissuitableforthejob.YourCVisadraftthatisalwaysbeingupdated.CVscanbechangedtobemorespecifictothejobthatyouareapplyingfor.Howyoupresentyourjobdutiescanbeconstantlytailoredtodirectlylinktothejobyouareapplyingfor.

InterviewPreparation-Itisimportanttomatchyourskills,experienceandintereststothejobyouareapplyingfor.Findoutaboutthepositionyouarebeinginterviewedforandifpossiblecarryoutsomeresearchonthecompany,asitwilldemonstratethatyouareinterestedinthejob,company,andtheinterviewitself.Dresssensiblyandgototheinterviewinclean,well-pressedclothes.Theinterviewershouldbeconcentratingonyouandnotwhatyouarewearing.Contactyouremploymentsupportorganisationtoarrangeapracticeinterview.(seepage101)


Itisextremelyimportanttobehonestaboutyourself,onyourCV,applicationformandinanyinterviewyoumayhave.Ifyougivefalseinformationandthisislaterdiscovered,youmayloseyourjob.

ForfurtherinformationonseekingemploymentlookattheNIDirectwebsite.www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/employment


Chapter 3

integration into belfast community • UnderstandingtheHistoryof‘TheTroubles’

anditsimpactonBelfast• Governanceissuesincludinglocal

government• Howtogetinvolvedinthelocalcommunity


Understanding the History of ‘The Troubles’ and its Impact

on Belfast

1. Why is there a Northern Ireland and a The Republic of Ireland?

Upuntil1922,IrelandandBritainwereasinglepoliticalentity‘TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandIreland’.TheislandofIrelandcontains32administrativecounties.In1922,26ofthesecountiesweregivenindependencefromBritaintobecome‘TheRepublicofIreland’.Theremaining6countiesremainedaspartoftheUnitedKingdom.

ForNationalistsandRepublicans,theissueswereaboutunitingthese6countiesthatremainedpartoftheUnitedKingdom,withtheother26countiesintherestoftheisland.

ForUnionistsandLoyalists,theissueswereaboutretainingthelinkwiththeUnitedKingdom.


2. The Troubles

Theterm‘TheTroubles’isusedtodescribetherecentconflictinNorthernIreland,whichlastedfrom1969untilthesigningoftheGoodFridayAgreementin1998.Over3,500peoplediedasaresultoftheconflict,androughlyhalfofthosewhodiedwerefromBelfast.

Thetroublesfollowedaperiodofrisingtensionsoverissuestodowithcivilrights.Communitytensions,marchesandprotestshadresultedinrivalgroupsclashingwitheachother.Upuntil1972,NorthernIrelandhaditsownparliament,butbecauseoftheincreasingsecurityproblems,thiswassuspended.In1972,NorthernIrelandwasruleddirectlyfromLondonandtheBritishArmywerebroughtintokeeporder.


3. Legacies of The Troubles

TheTroubleshadasignificantimpactacrossNorthernIreland,butparticularlyinBelfast.Asaresultofincreasedviolenceacrossthecommunity,manypeoplefledtheirhomestobeinareaswheretheywouldfeelsafe.Eventoday,mostpublicsector/socialhousingcontainsover90%ofeitherCatholicorProtestantcommunities.Manyoftheseareasremainseparatedbyinterfaceor‘peace’walls.

4. The Peace Process

‘ThePeaceProcess’isthetermusedtodescribetheeffortsofpoliticiansandothersovertheyearstoreachanagreementinrelationtothepoliticalfutureofNorthernIreland.Inthemid1990’s,theviolencedecreasedmarkedlywiththeparamilitaryceasefires.TheresultingtalksbetweenthepoliticalpartiesfromNorthernIrelandandtheBritishandIrishGovernments,chairedbySenatorGeorgeMitchell,resultedintheGoodFridayAgreement.TheAgreementresultedinanewdevolvedparliamentforNorthernIreland,aswellasestablishingpolitical


structuresbetweenNorthernIrelandandtheRepublicofIreland.ACounciloftheIsleswasalsoestablishedtoincludeparliamentarybodiesfromalloftheUKandIreland.

