Identification of stakeholders that made an identification of the practice: Caritas Diocesan of Madrid

Contact

Caritas Diocesan of Madrid (Cáritas Madrid); victor.rodriguez@caritasmadrid.org

Proyect: Cáritas Madrid takes advantage of its general assistance network for providing support to the migrant population. The practice of Cáritas Madrid relies on the perspective of integration in the areas of housing, employment, etc., although when needed, it provides support regarding specific migrant regulations. However, the assistance focuses on the vulnerability context rather than the migrant condition.

For the purpose of this questionnaire we would say that we provide accommodation in shared houses to migrants at risk of residential exclusion. Cáritas Madrid Diocesan service of housing.

Target group, beneficiaries

Migrants at risk of residential exclusion that applies for help to Cáritas Madrid.

Main necessities and vulnerabilities

In many cases: Irregular administrative situation, unemployment, residential exclusion, the families find difficulties to provide an adequate environment for children.

Application Context

It is not an isolated project. It is part of the Cáritas Madrid general assistance for providing support to the migrant population, which is summarized at the end of this document.

Goals

Encourage family recovery and autonomy (self development) through temporary accommodation as part of the integration and stabilizing process. Specific objective:

• To prevent and/or palliate situations of great risk exclusion through temporary residential accommodation with professional accompaniment.
• To promote families support actions that preserve them from social exclusion and facilitate personal and family development.

Duration

The time needed for each family.

Accessibility Requirements / Issues

The sheltered apartment is aimed at families who are homeless or will be evicted and have enough autonomy. This autonomy will be assessed at a previous emergency residential accommodation.

Performance procedures, ways of carrying it out

Our assistance to families is designed through psychosocial support plans and complementary services agreed with families, adapted to the expectations of people and families in situations of vulnerability / exclusion.

It is about preventing situations of greater residential exclusion (avoiding the downward spiral), detecting complex situations early (health problems, relational, feelings of failures, etc.), counting on the contributions of all the agents involved and acting in a way planned and coordinated.

It is used the Action Model specific methodology of Caritas Diocesan of Madrid. It includes the analysis, diagnosis and evaluation of the 10 vital areas of each person/family, with minors in charge.

A Family/Personal Intervention Plan (PIF / PIP) is designed. It includes the planning of objectives and actions agreed with the adults of the family and it defines the degree of intensity of the accompaniment (high, medium or low). All the information is hosted in the Accompaniment Database (BDA) of Caritas Diocesan of Madrid.

This methodology puts the person at the centre of our intervention and it is adapted to the different possibilities of access, depending on: the capacity, the social situation and vital process, and regardless the location where it is carried out. The first temporary accommodation is used as an instrument to initiate processes of change and improvement of the situation of the families being assisted.

Performance

The assistance to families is organized according to a quality management system following ISO 9001: 2015, that establishes the following service processes:

• Entry and Reception Process: The objective of this process is to facilitate the adaptation of families to the accommodation.
• Initial Evaluation Process: A first evaluation of the family situation will be carried out, preparing the proposal of the intervention plan.
• Intervention process: The objective of this process will be the development of the actions agreed within the intervention plan.
• Exit Process: The objective of this process is that the departure from the accommodation was carried out in the best possible way for the family, according to the needs of each case.

Organization and operation

It will ensure the basic coverage of accommodation and food support, as well as adequate coexistence and involvement in the search for solutions to the family situation, trough:

1. Maintenance and care of the facilities and furniture in order to ensure that they are in good conditions.
2. Personal and group accompaniment.

Residents will actively participate in the organization of their own coexistence, establishing by mutual agreement the rules of internal operation and the circumstances of the daily life, always in accordance with the rights and duties of the users of a protected apartment.

For the proper functioning of the protected accommodation, different coordination mechanisms will be established with those services involved. Likewise, the incorporation of volunteers will be sought.

Evaluation procedure and periodicity.

The evaluation and control of technical and material resources includes:

• Annual evaluation of user satisfaction.
• Monthly monitoring system of indicators by processes.
• Annual evaluation.
• Supplier evaluation procedure.
• Annual internal audit
• Annual review by the Management.
• Continuous evaluation through team meetings and assemblies with residents.

