Purpose

Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit provides specialist legal services to minoritised individuals in Greater Manchester. Funding has been agreed by the 10 Greater Manchester Local Authorities until March 2028 to enable GMIAU to provide specialist legal services and support to minoritized individuals across Greater Manchester who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF) and are victims of gender-based violence. Some of these people will have been subjected to domestic abuse, gender-based violence, forced marriage, immigration abuse, FGM, honour-based violence and modern slavery.

Each Local Authority will provide a total £24,000 to deliver the service up to February 2028. This will total £240,000 in funding to GMIAU. Local Authority funds will be received by the GMCA who will then pay GMIAU to deliver the service. The GMCA is managing these monies to ensure that funding is received in a timely and coordinated manner by GMIAU avoiding the VCSE organisation having to use valuable resources and capacity managing the funds from 10 localities. A GFA will underpin these arrangements, with quarterly monitoring arrangements in place with GMIAU.

This funding will enable GMIAU to support vulnerable individuals to:

• Leave abusive and dangerous situations which can escalate into serious mental health or physical crises in their homes or communities (especially the prevention of forced marriage or FGM).
• Avoid further periods of emotional trauma, vulnerability to danger, exploitation, and injury in relation to domestic abuse, gender-based violence, forced marriage, immigration abuse, FGM, honour-based violence and modern slavery.
• Avoid victims experiencing culturally inappropriate responses to their needs and ensure accurate specialist legal advice regarding their/ their children’s immigration status.

Decision

The Safer and Stronger Communities Directorate agrees to manage funding to grant GMIAU £240,000 to deliver free specialist legal services and support to people with no recourse to public funds who are victims of gender-based violence.