ABOUT US. Our values Social Justice Hibiscus Initiatives is committed to social justice. We aim to impact positively on the lives of our clients.

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1 Annua Report

2 ABOUT US COMMITTED TO SOCIAL JUSTICE Estabished in 1986 by Oga Heaven MBE, Hibiscus Initiatives is a eading speciaist charity committed to supporting foreign nationas affected by the crimina justice system and immigration restrictions. Thirty years on, our expertise and depth of experience is widey acknowedged and vaued. Women remain the focus of Hibiscus Initiatives work and we continue to extend our services to women. We aso work with vunerabe men in some custodia settings where piots proved successfu. Our work fas into four broad areas Advocacy, information, assistance and mentoring in prisons and on reease Assistance and support on returns and reintegration to home countries Assistance with community resettement and reintegration in the UK Identification and support to victims of human trafficking Our vision A society where foreign nationa, back, minority ethnic and refugee (BMER) individuas are free from inequaities, treated with respect, have equa access to justice and are abe to make informed choices. Our purpose We provide advocacy, support and speciaist services to marginaised vunerabe foreign nationa and BMER women, and men affected by the crimina/civi justice system and immigration restrictions to enabe informed choice. We promote socia justice and respect to reduce inequaities. Our vaues Socia Justice Hibiscus Initiatives is committed to socia justice. We aim to impact positivey on the ives of our cients. Integrity We work with integrity, respecting the diversity of our cients, to overcome inequaity of access to socia justice. Learning and Innovation The charity promotes a cuture of earning and innovation. 2 Hibiscus Initiatives Cover image: Artwork produced by Hibiscus cients in workshop ed by Aessandra Agnese Photos: Saman Mamexeani

3 Rache Youngman, Chair Adrienne Darragh, Chief Executive From the Chair and Chief Executive The past year has seen us ceebrating our 30th anniversary, but sady the demand for our service grows and the needs of our cients continue to change, becoming more compex and immediate. They face considerabe and mutipe disadvan - tages incuding anguage and cutura barriers, menta and physica heath issues, experience of vioence and abuse, separation from chidren and famiy and immigration restrictions which can mean no recourse to pubic funds and not being aowed to work. Set against this background our work continues to be demanding and chaenging; there is ongoing pressure on finances and a resources; we work in a competitive environment which can impact on coaborative and partnership working. Fundraising is time-consuming, increasingy com - petitive and resource intensive. But despite this, we have been abe to achieve much during the year. We expanded our services significanty, not east with the opening of our Women s Centre and we are supporting many more peope in a our services. The foowing pages set out the chaenges we have faced and our achievements in overcoming them. None of this woud have been possibe without the dedication and hard work of our skied team of staff, vounteers and Trustees to whom we are very gratefu. Our approach to our work is trauma-informed, empowering and hoistic and our cients remain the centre of our activities. Their invovement is integra to our work and we have renewed our commitment to the vaue of Reay istening to our cients to ensure services are what cients need and that a the resources we have are used to maximum effect. Our cients stories*, set out in this report, demonstrate not ony the need for our services but the achievements and resiience of our cients when given appropriate support. * A names have been changed to protect the cients' anonymity. Hibiscus Initiatives 3

4 THE YEAR AT A GLANCE We ceebrated our 30th Anniversary in December 2016 We aunched our Women s Centre, a women-ony safe space, funded by the Big Lottery Fund We were awarded a three-year grant from the Home Office to continue our work in Immigration Remova Centres Three members of staff were accredited by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) to give immigration advice at Leves 1 and 2 We extended our mentoring programme to four prisons and in the community We increased our prison work to HMP Send and HMP Downview SERCO funded a speciaist wefare project for five years at Yar s Wood to enhance our work with the women there 4 Hibiscus Initiatives

5 THE YEAR AT A GLANCE We worked towards PQASSO quaity accreditation mark We moved to more spacious offices at Resource for London We had a successfu fied trip to China to enhance our understanding of our Chinese cients and estabish reationships with potentia support services We introduced Webeing and Yoga sessions in our Women s Centre for women in the community Our cients come from 103 countries and speak over 40 anguages We increased our staff team from 18 to 23 Hibiscus Initiatives 5