Results obtained

Assistance to 16 homeless families annually

Comments

Continuity project focused on the assistance to migrants, asylum seekers or people with international protection (newly arrived or who have exhausted public resources). It is a program of integral reception that provides support for the integration. It includes various actions: information and guidance, legal advice, coordination with other NGOs, support for the coverage of basic needs (food, accommodation, health expenses, etc.). It is estimated that at least 350 people will receive assistance.

According to the Region of Madrid Statistical Yearbook, there were 826,456 foreign persons registered in the Region of Madrid in 2018. The Madrid City Council statistical data regarding the Register of Inhabitants, (January 2019 version) make reference to 460,623 foreigners (the districts with the largest number of foreigners are Carabanchel and Puente de Vallecas). Of these, 323,509 are from different continents than the European.

According to the data of the last FOESSA report promoted by Cáritas, 16.2% of the population is in a situation of social exclusion in the Region of Madrid, but the incidence is higher in certain groups, especially migrants. Households that have a higher exclusion rate are those supported by people between 45-54 years (with a prevalence of social exclusion of 20.3%), women (19%), people who lack full studies (21.5 %), or nationality from non-EU country (32.6%). The specific report of the Region of Madrid will be presented in September and will be accessible on the following website: https://www.foessa.es.

Cáritas Madrid has provided assistance to 75,366 people during the first half of 2019. 53% are foreigners. The number of asylum seekers among the applicants has increased. According to our analysis, the biggest increase as occurred in the Vicary IV area of Cáritas Madrid (Districts of Puente de Vallecas, Villa de Vallecas and Retiro). 111 foreign families were assisted for the first time between January and June 2019; 81 of the 111 families were asylum seekers, 72 had been in Spain for less than 3 months, 81 lacked employments, 36 were in a situation of residential exclusion and 26 lacked of the minimum necessary economic resources to cover their basic needs.

According to the CEAR Report regarding the year 2018, Spain registered a new record with 54,065 asylum seekers admitted to process. 20,704 of the 54,065 application were registered in Madrid. During 2018 and 2019, Cáritas has assisted many people who want to apply for asylum but who have not been treated within the legally established deadlines, leaving them in situations of social emergency and residential exclusion. It should be noted that during the last months, the assistance to migrant families with minors who were in a street situation and has increased significantly in number. These families have been derived to Cáritas Madrid, from public and private organizations that couldn’t take care of their assistance, as all resources are overwhelmed.

These people are affected by all kinds of situations: lack of employment, accommodation, education, access to health programs, documentation and lack of financial income. In many cases their available resources are not enough to cover their basic needs.

This project is aimed at the design of itineraries for the integration of migrants, whether families or individuals. It also considers the coverage of basic needs in certain emergency situations without response.

We prioritize the assistance to those families and individuals who, after going through the first assistance response (Refugee Shelter Centres) have exhausted their time of stay and attention, and require accompaniment processes that facilitate autonomy and integration in our country.

Resources at the service of the project:

1. The first assistance network of Caritas (Reception, information, orientation)
2. Coverage of basic needs through financial aid for the following concepts (food, hygiene, temporary accommodation, medicines, administrative procedures, transportation and other basic needs)

General Objective

To facilitate the integral reception, information, guidance, advice, coverage of basic needs, and accommodation for migrants (individual or families) who arrive at our services, so that they can achieve the highest level of personal autonomy and integration into society.

Specific Objectives

1. Offer first reception, information, guidance to any migrant who arrives at our services in a situation of vulnerability or social exclusion.
2. Integrally welcome migrants (women, children and families) covering their basic needs (accommodation, food, hygiene, and health, training).
3. Offer training activities and Spanish courses that favour the social insertion of migrants.
4. Coordinate interventions with other NGOs.

Reception, attention to emergency situations, information and guidance: Its main objective is the Information and Reception of migrants who come to Caritas, generally for the first time, in search of support and guidance related to social problems. The referral to public and private social resources is also carried out. In situations of social emergency (lack of resources or accommodation), financial assistance is provided to cover basic needs and temporary accommodation in apartments or pensions.

Integral Accompaniment: Once the person has passed through the Caritas first-care teams, and a problematic situation that requires a more long-term intervention is detected; If the family agrees to initiate an intervention process, we would begin the integral intervention with them.

