Event Details

“ … Integrating new communities and promoting cohesion between existing groups, while being driven by national events and changes, is experienced, for the most part, at the local level: and at local level the experience can also vary greatly.”

“ … the financial crisis is not an excuse to stop thinking about cohesion, but to take it to the next level… This is a challenge that calls for local ingenuity, flexibility, working across public bodies, sharing resources and expertise, forging links with charities, community and voluntary groups. My message to local authorities and their partners is clear: no-one can afford to leave this to chance…”
— Communities Minister, April 2009

“ … But none of this will work unless on the doorstep, in pubs and community centres local people know and see that someone is speaking up for them and fighting their corner. They need to know that the jobs being created are jobs they can get, the houses being built are homes they can live in, and that the library, the school and the hospitals are being built for them, their families and their community… And if we fail, the danger is that extremists will try to exploit dissatisfaction and insecurity in ways which will pull communities apart.”
— Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, October 2009

Overview

The 2nd Annual Community Cohesion conference offers a timely opportunity for local stakeholders to consider the new challenges that local authorities and their partners face in reconnecting the ties that bind local communities together.

Whilst efforts to strengthen communities’ resilience against extremism continue, Prevent has highlighted the need for local authorities to foster better relations with Muslim communities and work in partnership to promote shared values, dispel tensions and address outstanding grievances.

The changing migration landscape has also presented complex challenges to community cohesion and local leadership with recent research indicating that whilst many migrants identify with Britain, they fail to feel a sense of belonging to their local neighbourhood due to difficulty in accessing public services and resources, language barriers and limited social interaction with neighbours. In some areas, the introduction of new communities has sparked an increase in hate crime, racial tension and prejudice.

The increase in migrant workers, alongside the recession and greater competition for resources has also contributed to a rise in disengagement and resentment amongst some white working class sections of local communities, emphasising the need for local authorities to extend efforts to empower and inform disaffected groups and comprehensively address the phenomenon of “parallel lives” in their community.

Delegates will:

• Assess the new challenges to overcome in reconnecting the ties that bind local communities together
• Discuss how to encourage active participation across all generations, develop trust in local institutions and transform local leadership
• Consider how to support the integration of newcomers in your community, tackling racial tension, distrust and prejudice
• Examine how to engage and empower white working class sections of every community and prevent the exploitation of local grievances
• Discuss how to improve relations with Muslim communities, working in partnership to address grievances, promote shared values and challenge extremism
• Debate, share best practice and network with colleagues from across the community cohesion, local authority and government landscape

Programme

Who Should Attend?

• Community Cohesion Officers
• Equal Opportunities Officers
• Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Practitioners
• Race Equality Councils
• Race Equality Practitioners
• Local Authority Officers and Councillors
• Community Engagement Officers
• Community Relations Advisers
• Refugee and Asylum Support Officers
• Social Inclusion Officers
• Neighbourhood Renewal Officers
• Disability Practitioners
• Campaigning Organisations
• Health Service Professionals
• Children and Young People’s Services
• Local Education Authorities
• Youth Offending Teams
• Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships
• Police and Fire Service
• Hate Crime Units
• Student Welfare Advisers
• College and University Officials
• Private Sectors Employers
• Public Sector Employers
• Central Government Departments
• Third Sector Practitioners
• Trade Union Representatives