6 THE CONTEXT Foreign nationas (non-uk passport hoders) make up 11% of the UK s prison popuation and in March 2017, there were 9,791 foreign nationas in prison. Foreign nationa prisoners come from 196 countries but over haf are from nine countries, (Poand, Ireand, Abania, Romania, Jamaica, Lithuania, Pakistan, India and Somaia). 5% of prisoners identify themseves as Gypsy, Romany or Traveers, despite ony making up 0.01% of the genera popuation. 11% 11% of a prisoners are foreign nationas 196 Three-quarters of foreign nationas entering prison to serve a sentence in 2015 were sent there for non-vioent offences. 484 peope were sti hed in prison as of 9 January 2017 under immigration powers, despite having competed their custodia sentence. More than 36,000 foreign nationas have been removed from the UK since 2010, 5,705 of whom were removed in % 484 5% of prisoners identify themseves as Gypsy, Romany or Traveers Peope were sti hed in prison as of 9 January 2017 under immigration powers 6 Hibiscus Initiatives

7 THE CONTEXT On 16 June 2017 there were 3,994 women in prison in Engand and Waes. 3,994 Women in prison in Engand and Waes 11% of women in prisons are foreign nationas. Some are known to have been coerced or trafficked into offending. 84% of women in prison have committed non-vioent offences. 48% of a custodia sentences given to women in 2016 were for theft offences. 11% 84% 11% of women in prisons are foreign nationas 84% of women in prison have committed non-vioent offences In 2016, 28,903 peope entered detention (and pre-departure accommodation) in the UK. 28,800 of these were aduts and 103 were chidren. In 2016, 114 different nationaities entered detention in the UK. The ongest ength of detention recorded in the first quarter of 2017 was 1,423 days. Detention statistics from government/statistics Other statistics from Bromey Briefings Summer % 48% of a custodia sentences given to women in 2016 were for theft offences 28,903 Peope entered detention in Different nationaities entered detention in the UK in ,423 days The ongest ength of detention recorded the first quarter of 2017 Hibiscus Initiatives 7

8 WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY Hibiscus changed my ife I can ive and work in the United Kingdom because of Hibiscus Initiatives Without Hibiscus I don t know where I woud be now Hibiscus needs to be more out there. Hibiscus needs to be more advertised A ot of women get withdrawn because they don t know where to get hep Hibiscus are ife savers giving you direction, this is what you coud do. Hibiscus supported me emotionay they brought me an immigration awyer to give me advice and I won the case... 8 Hibiscus Initiatives

9 What our cients say: OUR WOMEN S CENTRE A SAFE SPACE Our cients are at the heart of what we do and our Women s Centre is a safe space that refects their aspirations and encourages them to be sef-reiant. The Women s Centre is a speciaist women-ony space created to provide taiored faciities and services. The Centre offers a range of training sessions, education casses, workshops, yoga and webeing sessions, ega cinics and one-to-one sessions with caseworkers or professionas. At the Centre we offer women not ony emotiona and practica support, but aso the opportunity to sociaise with others who may be going through simiar experiences, thus reducing isoation and distress. Hibiscus Initiatives 9

10 OUR WOMEN S CENTRE A SAFE SPACE Hibiscus is heping me meet new peope Hibiscus is heping me with my probems It is supporting me so much. Thank you The Centre is comfortabe, peope are hepfu and friendy Thank you for supporting peope ike me They are good isteners 10 Hibiscus Initiatives

11 OUR COMMUNITY WORK Mentoring and befriending with Hibiscus has been a wonderfu experience. As a vounteer I fee ike I am abe to make a positive contribution to Hibiscus cients Beyond that, I am aso earning a ot mysef Vounteer mentor Our community work incudes the services we offer women in our Women s Centre, intensive case work and our mentoring programme. We take a person-centred approach to address our cients compex needs. Our interventions are fexibe and increasingy informed by their invovement. The majority of issues we dea with invove immigration, housing and access to benefits, but we give support and practica advice wherever it is needed. Sady since the EU referendum decision the tensions, mistrusts and divisions in society, as we as a the negative media coverage, have adversey impacted on our cients. Our mentoring project supports foreign nationa women whie in prison and continues as they re-estabish ife back in the community. It offers both emotiona and practica support, aiming to encourage women to become independent and make their own choices. It is a mutuay beneficia reationship in which both mentor and mentee can deveop their potentia. Mentors can hep with education, training or empoyment needs or simpy have a friendy chat over a cup of coffee. Hibiscus mentors are vounteer women from different countries, from a waks of ife, who often speak additiona anguages. Hibiscus Initiatives 11

