Creative & Innovative Social Work Practice

This unique partnership between a social work team and a local library has well and truly brought social work practice back into the community, supporting vulnerable and marginalised groups to access a wide range of services and adjust to life in the UK.

The People from Abroad team was set up in October 2016 to respond to the needs of migrants and Syrian refugees. The five team members took a creative approach to this new challenge, deciding to base themselves in the Millennium Library in Norfolk, which provides a non-threatening environment for clients and means staff can draw on other volunteer-based services, such as arts and craft, reading, and English exchange groups.

Just over a year after their formation, the team welcomed the first five Syrian families to the city. The links with the library have meant each child could be provided with a special bilingual book bag, and the team were also overwhelmed with donations to furnish accommodation for the families, dropped off at the 47 library branches in the county.

Despite being a new service, the team have already demonstrated how vital their work is in helping this client group to feel safe and settled in their new surroundings.