FollowingtheGoodFridayAgreement,responsibilityforseveralareasofgovernmentweretakenoverbylocalpoliticians,suchashealth,education,transportandtheenvironment.Policingwasreformedandparamilitarybodiesdecommissionedtheirweaponsanddisbanded.

5. Equality and Good Relations

AsignificantfocusofthenewNorthernIrelandGovernmentisinthepromotionofequalityandgoodrelations.Allstatutorybodieshaveadutytopromoteequalityandgoodrelationsbetweenpeopleofdifferentreligions,racesandpoliticalopinion.Thisisseenasonekeywayofhealingthedivisionsofthepastandpromotingreconciliationamongstthewidercommunity.


6. Groups

Unionists: thosewithinthecommunitywhovaluetheunionbetweenNorthernIrelandandGreatBritain,whichmakesuptheUnitedKingdom.

Nationalists: thosewithinthecommunitywhowanttoseeaUnitedIreland.

Loyalists: generallythosewithinthecommunitywhopledgeloyaltytotheCrownandtodefendthepositionofNorthernIrelandwithintheUnitedKingdom.

Republicans:generallythosewithinthecommunityseekingtheabolitionofthemonarchyandseekingthecreationofaUnitedIreland.

Paramilitary groups:groupssuchastheIRA,UDA,UVF,INLAandRedHandCommandowhowereinvolvedinarmedconflictduringTheTroubles.


Belfast City Council

BelfastCityCouncilisthelargestofthe26councilsinNorthernIreland.Itisthelocaldemocraticinstitutionforthecitywith51electedcouncillorsrepresentingnineelectoralareas.TheconcillorselectaLordMayorandDeputyLordMayorwhoserveaceremonialfunctionforoneyear.

Theroleofacouncilloristorepresenttheinterestsoftheirconstituentsandelectoralareas.TheyaimtoensurethattheinterestsofthepeopleofBelfastarereflectedincouncildecisionsandinthewayservicesaredelivered.

ThecouncilisresponsibleforprovidinganddeliveringanextensicerangeofserviceswhichplayakeyroleinimprovingthequalityoflifeofourcitizensbyhelpingtomakeBelfastabetterplacetolivein,workin,investinandvisit.

For more information Tel 028 9032 0202 or go to www.belfastcity.gov.uk


Governance issues including local government

1. The Northern Ireland Assembly

WasestablishedasaresultoftheBelfastAgreementon10thApril1998.TheAgreementwastheoutcomeofalongprocessoftalksbetweentheNorthernIrelandpoliticalpartiesandtheBritishandIrishGovernments.TheAgreementwasendorsedthroughareferendumheldon22ndMay1998andsubsequentlygivenlegalforcethroughtheNorthernIrelandAct1998.Itledtothecreationofaseriesofinterrelatedbodies,inparticulartheNorthernIrelandAssembly,whichhasfulllegislativeandexecutiveauthorityforallmattersthataretheresponsibilityoftheNorthernIrelandGovernmentDepartmentsandareknownastransferredmatters.ExceptedmattersremaintheresponsibilityoftheWestminsterParliament.ReservedmattersarealsodealtwithbyWestminsterunlessitisdecidedbytheSecretaryofStatethatsomeoftheseshouldbedevolvedtotheAssembly.


2. The Work of the Northern Ireland Assembly

TheNorthernIrelandAssemblyisthedevolvedlegislatureforNorthernIreland.ItisresponsibleformakinglawsontransferredmattersinNorthernIrelandandforscrutinisingtheworkofMinistersandGovernmentDepartments.TheAssemblysitsatParliamentBuildingsandStormontEstateandinBelfast.Members(MLAs)meettodebateissues;questionMinisters;andmakelawsforthebenefitofpeopleinNorthernIreland.EachMLArepresentsherorhisconstituency,andthereare6MLAsforeachconstituency.

