This year was my first year at the Kurdish Community Centre (the centre) as its Coordinator. The management team, consisting of myself and two Project Managers, was reorganised to better suit the workload and ultimately ensure an improved delivery of services, by reinforcing individual responsibility for certain tasks and encouraging accountability at weekly review meetings.

Despite heavy workloads, the team’s collaborative efforts in coordinating work have paid off in the continued delivery of projects run at the centre.

The management team has continuously worked on researching into and implementing new projects, like the Supplementary School project and young people’s heritage projects, the proposals of which will soon be finalised.
Periodic reporting to various funding bodies, though challenging as different funders have different requirements, has been done on a timely basis through hard work and team effort.

The computerisation of the Centre’s financial records has brought about greater accuracy, transparency and speed in the production of financial statements at any time during the year as well as enabling the centre to prepare more accurate project budgets and to improve the monitoring of funds and projects in compliance with funding requirements. The advice service at the centre was reorganised to ensure a better service to our service users. Client files have been regularly reviewed, ensuring enhanced record keeping. In addition, individual clients who sought direct help from the management
team received continued support.

In the light of the Centre’s aspiration to gain greater heights and attain accreditation by one of its main funders, Haringey Council Supporting People, more effort was put into existing work. A successful review of the particular service provided
was carried out by the funding body. Throughout this process the management team worked hard to update all existing policies and procedures as well as putting the new ones needed in place in accordance with laws and regulations. Indeed, regular staff training has since been carried out to ensure continuing development and awareness.

The management team has also continued to effectively organise, and sometimes deliver staff training. External training on health and safety awareness with risk assessment, fire marshal with risk assessment and other relevant areas such as
advice, child protection and fundraising, just to mention a few, were delivered. Ties with funding bodies, other organisations and supporters of the centre were formed and strengthened respectively. This was aided by networking meetings,
constant communication, events and a social gathering that was held in February 2006.

All in all, my express and heartfelt gratitude goes to the Management Committee, the teaching staff, office staff, advice workers, voluntary staff and all of those whom have supported us throughout the year.

KCC Co-ordinator and Project Managers.

Advice and Advocacy

As a centre dedicated to help and assist those members of the community whom are in most need the KCC seeks to provide assistance on a wide range of issues including advice on welfare benefit enquiries, immigration, disputes, to housing issues. Interpreting over the phone, translation of letters and documents, aiding in form filling and letter writing are just
some examples of the services provided. The centre achieves this goal in collaboration with its dedicated and experienced team of staff, some of whom have been providing assistance
for the community for over fifteen years.

If the problem is more complicated, the centre offers its users an appointment service, where appropriate time slots are allocated to the users according to the problem needing
attention. At these appointments our advisers discuss the problem with the users at length and review any paperwork they have brought.

The adviser will answer any questions that may need an explanation. If necessary, the user may return to the same adviser for further help as matters progress. Indeed, over this service year this has increased flexibility, ensuring continuity in the drop-in system throughout the week and a wider choice of days for clients to book appointments. To help both our users and us we open a case folder for each of our users,
making it easy to review our advice, progress and to keep an organised important information for the user.

‘..The KCC has always been a helping
hand to the Kurdish Community...’ .Murat Ozan (User)..’Excellent service for over ten years‘… Hatice Tasan (user)

Over and above the assistance provided within the centre our staff also provide assistance to its members outside too. For instance, by arranging home visits or attending social security
departments, housing services, doctors appointments and many more.
Similarly the centre has a dedicated ‘women worker’, whose primary concern is to assist and provide information to vulnerable women on a wide range of social and domestic
issues.

The advice and advocacy service is operated by the centre with the help of its two primary funding bodies; namely, the Association of London Government (ALG) and Supporting
People (SP).

Over the past year the centre has provided advice and assistance to over 2147 members of the community. 43% of the centers users were male and 35% were female. 18% of the total users were people with a disability (both physical and mental). The centre had to refer 4% of its users to other organisations.

Referrals to other organisations are made when for instance the particular problem in question requires resources beyond that of thecenters. Referrals could be made to (but
are not limited to) solicitors firms, accountants, psychiatrists, the citizens advice bureau, housing associations, the home office and or gender specific organisations such as women’s shelter groups etc. The centre has developed a rooted network with such organisations over the many years of its existence and this year has seen this network widen even further. Furthermore, as indicated on the table below, the KCC is not only limited to serving for the needs of its users from the community within the London Borough of Harringey but also caters for users from a variety of boroughs and even reaches beyond the borders of London.