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As the Director
I am both pleased and proud of the successes of officers, partners
and members as they have contributed to another year of meeting
targets. I did receive concerns from people who felt that perhaps
we were being over ambitious for 1999/2000. This was perhaps justified
as at that time we were a singleton REC. The faith we have in the
CRE, our local government partners and MPs led me to believe that
we would be given the resources to meet the targets.
The faith
was justified when CRE provided us with a Race Equality Officer
[REO] in September 1999. Breckland, Broadland, Great Yarmouth,
Kings Lynn & West Norfolk, North Norfolk and South Norfolk district
/ borough Councils maintained their support. The post of Community
Race Development Officer [CRDO] was established and surgeries
throughout Norfolk sprang into action. This quadrupled our work
load while developing services to support our local communities
and all our local authorities.
Norfolk County
Council improved our premises in the City of Norwich, to provide
a more effect working environment and our rural surgeries are operating
from various outlets. The CRDO is currently up dating our information
leaflet on dates and locations of outreach surgeries. I would like
to highlight some of the initiatives we can look forward to next
year based on the work put in this year revealing and informative
research into ethnic minorities in West Norfolk; the set up of an
Interpretation, Translation & Transcription Service; additional
protocols and guidance related to asylum seekers & refugees; an
immigration advisory service; health action project; regional representation
and action project for the Black Minority Ethnic Voluntary Sector;
active participation on the CRE regional forum to review the CRE
/ REC partnership; improved employment/ training targets for ethnic
minorities through the CRIE Leadership Challenge and New Deal; 2
new single regeneration community project bids; a voice at national
level on race relations; Norfolk promoted as ‘model’ area on tackling
rural racism.
I want to mention
one which has brought me the most personal job satisfaction
since I was appointed. That is the Norwich Partnership, Multi-Agency
Protocol (MAP). The MAP was due to our input on the Norwich
Community Safety Partnership. Norwich City Council, Norfolk
County Council, Norfolk Constabulary and NNREC reached agreement
in March 2000. Rightly concluding a year which began with our
response to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report. The MAP will
go on to be a major part of next years work programme and will
be promoted to all Norfolk community safety partnerships. In
May the Joint County Community Safety Forum will receive a presentation
by the Norwich MAP partners. I can inform you that I have already
received requests from 3 of our more rural district /borough
councils to work with NNREC to develop MAP partnerships. Tackling
racism is our highest priority and remains at the top of our
work programme. This work could not be achieved if I was not
in the most enviable position to held by any Director, i.e.,
to be supported by an effective and committed team of staff.
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