Empowering Windrush Community through Advocacy and Support Fund

Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund (WCASF) Design & Development of WCASF. Version: Final Authors: WCASF Design and Live Running Team 1

Stakeholder Feedback We have spoken to 30 stakeholders from 20 organisations around the country and of varying sizes, all serving different aspects of the Windrush community, including South Asian and African communities. Alongside these sessions, we have run three roundtable meetings with a broader group of stakeholders including groups who have previously applied for and received CEF funding. This feedback has been invaluable and has helped us to shape the design of the Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund (WCASF). The key themes were: 1. Some claimants require support with wider aspects of their lives, which forms part of the claimant telling their story as part of completing a Windrush Compensation claim form. The Advocates must be trusted members of the Windrush Community, and Culturally Competent. 2. 3. Advocates will need upskilling or training, to ensure consistency of approach and clarity over role expectations. Grass roots organisations may have the community trust required, but not the infrastructure or resources required. The ways in which Advocates can empower claimants to tell their story and set this out clearly and fully into a WCS application form. 4. 5. 2

WCASF Key Principes On the key themes, we listened, and they have helped shape the fund by: 1. The role of an advocate will be to support the claimant to obtain and gather supporting information to enable them to tell their story on the claim form. Support will also include sign-posting and referrals. 2. The eligibility criteria for Year 1, to enable swift mobilisation, will be for established Windrush Compensation Advocates with established trust and community links that are culturally competent, so that advocates can begin supporting people as quickly as possible. We will widen eligibility in Years 2 and 3. 3. We will provide limited training. This is because the key role of the advocate is to reach people who currently have not applied and support them to submit a viable and eligible claim. 4. We have factored this into the eligibility criteria, whilst in Year 1 newly formed/established organisations who have not delivered Windrush Compensation Advocacy support before, can spend the first-year building networks, community links and putting in place the required infrastructure. 5. We have designed the fund to ensure that the fund is largely spent on supporting people Key design features Introduction of a Warm Handover which is a three - way conversation between Advocate, Claimant and WCS Caseworker; Two Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for Year 1 80% Viable and 95% Eligibility Applications; Monthly Check In and M.I return along with claimant satisfaction survey to inform Years 2 and 3 KPI; This is a free service for claimants. Claimants supported by advocates will not be charged. This is not legal support; advocates are not acting in a legal capacity in any way. 3

How the fund will work Advocate Role Advocates will: Reach eligible people who have not felt comfortable in submitting a claim to date. Understand claimants culture and background and will support them to articulate their story, with the aim of submitting a viable and eligible application. Provide support that includes practical help with information and evidence gathering. Establish a positive relationship, ensuring claimants feel safe, supported, and able to provide their account in an environment where they are comfortable and at ease. Signpost claimants (where appropriate) to external organisations for additional assistance, for example where health or wellbeing is a concern. Support claimants up to and including the Warm Handover, with up to five hours support post Warm Handover, if requested by the Claimant. Participate in the Warm Handover providing the Caseworker with valuable context to information obtained, support given and information unable to obtain/requested etc. 4

High Level WCASF Overview Stage Pre-Submission Submission Post-Submission Who Advocate WCS Caseworker Claimant Advocate WCS Staff Claimant Advocate Trusted What Culturally Competent Sign Posts Supports Evidence gathering Claimant may request up to 5 hours additional support Arrange and conduct Warm Handover 5

Timeline including next steps. Timeline Activity Objective Timeline 4 Weeks Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund Competition Window Open Bidding window opens for 4 weeks, to enable potential bidders to ask questions / clarifications and submit their bids where appropriate Six Weeks Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund Competition Closes Assess bids submitted and once completed, for successful bidders, complete due diligence checks . One Day Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund Notify successful bidders Notify both successful and unsuccessful bidders and begin mobilisation including signing grant agreements. This timeline is subject to change as it is dependent on the volume of applications received. 6