Good Practice Criteria

Inclusivity & Participation

Relevance & Complementarity

Sustainability

Partnership & Collaboration

Inclusivity & Participation

Does the practice ensure that its services are accessible and responsive to diverse groups?

The Women’s Meeting Club meetings are open to all, regardless of origin, age, culture or religion. As a rule they are aimed at women, migrant women and Polish women from rural areas, and designed to respond to these women’s special needs and disadvantaged position. The meetings are based on friendship: everyone knows each other and each other’s needs well, and accessibility is ensured through encouragement of open discussion.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Adopt a participatory, gender mainstreaming, age sensitive, inclusive approach and secure equal opportunities for beneficiaries.

✓ Make sure to provide precise and accessible information on how to access services in different languages, formats and through different communication channels

✓ Ensure that equality and diversity are an essential part of how services are delivered, taking into consideration different needs and capacities.

✓ Make reasonable adjustments to service delivery in order to take into account particular needs of the target group.

Does the practice involve the active participation of the receiving society?

The receiving society actively participates in organising meetings, securing meeting venues and – on the part of Polish women – attending meetings and interacting with refugee and migrant women. One of the main goals of the initiative is to change attitudes towards and counter negative narratives about refugees by sharing accurate information.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Consider integration as a two-way process, and aim for change on the side of the receiving society.

✓ Foresee an active role for the receiving society in the design and implementation stages of the practice, and involve actions that encourage native communities and beneficiaries to work together.

Does the practice consult its beneficiaries and involve them in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the action?

Refugee and migrant women have the opportunity to influence all stages of activity within the Women’s Meeting Club: they are treated as equal ‘co-implementers’ and are constantly consulted for informal feedback on its progress. Refugee and migrant women who receive training and work in the club’s art and craft studio sign a contract and are paid for the items they make.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Organise consultation activities with migrant beneficiaries in order to co-create actions where possible and secure their feedback on the design and evaluation of the action.

✓ Provide appropriate feedback mechanisms by which beneficiaries can safely express their opinions on service quality.

✓ Use flexible and interculturally-adapted formats and compensate participants for their contribution.

Relevance & Complementarity

Are the objectives of the practice relevant to the needs of the migrants?

Activities at the Women’s Meeting Club are run in response to requests made by participating migrant women. Similarly, meetings with Polish women are held at the request of women’s organisations and other institutions from the Lublin region and other parts of Poland. The needs of migrants are identified through informal conversations with migrant women, and services are adjusted accordingly.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Identify and analyse the needs of the relevant migrants and prioritise methods which directly ask them about their needs.

✓ Identify and analyse gaps in integration support and design actions to fill these gaps.

– Aim for systemic improvement, satisfying the needs of the majority of target groups in the target area.

Is the practice relevant to the empowerment of migrants, the strengthening of their autonomy and the support of their long-term integration?

The initiative empowers migrant women, strengthens their autonomy, and promotes their long-term integration. It is built around the aims of ‘giving voice’ to migrant women and enabling them to work in a collective that provides them with professional experience and some financial support. Participation in meetings with Polish women strengthens migrant women’s language and social competences and accelerates their integration, while learning a craft provides work experience.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Devise actions with the overarching goal of providing positive feedback and making migrants more confident, autonomous and independent.

✓ Contribute to migrants’ engagement with the community for the common good.

✓ Ensure that services contribute to the strengthening of the capacities of migrants/migrant communities.

✓ Include (or create the preconditions for) actions that facilitate long-term integration.

✓ Address discrimination and information gaps as obstacles to long-term integration.

Does the practice align with the priorities, strategic goals and policies of other relevant stakeholders, and contribute to the wider integration framework?

The initiative is in line with international human rights principles and the EU basic principles for the integration of immigrants.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure that all actions are in line with international and European human rights standards.

✓ Employ regional/local, national and EU/international level integration-related guidelines and tools.

– Make sure that the services offered contribute to the strengthening of the capacities of relevant institutions to support future development.

Sustainability

Does the practice attract structural funding and support from new sponsors and individuals, or have the potential to develop a business model to generate its own resources?

The activities of the Women’s Meeting Club are often implemented as part of various projects financed by different funds. If there are no projects running when a particular activity is suggested, private collections are organised to fund the activity. This works well: funding is not an obstacle to the continuation of activities. The club cooperates with several entities for the running of activities, such as other NGOs, universities or libraries, and this promotes its sustainability and develops its support networks.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Develop partnerships and relations with relevant stakeholders at the early stage of the action to ensure that the practice has strong support and potential partners for after the primary funding terminates.