3. How The Northern Ireland Assembly Operates

TheNorthernIrelandAssemblyconsistsof108electedMembers-sixfromeachofthe18Westminsterconstituencies.ItsroleisprimarilytoscrutiniseandmakedecisionsontheissuesdealtwithbyGovernmentDepartmentsandtoconsiderandmakelegislation.


AFirstMinisterandaDeputyFirstMinisterareelectedtoleadtheExecutiveCommitteeofMinisters.Theymuststandforelectionjointlyandtobeelectedtheymusthavecross-communitysupportbytheparallelconsentformula,whichmeansthatamajorityofboththeMemberswhohavedesignatedthemselvesNationalistsandthosewhohavedesignatedthemselvesUnionistsandamajorityofthewholeAssembly,mustvoteinfavour.TheFirstMinisterandDeputyFirstMinisterheadtheExecutiveCommitteeofMinistersandactingjointly,determinethetotalnumberofMinistersintheExecutive.

ThepartieselectedtotheAssemblychooseMinisterialportfoliosandselectMinistersinproportiontotheirpartystrength.Eachpartyhasadesignatednominatingofficerandthed’HondtprocedureisusedfortheappointmentofMinisters.

StatutoryDepartmentalCommitteesarealsoestablishedtoadviseandassisteachMinisterintheformulationofpolicyforhis/herDepartmentandtoscrutinisetheworkofthatDepartment.CommitteeChairpersonsandDeputyChairpersonsareelectedusingthed’Hondtprocedure.Thereisalsoa


numberStandingandAdHocCommittees.www.niassembly.gov.uk

4. First Minister and Deputy First Minister (2009)

TheOfficeoftheFirstMinisteranddeputyFirstMinister(OFMDFM)isafullyfunctioningdepartmentoftheNorthernIrelandadministrationwithawiderangeofresponsibilities.The strategic objectives of the department include:

• supportingMinistersandtheinstitutionsofgovernment

• buildingaprogrammeforgovernmentandmodernisinggovernmentprogramme

• promotingbettercommunityrelations,acultureofequalityandrights

• andtargetingsocialneedandpromotingsocialinclusion

ThetwoJuniorMinisterswillassistthemincarryingouttheworkoftheirdepartment.TheywillbejointlyaccountabletotheFirstMinisteranddeputyFirstMinister.


How to get involved in the local community

Community

1. Define Community

noun(pl.communities)1agroupofpeoplelivingtogetherinoneplace. 2 (the community)thepeopleofanareaorcountryconsideredcollectively;society. 3agroupofpeoplewithacommonreligion,race,orprofession:the scientific community. 4theholdingofcertainattitudesandinterestsincommon. 5agroupofinterdependentplantsoranimalsgrowingorlivingtogetheroroccupyingaspecifiedhabitat. ORIGINOldFrenchcomunete,fromLatincommunis‘common’.


2. How do I become involved in a community?

Beingpartofacommunityisanimportantpartofmanypeople’slives.Whenyouarrivefromanothercountryitcanbeverydifficulttofeelpartofacommunity.

Community Groups-ManycommunitygroupsinBelfasthaveformedtheirvisionofhowtheywouldliketoseetheircommunitiesandaremakingthingshappen.Theyprovideawiderangeofactivitiesandeventsopentoeveryonelivingintheirarea.Tofindyourlocalcommunitygroupfollowthelinksbelow:

www.communityrelations.org.uk/services/community-relations-groups

www.communityni.org/orgs/listing?keys=Belfast

Inaddition,yourlocallibrarieswillhaveinformationaboutcommunitygroupsandlocalactivities.Faithorganisationsorplacesofworshipwillalsohaveinformationaboutcommunitygroupsandlocalactivities.


