Eastwards Trust, part of Genesis Housing Association Migrant Workers Case Study

Eastwards Trust was set up as a charity in 1990 to support the Asian Community, primarily in Newham. They currently deliver housing related support and personal care, as well as community activities to over 400 Newham residents, the majority of whom are first generation immigrants who left Asia and made their home in the UK many years ago and who are now becoming elderly.  There is a high need for language and culturally appropriate support and care services across Newham, which is home to a vibrant and diverse community.

“I have benefited from the lessons and improved my writing, reading and talking skills. I am now able to write better care notes, communicate better and I also enjoyed the lessons.”

What the company did to support migrant workers:

Rather than exclude talent and potential from the recruitment process by rejecting applicants for their shaky grasp of English alone,  Eastwards Trust started to support migrant workers applying for care assistant posts with regular ESOL courses designed to support systematic progress with both spoken and written English. The benefits were immediately obvious as the job opportunities present a practical chance for migrant workers to not only develop their skills and knowledge of the UK adult social care sector, but also an opportunity to develop their English language in a practical context that supports their ability to work in the sector. Classes are focused on the occupational language they need to use day to day, which is a huge advantage for them potentially in the job market in the future. More importantly, ensuring that this language support is in place greatly reduces the management input otherwise required to support staff who have to deliver complex care tasks and keep clear records around care plans.

The ESOL programmes are delivered in partnership with London based charity ELATT, who specialise in delivering training and support to disadvantaged adults in East London. The partnership has worked extremely well for both organisations as Eastwards Trust enjoys the benefit of not having to fund the courses and ELATT can access a group of adults they are keen to target for their training, with free training rooms available in Eastwards Trusts schemes to minimise their costs.

The business impact:

• The ESOL training makes it more feasible for  Eastwards Trusts to recruit, train and support migrant workers with poor English skills but who otherwise have the right kinds of skills they need. This increases their chances of ensuring that they attract staff who can deliver personalised, high quality care and support to customers who would otherwise need translation services.
• Eastwards Trusts aim to deliver services in as wide a range of languages as possible. In one Eastwards Trust scheme alone, around 24 different languages are spoken across a resident community of around 140 elders. In order to meet this challenge they need to be able to find enough good quality Asian language speaking carers and the tailored ESOL programme helps them to cast a wider net to find suitable applicants.
• The focus on developing occupational language skills is the most practical kind of language training they could provide for staff who do not have English as their first language. It helps staff to work to their strengths, builds confidence progressively as staff familiarise with the sector, jargon and language which enables them to access a broader range of career opportunities in the future.
• There is generally greater confidence in Eastwards Trusts services as the quality or the communications between their staff, customers and partners has improved.