✓ Identify new EU and national funding opportunities for long-term integration (e.g., shifting from project-based initiatives that are limited in time or dependent on one (external) donor to a comprehensive, multi-year strategy based on secured funding or diverse funding opportunities).

✓ Diversify funding opportunities and identify options for self-financing through business activities or social entrepreneurship.

Partnership & Collaboration

Does the practice establish communication and coordination with other relevant actors to foster the integration of migrants? (e.g., migrants, civil society, public authorities, businesses)

From the beginning, the Association for the Earth has cooperated with the BONA FIDES Local Activity Association, supporting women living rurally and establishing Active Women’s Clubs, the Commune Library and the Cultural Centre in Laziska. It also collaborates with universities, NGOs and various partner institutions, including the Office for Foreigners, and more recently with Vintage Baby, a Norwegian social enterprise.

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure the involvement and participation of key stakeholders in the development phase and create strategies to involve them in the action.

✓ Include multi-stakeholder consultation with professionals, institutions, and citizens, in order to promote the meaningful participation of refuges and migrants and support a joint sense of ownership of decisions and actions.

Good Practice Criteria

Inclusivity & Participation

Relevance & Complementarity

Effectiveness

Sustainability

Partnership & Collaboration

Inclusivity & Participation

Does the practice ensure that its services are accessible and responsive to diverse groups?

The Multicultural Centre in Warsaw is open to everyone, whether migrant or Pole. Information concerning its services is available in different languages and in different formats, both online and offline. All potential visitors to the centre are asked about their own specific needs, and special attention is paid to the needs of those with a disability. Sign language interpreters are also arranged when necessary. If it is known that mobility impaired participants will attend an event, it will take place on the ground floor.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Adopt a participatory, gender mainstreaming, age sensitive, inclusive approach and secure equal opportunities for beneficiaries.

✓ Make sure to provide precise and accessible information on how to access services in different languages, formats and through different communication channels

✓ Ensure that equality and diversity are an essential part of how services are delivered, taking into consideration different needs and capacities.

✓ Make reasonable adjustments to service delivery in order to take into account particular needs of the target group.

Does the practice involve the active participation of the receiving society?

Most of the centre’s events are aimed at both migrants and the host society, and representatives of the host society can both participate in and organise events. The centre welcomes Polish volunteers. Its mission is to promote tolerance and the image of Warsaw as a multicultural metropolis; diverse and open to all. The centre organises educational events for children and adults, including lessons in schools to familiarise children with multiculturalism.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Consider integration as a two-way process, and aim for change on the side of the receiving society.

✓ Foresee an active role for the receiving society in the design and implementation stages of the practice, and involve actions that encourage native communities and beneficiaries to work together.

Does the practice consult its beneficiaries and involve them in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the action?

Beneficiaries have ample opportunity to co-create activities within the project, including by organising their own events in the centre’s space. They can also reserve space at the centre to work. In addition, they are asked to evaluate the services provided by the centre, primarily through an anonymous satisfaction survey.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Organise consultation activities with migrant beneficiaries in order to co-create actions where possible and secure their feedback on the design and evaluation of the action.

✓ Provide appropriate feedback mechanisms by which beneficiaries can safely express their opinions on service quality.

✓ Use flexible and interculturally-adapted formats and compensate participants for their contribution.

Relevance & Complementarity

Are the objectives of the practice relevant to the needs of the migrants?

The project was preceded by a needs assessment, although not all needs – such as those related to the massive influx of refugees from Ukraine, for example – could be foreseen. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war the centre was able to adapt its activities to become a central support point for refugees from Ukraine, running a hotline with 12 operators and a transportation service to take individuals to their accommodation. To identify gaps in integration support, the centre analyses relevant research conducted by academics, think tanks and NGOs. Its representatives do have the capacity to effect significant systemic change, but are involved in official consultations on urban policies that relate to diversity and migrant integration.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Identify and analyse the needs of the relevant migrants and prioritise methods which directly ask them about their needs.

✓ Identify and analyse gaps in integration support and design actions to fill these gaps.

– Aim for systemic improvement, satisfying the needs of the majority of target groups in the target area.