Phases of the integral intervention: Once the family accepts, a phase of Study/Assessment of its situation begins. This Study/Assessment involves a series of interviews with the family, carried out by a Reference Professional (PR) and the volunteer team that supports both the individual and the family intervention. This phase concludes with the preparation of the Accompaniment Plan, which establishes the objectives to be developed in each area of analysis and competences: Economic / Employment / Accommodation / Training / Health / Legal / Minors / Social relations / Personal Development / Leisure.

After this assessment, an Accompaniment Plan with definition of activities and duration periods is agreed with the person / family. Periodically it will be evaluated, being able to modify the Plan if necessary:

Referral to psychological care to families and people (without access to psychological care in public resources) already involved in an intervention process, and who need to work in the area of personal development, as well as their skills and abilities necessary to facilitate integration processes.

Referral to Workshops/Employment training service. Caritas has a specific Employment Guidance and Information Service in order to increase employability and provide resources to the people received, making available training in specific skills.

Spanish courses to favour the integration of migrants.

Provide temporary accommodation in shared flats.

For those families / people who, in order to participate in the integral intervention, it is necessary that they have an accommodation, there are at least 16 accommodation places in shared apartments.

The people assisted on shared flats participate in an individualized accompaniment plan.

Training of volunteers (workshop, intervention, accompaniment), Caritas Madrid through the Centre for Social Studies offers adequate training to the current needs of volunteers and professionals in the social field. Courses are offered to train the social agents involved in our services and projects, having structured training activities in itineraries (children, adults, youth, migrants).

Coordination is carried out with Social Services and other NGOs specialized in the attention of migrants.

Evaluation and control of technical and material resources

The project has the following technical and material resources:

• Reference space for reception and assistance (office), with facilities, furniture, computer equipment, and office supplies appropriate to the activity provided.
• Rooms for training activities with furniture and equipment appropriate to the activity (blackboard, video, laptop, cannon …)
• Accommodation and furnished adapted to the needs of use.
• Workshop material and didactic material (crafts, cooking, cultural visits).
• Digital Literacy Manual.
• Manual for the Development of Socio-labor Skills. / • Online Job Search Manual. Beneficiaries and Accompaniment database and entry registration records under the criteria of the Data Protection Law, annual programming, quarterly monitoring and final report. Documental management includes:
  • Individual and family file.
  • Social Report / • Social History / • Labour History. /
  • Annual programming / Quarterly monitoring / • Final report. / Complaint forms

The project management plan includes the monitoring of the project plan and a continuous evaluation to ensure the correct execution. The technical monitoring plan includes:

• Annual planning of objectives. It takes place in the month of October of the previous year.
• Monitoring of objectives, actions and indicators. It is done through a computer programming and monitoring tool.
• Intermediate evaluation of the project. It is carried out in July by those responsible for the vicaries where the project is carried out.
• Final evaluation of the Project. It will take place during the last two weeks of December 2020. It includes: a comparison with the results of the previous year; data in relation to the characteristics of the people assisted, their profile, demands and needs. It will be carried out by those responsible for the vicaries where the project is carried out, with supervision from the Department of Social Transformation and Social Innovation.
• Accompaniment database record files.
• Volunteer database.
• Satisfaction evaluation from people that has been assisted.
• Annual performance evaluation of the professionals assigned to the program, which is carried out in accordance with the procedure implemented by Cáritas Madrid for all their projects. It will be carried out by those responsible for the vicaries where the project is carried out, with supervision by the Department of Human Resources Management, during the second half of December 2020.

Control of material resources includes:

• Monitoring the budget previously registered through the Navision program. External economic audit.
• Monitoring the indicators previously planned for the project evaluation.
• Caritas Madrid is present in emergency situations and integration through:
• Hospitality Panel: The response to emergency situations is given through this panel. It has been awarded by the Social Samur for its work during the most difficult moments of the last months
• Coordination with public administrations for the analysis of situations and the implementation of complementary actions to the public responses. As part as this coordination, following a request from the Regional government of Madrid, Cáritas Madrid set up two floors in a residence for unaccompanied foreign minors, showing the capacity to respond to problems and meet demands.
• Coordination with other institutions regarding the intervention we carry out with people.