12 OUR COMMUNITY WORK Women s Centre In the past year we have assisted 76 women in our Women s Centre We have deivered 56 activities incuding iteracy and IT casses We had 40 mentoring sessions The majority of interventions were about information, advice and advocacy on Immigration (44%) Housing (36 %) Benefits (32%) incuding JSA, ESA chid benefit and chid tax credit Heath (18%), referras to counseing, GPs and post-nata support Abea s story Abea came to the UK from France in She eft behind her own business, feeing a vioent husband who had threatened to ki her if she eft him. Within months she was working in various jobs in the UK. Whie suffering from depression and a cose famiy bereavement, Abea, in her own words, made a big mistake, by steaing persona items from her empoyer. For this she was given a Community Order of unpaid work. She was severey depressed and suicida when she came to Hibiscus as she was unabe to pay off her arge debts. She was aso being sexuay harassed by her andord but did not report it to the poice, as she was afraid of becoming homeess. With Hibiscus support, Abea discosed the sexua harassment she experienced to the Poice and she was found a safe pace to stay. Once she was in a stabe situation Hibiscus heped her find work and she continues to ive in the UK and enjoys her new job. Abea wants to be independent and is determined to pay off her debts without reying on anyone ese. 12 Hibiscus Initiatives

13 INTERNATIONAL RESETTLEMENT Our primary concern is to support those in Immigration Remova Centres (IRCs), offering returns and resettement assistance to those who are activey interested in returning to their country. A part of our service is aso focused on assisting our cients with practica and emotiona support through their stay in detention. The prospect of having to eave the UK, aong with the uncertainty that being in detention brings, eads to many of our cients being traumatised, scared and vunerabe. Significant numbers are unabe to speak Engish or understand the UK immigration system. In deivering our services in the IRCs we provide advice and guidance to cients ensuring they are in a more stabe and positive position upon returning to their country. We work aongside statutory and charitabe agencies to find the best possibe outcome for the cients, and signpost those wishing to chaenge their case to services that can assist them. Offering trauma-informed emotiona support runs throughout our resettement work and heps to ease our cients transition from the UK, assisting them towards a dignified return. Chau s story Chau is a 23 year-od Vietnamese nationa who came to the UK in 2013 to study but overstayed her visa. Chau wanted to return home but her parents who sti ive in Vietnam wanted her to remain in the UK. She was fearfu about returning vountariy as her parents were appying pressure for her to see a soicitor in attempts to egaise her stay in the UK. Chau had visited a oca reporting centre saying she had overstayed and she was then paced in detention. Chau seemed petrified about her parents finding out she wanted to return home, but she coud not afford to pay for her fight as she was financiay dependent on them. Hibiscus maintained contact with Chau and her caseworker and, with our assistance, a fight was booked and she returned home within a month of engaging with us. Hibiscus assisted her by providing funds to cover emergency accommodation, so she was abe to stay in a hoste whie she began to resove the situation with her famiy. With our support Chau was abe to make the decisions she wanted. Hibiscus Initiatives 13

14 INTERNATIONAL RESETTLEMENT Immigration Remova Centres (IRCs) We work in Yar s Wood, Harmondsworth and Conbrook IRCs We heped 1,492 cients ast year We organised 68 workshops The majority of our cients come from the Indian subcontinent, Abania, Nigeria and China The average ength of detention for our cients is 69 days This year we aunched our Speciaist Wefare Service project at Yar s Wood. We focus on supporting cients in buiding socia networks, navigating ife in the centre, making positive use of time and promoting emotiona webeing and sef-care. We have aso been abe to offer women iveihood training to increase their chances of empoyment on their return, as we as a peer support group and reguar trauma heaing workshops. 14 Hibiscus Initiatives