Is the practice relevant to the empowerment of migrants, the strengthening of their autonomy and the support of their long-term integration?

The centre’s activities contribute significantly to the empowerment of migrants and the strengthening of their autonomy and long-term integration. Visitors can partake in language courses, access information services and counselling – including career counselling -, organise their own events, and even run micro-offices in the space. In addition, the centre itself employs foreigners, giving them the opportunity to improve their linguistic, social and professional competences. It runs an information desk and provides legal advice, including by handling discrimination cases. It also organises anti-discrimination workshops.

Good practice checklist

✓ Devise actions with the overarching goal of providing positive feedback and making migrants more confident, autonomous and independent.

✓ Contribute to migrants’ engagement with the community for the common good.

✓ Ensure that services contribute to the strengthening of the capacities of migrants/migrant communities.

✓ Include (or create the preconditions for) actions that facilitate long-term integration.

✓ Address discrimination and information gaps as obstacles to long-term integration.

Does the practice align with the priorities, strategic goals and policies of other relevant stakeholders, and contribute to the wider integration framework?

As the centre is a City of Warsaw project, it forms part of the strategies and policies of the city.

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure that all actions are in line with international and European human rights standards.

✓ Employ regional/local, national and EU/international level integration-related guidelines and tools.

Effectiveness

Is the practice adequately planned and based on a comprehensive design?

Most of the centre’s activities are within the framework of the project devised by the Warsaw authorities, and are planned for a duration of three years. The project has a budget and a timetable, and activities correspond to 17 measurable and achievable performance indicators. A communication strategy is a requirement of the project.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Aim for actions that achieve observable outcomes among the target group or contribute to changes during the implementation of the action.

✓ Make sure that the objectives and planned results of the activity are feasible and clear.

✓ Develop a communications strategy during the design phase of the action and pay attention to communication with host communities and local authorities.

✓ Ensure the practice is based on indicators that are measurable, achievable, and relevant.

− Develop a staff management plan to identify team members with the right skills to work with beneficiaries, and their needs for training and further qualification.

Does the practice regularly monitor implementation and evaluate its results?

The centre’s performance is monitored and evaluated monthly, according to certain indicators. External evaluations are also carried out from time to time. Satisfaction surveys are also conducted among beneficiaries, and these show that activities are considered successful by participants.

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure regular monitoring of action implementation and compare actual performance to goals set during the design phase.

− Anticipate obstacles that might occur and plan alternative scenarios during the design phase of the action.

✓ Ensure achievement of intended outputs / outcomes.

✓ Determine whether practice outcomes are considered successful by beneficiaries, the host and practitioner communities, funders, and policymakers.

− Assess whether interventions contribute to long-term sustainable change.

Sustainability

Is the practice prepared to sustain its positive effects after completion?

Since the Warsaw authorities run the centre, the practice is treated as a permanent fixture.

Good practice checklist

✓ During the design phase, anticipate opportunities to continue the intervention after completion.

✓ Prepare and apply a well-defined sustainability plan to ensure the continuation of positive effects / outcomes.

✓ Devote resources to building capacities during the implementation phase, in order to ensure that the necessary human resources, expertise and infrastructure are in place to sustain the services upon completion of the action.

Partnership & Collaboration

Does the practice establish communication and coordination with other relevant actors to foster the integration of migrants? (e.g., migrants, civil society, public authorities, businesses)

The centre is run jointly by four NGOs, including three migrant organisations, which collaborate with city authorities. In addition to this, other actors organise events and activities free of charge in the centre’s space.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure the involvement and participation of key stakeholders in the development phase and create strategies to involve them in the action.

✓ Include multi-stakeholder consultation with professionals, institutions, and citizens, in order to promote the meaningful participation of refuges and migrants and support a joint sense of ownership of decisions and actions.

Good Practice Criteria

Inclusivity & Participation

Relevance & Complementarity

Effectiveness

Partnership & Collaboration

Inclusivity & Participation

Does the practice ensure that its services are accessible and responsive to diverse groups?

As part of the YES! project, ANKA targets young people aged 18 – 29 who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs). Anyone that fulfils these criteria is eligible for the programme, including those without a refugee background, asylum seekers, and refugees. Services are accessible in that they are adapted to the specific needs of participants, including those related to language and logistics. Information on the project is readily available thanks to its strong digital presence and online promotion strategy.

