Domestic abuse and immigration status (CPD course)

CPD: 6 points

How to identify the immigration status and assess the right to access public funds of refugee, asylum seeking and migrant survivors of domestic abuse.

How will I benefit by attending this course?

It will enable you to better support refugee, asylum seeking and migrant women who are experiencing domestic abuse.

What does the course cover?

Attending this course will provide you with a thorough introduction to the different immigration statuses people can hold under British (not European) law and the rights attached to these. It will give you the tools to identify a survivor’s ‘status’ under British immigration law and will examine survivors’ differing rights to access welfare benefits and housing/homelessness assistance depending on their immigration status.

• Dependent immigration statuses (partner, spouse, etc.)
• What happens to a woman’s immigration status when her relationship ends
• Who can apply under the ‘Domestic Violence Rule’ and who can’t
• The difference between a ‘dependent’ and a ‘partner’, and why the distinction matters
• Status/applications based on children
• How to identify what status a survivor has if she is unable to tell you/doesn’t know herself
• The rights to access welfare benefits and housing assistance attached to different immigration statuses

Course dates and booking:

See our list below for upcoming events and click on the course to book your space.

No Events

Who is this training suitable for?

This course is suitable for professionals who want to gain greater knowledge the various immigration statuses survivors may have and the rights to access welfare benefits/public funds attached to these.

• Support workers
• Domestic Abuse Prevention Advocates (DAPA’s)
• Independent Domestic Abuse Advisors (IDVA’s)
• Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA’s)
• Community outreach workers
• Advice centre caseworkers
• Other professionals who work with survivors of abuse.

Cost:

Women’s Aid members: £150
Non-members: £175

Note: There is approximately 30 minutes of overlap between this course and our Access to services and immigration advice for refugee, asylum-seeking, EEA and migrant survivors of domestic abuse course. For this reason we are offering a 20% discount to participants booking on both courses.

Trainer profile:

Radha Ruskin

Radha is an Accredited Senior Immigration and Asylum Adviser with extensive experience of working with refugee, asylum seeking and migrant survivors of DA and gender-based violence, including FGM, forced marriage and sex trafficking. She recently ran a project funded through Comic Relief which provided asylum seeking and migrant women with immigration representation and tribunal advocacy. She has considerable experience of working with and interviewing women who have experienced trauma and/or are suffering from mental health issues.

Radha has worked for over ten years in the generalist advice sector as an advice session manager and project co-ordinator. Welfare benefits, housing and community care (social services) issues, especially those relating to DA survivors and to EEA nationals, are areas she has particular expertise and interest in. Radha is currently employed part-time as a Duty Manager at an advice agency in Bristol. In addition she provides immigration advice and representation on a voluntary basis to vulnerable clients with complex immigration issues who are unable to access legal aid. This includes ‘outside the Rules’ cases based on article 8 (right to family life), and complex EEA law based cases, including derivative and retained rights of residence.

Radha has run training sessions on a range of legal and advice-based immigration and asylum issues, from legal, topic-specific update courses, to advocacy and interviewing skills sessions.

Please note that submitting an application form will automatically generate an invoice so please only apply if you wish to attend the course.

If you have any questions please email: [email protected]

Domestic abuse and immigration status