Minority Ethnic Groups in Belfast-WhilenotascosmopolitanasmanylargeUKcities,asaregionalcapitalandheadquartersformanyregionaland international organisations and businesses, BelfasthasattractedahigherproportionofresidentethnicminoritygroupsthanotherlocalauthoritiesinNI.Thereareawiderangeofcountryandlanguagespecificorganisationsthatprovidea range of information, advice and cultural and socialevents.www.belfastcity.gov.uk/migrants/MigrantsSupport

Community Centres-InBelfastthereareawiderangeofcommunityorganisationsandBelfastcitycouncilhas23communitycentresacrossBelfast.Activitiesatcentresincludeplaygroups,homeworkclubs,after-schoolgroups,keep-fitsessions,parentandtoddlerclubs,dramaorganisationsandyoungpeople'sgroups.www.belfastcity.gov.uk/communitycentres/index

Furtherinformationaboutwhateventsoractivitiesarehappeninginyourlocalcommunityareusuallyadvertisedinyourlocallibrary.

www.librariesni.org.uk/libraries/copyof-libraries


ThereareawiderangeofNationalAssociationsandyoucanfindthesethroughthefollowingwebsites:

www.community- relations.org.uk/services/community-relations-groups

www.communityni.org/orgs/listing?keys=Belfast

www.belfastcity.gov.uk/migrants/docs/SupportServicesMigrantWorkers.doc

www.nicem.org.uk

Belfast Friendship Club-'asocialpegtohangaconversationon'.SinceitslaunchinApril2009,theBelfastFriendshipClubhasattractedmorethan200peoplefrom35+differentnationalitieswithinwhicharegularmembershipisdeveloping.Itattractspeoplefrommanydifferentwalksoflifeandawiderangeofagesarerepresented.Italsoattractsthosewhohavelivedhereformanyyearsandmaybeindigenous.

Thosewhoattend,whetheroccasionallyorregularly,benefitinnumerouswaysfromtheconnectionsmadepossiblebyitsexistence.Asadirectresult,conversations are often conducted in different languagesaroundthetables,rangingacross


fascinatingtopicsandalsoprovidinganexcellentopportunitytopracticeconversationallanguageskills!Othereventsandactivitiesarealsoorganisedfromtimetotime.

Whetheryouarenewtothecityorhavelivedhereallyourlife,whynotcomealongandmeetsomebodydifferent?AllwelcomefromacrossBelfast.

7-9pm every Thursday at Common Grounds Cafe, 12-24 University Street, Belfast. BT7 1GY

Places of Worship and Faith Organisations-ThereareawiderangeofPlacesofWorshipandFaithOrganisationsinBelfastforfurtherdetailspleasecontact:

TheIrishCouncilofChurches48ElmwoodAvenue,BelfastBT96AZ. Tel: 028 9066 3145 www.irishchurches.org/about/icc

TheNorthernIrelandInter-FaithForum 41aRosemaryStreet,BelfastBT11QBwww.niinterfaithforum.org


Volunteering

Define Volunteer?

Volunteeringandvolunteersreferstoindividualsandtheworkoractiontheyundertakeforthebenefitofothersorthecommunity(outsideone’simmediatefamily),undertakenfreelyandbychoiceandnotdirectlyinreturnforwages.(sourceVolunteerNow) Volunteer Now. www.volunteernow.co.uk

How do I volunteer?

You can volunteer in a wide range of organisations inarangeofways.ContacttheorganisationyouareinterestedinworkingwithortheVolunteerServiceBoard(VSB).www.vsb.org.uk


Otherorganisationsthatcanfacilitatevolunteersinclude:

• TheWelcomeOrganisationHomelessness andSupportService.Tel: 028 9024 0424 www.homelessbelfast.org

• ChineseWelfareAssociation(CWA) www.cwa-ni.org

• Corrymeelawww.corrymeela.org

• EMBRACEwww.embraceni.org

• MCRCwww.mcrc-ni.org

• NICRASwww.nicras.org.uk

• RefugeeActionGroup(RAG) www.refugeeactiongroup.com

• SimonCommunity www.simoncommunity.org

Thisisnotacompletelistbutarepresentativesampleofthetypesoforganisationswithvolunteeringopportunities.


What are the benefits of volunteering?

Volunteeringcanenableyouto:-

• Learnnewskills

• Boostcareeroptions

• ImproveyourCV

• Meetnewpeople

• Buildselfconfidence

• ImproveEnglishLanguageskills

Living In belfast - Allstate.com

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