Good practice checklist

✓ Adopt a participatory, gender mainstreaming, age sensitive, inclusive approach and secure equal opportunities for beneficiaries.

✓ Make sure to provide precise and accessible information on how to access services in different languages, formats and through different communication channels

✓ Ensure that equality and diversity are an essential part of how services are delivered, taking into consideration different needs and capacities.

✓ Make reasonable adjustments to service delivery in order to take into account particular needs of the target group.

Does the practice involve the active participation of the receiving society?

The receiving society is actively involved in the mentoring, coaching and training elements of the project.

Good practice checklist

– Consider integration as a two-way process, and aim for change on the side of the receiving society.

✓ Foresee an active role for the receiving society in the design and implementation stages of the practice, and involve actions that encourage native communities and beneficiaries to work together.

Does the practice consult its beneficiaries and involve them in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the action?

Beneficiaries are involved in the design of project elements as much as possible. ANKA distributes a questionnaire to identify interest in specific services, such as training topics or types of entrepreneurship support, and finds trainers to match the stated interests. Training and coaching is offered in participants’ native languages.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Organise consultation activities with migrant beneficiaries in order to co-create actions where possible and secure their feedback on the design and evaluation of the action.

✓ Provide appropriate feedback mechanisms by which beneficiaries can safely express their opinions on service quality.

✓ Use flexible and interculturally-adapted formats and compensate participants for their contribution.

Relevance & Complementarity

Are the objectives of the practice relevant to the needs of the migrants?

As access to the labour market is a key priority for migrants, the objectives of the YES! project are indeed relevant: the project works to fill gaps in integration support that relate to training and employment, including through the provision of entrepreneurship support. The regular use of questionnaires to secure participant feedback allows the project to take into consideration the needs of its target group, and to adjust delivery and objectives as necessary.

Good practice checklist

✓ Identify and analyse the needs of the relevant migrants and prioritise methods which directly ask them about their needs.

✓ Identify and analyse gaps in integration support and design actions to fill these gaps.

✓ Aim for systemic improvement, satisfying the needs of the majority of target groups in the target area.

Is the practice relevant to the empowerment of migrants, the strengthening of their autonomy and the support of their long-term integration?

The main aim of the project is to facilitate participants’ access the labour market and to promote their success in entrepreneurship, through the provision of services in training, employment and business coaching, access to finance, and mentoring. The project employs a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) approach in its service delivery, focusing on the present and the future and using gratitude exercises. This empowers migrants and refugees, encouraging their active participation.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Devise actions with the overarching goal of providing positive feedback and making migrants more confident, autonomous and independent.

✓ Contribute to migrants’ engagement with the community for the common good.

✓ Ensure that services contribute to the strengthening of the capacities of migrants/migrant communities.

✓ Include (or create the preconditions for) actions that facilitate long-term integration.

✓ Address discrimination and information gaps as obstacles to long-term integration.

Does the practice align with the priorities, strategic goals and policies of other relevant stakeholders, and contribute to the wider integration framework?

The provision of employment/entrepreneurship support to young migrants is a goal of many relevant stakeholders (public, local, and private) engaged in the facilitation of access to the labour market. The project is developing a network with these actors, utilising the trust-based partnership model (TBPM) upon which YES! is based. The project aligns with European human rights standards. 

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure that all actions are in line with international and European human rights standards.

✓ Make sure that the services offered contribute to the strengthening of the capacities of relevant institutions to support future development.

Effectiveness

Is the practice adequately planned and based on a comprehensive design?

During the design phase of the project, internal indicators were decided upon to measure the quality of the services provided. These indicators include the completion rate of project participants, the extent to which it adheres to its original schedule, delivery of tangible materials to participants, and available human resources. Additional indicators were developed to assess the soft and hard impact of the project.

Good practice checklist

✓ Aim for actions that achieve observable outcomes among the target group or contribute to changes during the implementation of the action.

✓ Make sure that the objectives and planned results of the activity are feasible and clear.

✓ Develop a communications strategy during the design phase of the action and pay attention to communication with host communities and local authorities.

✓ Ensure the practice is based on indicators that are measurable, achievable, and relevant.

✓Develop a staff management plan to identify team members with the right skills to work with beneficiaries, and their needs for training and further qualification.

Does the practice regularly monitor implementation and evaluate its results?

