Good Practice Criteria
Inclusivity & Participation
Does the practice ensure that its services are accessible and responsive to diverse groups?
The intercultural services of the practice were available to all foreigners in the city. They were delivered by intercultural workers, who are people with both a migration background and knowledge of the languages of the largest migrant communities in Brno. Information about the services was made available through various channels, including online publications, social media networks, printed brochures and institutional leaflets. Services were provided at public institutions and via community outreach, at times that suited the needs of their migrant participants.
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 aim of the project was to reduce communication barriers in public administration institutions, especially in the municipality of Brno, between foreigners (beneficiaries of public services) and civil servants of the receiving society (providers of public services). The work remit of the intercultural workers was based on a needs analysis carried out among both foreigners and civil servants. Civil servants were required to participate in a training programme that strengthened their intercultural competences and their understanding of the rights and duties of foreigners.
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?
The implementation of the project was continuously evaluated through interviews conducted with intercultural workers, officials (civil servants) and foreigners. The intercultural workers regularly collected feedback from beneficiary individuals and institutions, in person via community outreach as well as by telephone and online. New activities were decided upon in consultation with migrant community representatives. Both participants and intercultural workers were given the opportunity to discuss the practice at city level, via various platforms focused on the integration of foreigners and community planning.
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?
Intercultural workers, as employees of the municipality, are familiar with the needs of both the institutional environment and the needs of migrants. They worked to identify and remove barriers in migrants’ access to public services, and to adjust the services of the practice as necessary to meet migrants’ needs. Community outreach, interviews with beneficiaries and other forms of direct communication were used to map needs, ensuring the relevance of the practice.
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?
Before the practice came about, migrants in Brno usually turned to informal and non-professional intermediaries to solve their problems. The practice then became the ‘missing link’ between migrants and public service providers, working to strengthen migrants’ ability to communicate autonomously with public institutions and to deal with their problems independently. The involvement of intercultural workers and active migrants in planning processes and public administration platforms strengthened the ability of migrants to participate in decision-making, creating the conditions for improved quality and accessibility of public services for foreigners and, in the longer term, promoting their integration. The wider increased awareness of migrant integration as a result of the project also supported 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.
✓ 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 practice aligns with Czechia’s national integration policy, which promotes the use of intercultural workers. Intercultural work at the local government level represents a systemic change in the approach to integration: it enables municipalities to identify emerging problems early, thematise them in the public service planning process and contribute to finding systemic solutions.
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 practice was adequately planned according to a needs analysis. The results of relevant evaluations show that it contributed to better information provision to migrants and their ability to deal with problems, to the reduction of barriers in interactions between officials and foreigners, to a decrease in officials’ fear of dealing with foreigners, and to increased openness towards migrants. An intercultural training programme has been developed based on the practice’s competency model for interculturally responsive local government, which defines the knowledge and skills necessary for the qualified performance of intercultural work. Since its completion, the outputs and results of the practice have been published on the websites of both Brno city and the ESF
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?
Practice implementation and impact was regularly monitored and evaluated according to various indicators, and reports were made to the donor. Any problems or questions were addressed through consultation with representatives of cooperating organisations also focused on foreigners. As well as through the results of regular evaluation, the success of the practice is evidenced by the fact that it has received international recognition, and that Brno City Council continues to provide intercultural services via a follow-up project.
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?
The project has the potential to be transferred to other cities. One of the outputs is the “Competence model of interculturally permeable municipality”, which defines the range of skills of an intercultural worker within the municipality and sets out a training plan for municipal employees. A follow-up project was created, and a comprehensive meIntercultural work is now incorporated into the city’s strategic and planning documents, and is used and supported by other actors in the field of integration. Funding is currently provided by ESF to a follow-up project, and other possible sources include the Ministry of the Interior and the European Social Fund Plus. Potential funding for intercultural work is available from the state budget through the regional integration centres or from local authorities. thodology for intercultural work in local government is also being developed.
Inspiring tools:
Competence model of interculturally inclusive municipal authority.
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.
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?
Intercultural work is now incorporated into the city’s strategic and planning documents, and is used and supported by other actors in the field of integration. Funding is currently provided by ESF to a follow-up project, and other possible sources include the Ministry of the Interior and the European Social Fund Plus. Potential funding for intercultural work is available from the state budget through the regional integration centres or from local authorities.
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)
Cooperation with relevant actors in the field of integration was established in the preparatory phase of the practice. Intercultural workers and foreigners participated in the community planning process for social services in Brno, and contributed to the development of the city’s strategy for the integration of foreigners and its related action plan. The intercultural workers are also building a broad network of cooperation based on case management, which is steadily growing and includes a wide range of local organisations and public institutions.
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 brochure for municipalities issued by the practice gives relevant practical examples and suggests solutions for local governments working with foreigners. The practice has been presented at a number of conferences and professional platforms in Brno, Czechia and abroad, and has already inspired other cities and organisations in Czechia and Slovakia to implement similar 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.