Our commitment
In 2024, we engaged with the following groups, to produce a set of recommendations for all organisations working with people seeking sanctuary:
- People with lived experience
- Local authorities and services
- VCSE organisations
- Elected Members
Recommendations:
Access to services
- Use qualified interpreters
- Provide translated and accessible information
- Offer in-person and digital support
Feeling welcome
- Use compassionate, humanising language
- Celebrate contributions of people seeking sanctuary
- Facilitate peer support
Ways of working
- Be transparent and accountable
- Share knowledge and collaborate
- Embed inclusive practices
Strategy:
We developed a new strategy which sets out the context, engagement, research and recommendations surrounding our work as a Local Authority of Sanctuary.
Read our City of Sanctuary strategy
The strategy complements existing citywide plans, including:
- Our Manchester Strategy 2025–2035
- Building Stronger Communities Together Strategy
- Making Manchester Fairer Strategy
- Anti-poverty Strategy
- Manchester Inclusion Strategy
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA):
The strategy is supported by a multi-agency Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), which provides a summary of the currently available evidence and data regarding the health and care needs of people seeking sanctuary in Manchester.
The JSNA highlights:
- Mental health support needs
- Housing access regardless of immigration status
- Barriers to healthcare and education
- The importance of trauma-informed services
Action plan:
Manchester City Council and partners have co-produced a three-year action plan (2025-2028).
Key focus areas:
- Access to services: Ensure inclusive, all-age, all-purpose services
- Feeling welcome: Promote belonging and respect
- Empowering lived experience: Especially children and young people
- Improving practice: Data use, policy influence, trauma-informed training
- Joined-up working: Share best practice across sectors
Quarterly monitoring updates are presented to Manchester Local Authority of Sanctuary Steering Group.