Project participants complete a feedback survey both during and after their involvement. The survey helps project coordinators and partners to better understand the personal, educational and financial profile and characteristics of participant NEETs, their personality traits, and their needs. Through these surveys, for example, a need was identified for more mentors. ANKA therefore proposed that mentor training be conducted on a regular, systematic basis, to ensure that mentors remain engaged, and that more incentives be offered to encourage people to join the mentoring scheme.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure regular monitoring of action implementation and compare actual performance to goals set during the design phase.

✓Anticipate obstacles that might occur and plan alternative scenarios during the design phase of the action.

✓ Ensure achievement of intended outputs / outcomes.

✓ Determine whether practice outcomes are considered successful by beneficiaries, the host and practitioner communities, funders, and policymakers.

− Assess whether interventions contribute to long-term sustainable change.

Partnership & Collaboration

Does the practice establish communication and coordination with other relevant actors to foster the integration of migrants? (e.g., migrants, civil society, public authorities, businesses)

Communication and coordination with other relevant actors is welcomed and pursued within the context of the trust-based partnership model that the project is built upon.

 

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure the involvement and participation of key stakeholders in the development phase and create strategies to involve them in the action.

✓ Include multi-stakeholder consultation with professionals, institutions, and citizens, in order to promote the meaningful participation of refuges and migrants and support a joint sense of ownership of decisions and actions.

Does the practice contribute to discussion on the improvement of integration support policies?

The project advocates for the improvement of integration support policies through its networking, its participation in EU level meetings and EU visibility events, and its activities.

Good practice checklist

✓ Seize opportunities to contribute to the development of comprehensive integration strategies involving EU-level/national/regional/local authorities, service providers and civil society.

✓ Work with relevant partners to jointly review operations, practices, services, and integration outcomes.

Good Practice Criteria

Inclusivity & Participation

Relevance & Complementarity

Effectiveness

Inclusivity & Participation

Does the practice ensure that its services are accessible and responsive to diverse groups?

The Welcome Home programme is aimed at different groups of migrants, regardless of country of origin, gender, age, disability, etc., with participation determined on a case-by-case basis. To facilitate access, programme recruitment information is available in different languages and distributed via various channels. When necessary, contact with potential participants is made with the help of interpreters.

Good practice checklist

✓ Adopt a participatory, gender mainstreaming, age sensitive, inclusive approach and secure equal opportunities for beneficiaries.

✓ Make sure to provide precise and accessible information on how to access services in different languages, formats and through different communication channels

✓ Ensure that equality and diversity are an essential part of how services are delivered, taking into consideration different needs and capacities.

✓ Make reasonable adjustments to service delivery in order to take into account particular needs of the target group.

Does the practice involve the active participation of the receiving society?

The receiving society is mainly involved through the provision of financial support for specific refugee families, including to cover rent costs (this type of contribution is transferred directly to landlords by the foundation), and through the renting of housing to refugees at reduced prices (this amounts to private sponsorship). In addition, in some cases neighbours are involved in supporting refugee families.

Good practice checklist

✓ Consider integration as a two-way process, and aim for change on the side of the receiving society.

✓ Foresee an active role for the receiving society in the design and implementation stages of the practice, and involve actions that encourage native communities and beneficiaries to work together.

Does the practice consult its beneficiaries and involve them in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the action?

A contract is signed with each refugee family when they join the programme, which includes a personalised plan for self-reliance. This plan is developed by an integration specialist in close cooperation with the family.

Good practice checklist

✓ Organise consultation activities with migrant beneficiaries in order to co-create actions where possible and secure their feedback on the design and evaluation of the action.

✓ Provide appropriate feedback mechanisms by which beneficiaries can safely express their opinions on service quality.

✓ Use flexible and interculturally-adapted formats and compensate participants for their contribution.

Relevance & Complementarity

Are the objectives of the practice relevant to the needs of the migrants?

The programme responds to the housing needs of the most vulnerable migrants, especially refugees. All actions are implemented according to the personalised plans laid out in the contracts, which are designed in conjunction with each family to ensure relevance to their needs. The programme was created in response to a gap in integration support for refugees: the threat of homelessness after completion of the one-year individual integration programme.

Good practice checklist

✓ Identify and analyse the needs of the relevant migrants and prioritise methods which directly ask them about their needs.

✓ Identify and analyse gaps in integration support and design actions to fill these gaps.

Is the practice relevant to the empowerment of migrants, the strengthening of their autonomy and the support of their long-term integration?

