At a regional and national level, government, other public sector, and voluntary sector providers need to be able to consult and get information in order to develop policy and services. At present there is an information gap, and so there is a real need for policy makers and service providers to get first hand information from refugee groups themselves.

LRV is able to work both at a regional and national level, and engages with regional & national government and other public sector and voluntary sector providers on issues that affect asylum seekers and refugees. LRV promotes a coordinated response in order to ensure an effective impact on policy.

An initiative such as LRV can only be sustained by the active participation of those most affected by the issues at hand. LRV is a membership organisation with 177 members, composed primarily of refugee community organisations (RCOs), and so is in the best position to advocate for the rights of refugees in Britain, and to take the voice of refugees through to Europe.

Capacity Building

LRV is often also the first point of call for RCOs when they need to know something or when something goes wrong. Many RCOs lack expertise in the areas outlined below:

• Fundraising
• Organisational Development
• Governance
• Human Rights advocacy
• Working with the media
• Ability to do presentations to wide audiences
• Lobbying
• Campaigning

These skills are essential for securing a powerful voice for refugees in London and the UK. Refugee community organisations need a London Wide body such as LRV to bring neighbourhood and borough based refugee forums together, and also meet other needs such as advocacy, training, lobbying, campaigning and capacity building.