The overarching aim of the programme is to promote the self-reliance of migrants, thereby improving their autonomy and long-term integration.

Good practice checklist

✓ Devise actions with the overarching goal of providing positive feedback and making migrants more confident, autonomous and independent.

✓ Contribute to migrants’ engagement with the community for the common good.

✓ Contribute to migrants’ engagement with the community for the common good.

✓ Include (or create the preconditions for) actions that facilitate long-term integration.

✓ Address discrimination and information gaps as obstacles to long-term integration.

Does the practice align with the priorities, strategic goals and policies of other relevant stakeholders, and contribute to the wider integration framework?

The programme aligns with UNHCR guidelines. Other guidelines, such as those of the EU, are considered too general for the specific Polish content, and at present there are no relevant guidelines at the local or national level.

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure that all actions are in line with international and European human rights standards.

✓ Employ regional/local, national and EU/international level integration-related guidelines and tools.

− Make sure that the services offered contribute to the strengthening of the capacities of relevant institutions to support future development.

Effectiveness

Is the practice adequately planned and based on a comprehensive design?

The programme was adequately planned in that it had a long initial implementation period, during which appropriate improvements and adjustments were made. It is based on a comprehensive design, providing in addition to housing support a comprehensive social work service run by an integration specialist. An individual approach is adopted for each family, based on the personalised plans developed in their initial contracts.

Good practice checklist

✓ Aim for actions that achieve observable outcomes among the target group or contribute to changes during the implementation of the action.

✓ Make sure that the objectives and planned results of the activity are feasible and clear.

✓ Develop a communications strategy during the design phase of the action and pay attention to communication with host communities and local authorities.

✓ Ensure the practice is based on indicators that are measurable, achievable, and relevant.

− Develop a staff management plan to identify team members with the right skills to work with beneficiaries, and their needs for training and further qualification.

Does the practice regularly monitor implementation and evaluate its results?

The results of the programme are monitored regularly, with an evaluation of the degree of self-sufficiency of participating families carried out every three months.

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure regular monitoring of action implementation and compare actual performance to goals set during the design phase.

✓ Anticipate obstacles that might occur and plan alternative scenarios during the design phase of the action.

✓ Ensure achievement of intended outputs / outcomes.

− Determine whether practice outcomes are considered successful by beneficiaries, the host and practitioner communities, funders, and policymakers.

− Assess whether interventions contribute to long-term sustainable change.

Good Practice Criteria

Inclusivity & Participation

Relevance & Complementarity

Effectiveness

Sustainability

Partnership & Collaboration

Inclusivity & Participation

Does the practice ensure that its services are accessible and responsive to diverse groups?

The Immigrant Council is composed of migrant community representatives who are of different genders, ages, nationalities, cultures, and religions, and who have a variety of migration experiences (some are refugees; others economic migrants; others repatriates or students). The council was established and designed to respond to the specific and differing needs of these diverse groups. Posters sharing information on the hours of availability of the council are published in different languages and distributed through various channels, including digitally via e-mail, at the City Hall and at Neighbourhood Houses .

Good practice checklist

✓ Adopt a participatory, gender mainstreaming, age sensitive, inclusive approach and secure equal opportunities for beneficiaries.

✓ Make sure to provide precise and accessible information on how to access services in different languages, formats and through different communication channels

✓ Ensure that equality and diversity are an essential part of how services are delivered, taking into consideration different needs and capacities.

✓ Make reasonable adjustments to service delivery in order to take into account particular needs of the target group.

Does the practice involve the active participation of the receiving society?

The council was created to ensure active cooperation between migrant and host country representatives and local authorities, organisations and institutions. It views and promotes integration as a two-way process, advising on the development of Gdansk’s integration policy and related services.

Good practice checklist

✓ Consider integration as a two-way process, and aim for change on the side of the receiving society.

✓ Foresee an active role for the receiving society in the design and implementation stages of the practice, and involve actions that encourage native communities and beneficiaries to work together.

Does the practice consult its beneficiaries and involve them in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the action?

Migrants were involved in the creation of the Gdansk Immigrant Integration Model, and it was through this involvement that the Immigrant Council was established. Council members are regularly consulted in determining its rules and regulations.

Good practice checklist

✓ Organise consultation activities with migrant beneficiaries in order to co-create actions where possible and secure their feedback on the design and evaluation of the action.

− Provide appropriate feedback mechanisms by which beneficiaries can safely express their opinions on service quality.

− Use flexible and interculturally-adapted formats and compensate participants for their contribution.

Relevance & Complementarity

Are the objectives of the practice relevant to the needs of the migrants?

The Immigrant Council was established to better respond to the needs of migrants, which it understands are best identified by members of migrant communities themselves. One of the council’s main objectives is to advise the authorities and institutions of Gdansk on the needs and expectations of migrants, and at present one of its main tasks is to advise on the development of integration policy and relevant services in Gdansk.

Good practice checklist

✓ Identify and analyse the needs of the relevant migrants and prioritise methods which directly ask them about their needs.

✓ Identify and analyse gaps in integration support and design actions to fill these gaps.

✓ Aim for systemic improvement, satisfying the needs of the majority of target groups in the target area.

Is the practice relevant to the empowerment of migrants, the strengthening of their autonomy and the support of their long-term integration?

The council promotes the empowerment and autonomy of migrants, both those who participate in it directly and those who are indirectly supported through its recognition of their needs (due to the efforts of migrant council members to speak on behalf of other migrants). With the help of the Immigrant Council, local authorities are able to identify problems of discrimination against migrants and information gaps hindering their long-term integration.

Good practice checklist

✓ Devise actions with the overarching goal of providing positive feedback and making migrants more confident, autonomous and independent.

✓ Contribute to migrants’ engagement with the community for the common good.

✓ Contribute to migrants’ engagement with the community for the common good.

✓ Include (or create the preconditions for) actions that facilitate long-term integration.

✓ Address discrimination and information gaps as obstacles to long-term integration.

Does the practice align with the priorities, strategic goals and policies of other relevant stakeholders, and contribute to the wider integration framework?

The Immigrant Council resulted from the implementation of the Gdańsk Immigrant Integration Model, adopted by the Gdansk authorities in 2016. Council members are consulted on various issues relating to immigrants and their integration, and their advice leads to improvements in the standard of service provision at City Hall and other related institutions.

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure that all actions are in line with international and European human rights standards.

✓ Employ regional/local, national and EU/international level integration-related guidelines and tools.

✓ Make sure that the services offered contribute to the strengthening of the capacities of relevant institutions to support future development.

Effectiveness

Is the practice adequately planned and based on a comprehensive design?

The council operates according to its own annual action plans, which contain clear and feasible objectives. The council communicates on an ongoing basis with the receiving society via social media and email, as well as in person and with local authorities across the city. A member of the Social Development Department also regularly attends council meetings.

Good practice checklist

✓ Aim for actions that achieve observable outcomes among the target group or contribute to changes during the implementation of the action.

✓ Make sure that the objectives and planned results of the activity are feasible and clear.

✓ Develop a communications strategy during the design phase of the action and pay attention to communication with host communities and local authorities.

− Ensure the practice is based on indicators that are measurable, achievable, and relevant.

Sustainability

Is the practice prepared to sustain its positive effects after completion?

The members of the council rotate: they are elected for two-year terms on an ongoing basis, promoting its strength and sustainability in the longer term.

Good practice checklist

✓ During the design phase, anticipate opportunities to continue the intervention after completion.

✓ Prepare and apply a well-defined sustainability plan to ensure the continuation of positive effects / outcomes.

Partnership & Collaboration

Does the practice establish communication and coordination with other relevant actors to foster the integration of migrants? (e.g., migrants, civil society, public authorities, businesses)

Communication with other relevant actors, especially with local authorities, migrant institutions and migrants themselves, is taken as key to fostering migrant integration and is one of the main tasks of the Immigrant Council.

Good practice checklist

✓ Ensure the involvement and participation of key stakeholders in the development phase and create strategies to involve them in the action.

− Include multi-stakeholder consultation with professionals, institutions, and citizens, in order to promote the meaningful participation of refuges and migrants and support a joint sense of ownership of decisions and actions.

Does the practice contribute to discussion on the improvement of integration support policies?

One of the council’s main tasks is to advise on the implementation of integration policy in Gdansk. Members of the council have representatives in thematic groups in the Immigrant Integration Model Implementation Team.

Good practice checklist

✓ Seize opportunities to contribute to the development of comprehensive integration strategies involving EU-level/national/regional/local authorities, service providers and civil society.

− Work with relevant partners to jointly review operations, practices, services, and integration outcomes.

Consortium

Non- EU Partners

Associate

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