15 This year, Hibiscus went to China! We make reguar trips abroad to increase our understanding of the countries to which our cients are returning and to foster inks with charities and organisations which can provide support to them on their return and resettement. Hibiscus Initiatives 15

16 Adrienne, our Chief Executive and Donna, Head of Internationa Resettement and Services for Those Detained, undertook a fied trip to China, to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese cuture in reation to migration. We find that our Chinese cients are some of the most isoated and east ikey to engage with officia bodies, because of the anguage barrier and the cutura differences. We wanted to improve our understanding of the reasons Chinese peope come to the UK and the issues they face when they return to China. China is a vast country so the fied trip focused on Beijing and the Fujian Province from where the majority of our cients originate. We were abe to identify support networks for returning cients and buid up socia networks. We met with Jinde charities, an organisation that embraces a faiths and is registered with the Chinese government. We aso met with returnees and ex-cients as it is important to maintain contact to see how past cients are getting on and gather information to better inform our resettement work. Traveing through Fuzhou gave a rea fee of the cuture, and this vauabe experience has enabed us to expand our inks in China and deveop reationships with agencies that can provide practica support to our cients in their home provinces. 16 Hibiscus Initiatives

17 OUR WORK IN PRISONS Our aim is to support peope in prisons by providing access to timey information and assistance, heping them to make the necessary steps to change their ives and reduce re-offending. We aim to encourage and inform our cients, who are often marginaised by anguage and cutura barriers, of the present range of options, thus increasing awareness of their rights and enabing them to access and exercise these rights. Our work in HMP Peterborough continues to fourish and we have extended our services to HMP Downview and HMP Send. However there have been chaenges in reaching foreign nationa women in prisons. The combination of Transforming Rehabiitation and the cosure of HMP Hooway in Juy 2016 has made it more demanding because of physica distances, restrictive funding arrangements and the different prison regimes. The aim of our work is to make sure that our cients transition from prison back into the community is as smooth as possibe. The services we provide are based on addressing the pathways to resettement. Utimatey, our roe is to faciitate cients in rebuiding their ives and reducing the cyces of re-offending. For those wanting to return to their countries of origin, we provide infor - mation and assistance to enabe them to return with dignity. At HMP Peterborough during the year: we supported 326 new cients we conducted a tota of 2,824 interventions we organised 47 group meetings At HMP Downview and HMP Send during the year: we supported 52 foreign nationa women through our Speciaist Support Service with the London CRC Hibiscus Initiatives 17

18 Maria s story Maria is from Portuga but has ived in the UK for 14 years. She was sentenced to 2.5 years in custody for passing prohibited items to a prisoner during a visit. Her menta heath is fragie, com pounded by the oss of her partner from suicide and the separation from her chidren, one of whom she has not seen for five years. She keeps in contact with them by phone and etters. Maria has been served with forma notification that she is iabe to be deported to Portuga, but does not want to return as she regards the UK as her home and identifies as British. Hibiscus staff heped her understand officia documents, advocated on her behaf, referred her to menta heath agencies, and provided her with extensive emotiona support in her mother tongue. Maria has attempted to address her probems, attending a subs tance misuse course, engaging with the menta heath team and under taking work within the prison. Hibiscus were aso abe to put her in contact with a ega charity who have agreed to take on her case and hep her chaenge her deportation. Without Hibiscus, I woud be depressed in this pace This experience woud have been chaotic without your support and assistance It is so good to be abe to speak in your own anguage. It is so frustrating not being abe to communicate because you do not speak Engish. I am so happy that I can speak with you Cients I was impressed with the positive impact Hibiscus has on the women that use their service, especiay those in prisons..i got a strong sense of the empowerment Hibiscus gives to its users. CAPA Intern 18 Hibiscus Initiatives

19 SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING During 2016/2017 we identified and supported 25 potentia victims of trafficking; 13 were identified in prisons and the other 12 were identified in IRCs Human trafficking is a serious goba issue, a particuary abhorrent crime and a form of modern savery. Human trafficking invoves seing peope as commodities for sexua expoitation, forced criminaity, domestic servitude and controing them through coercion. Our work in prisons, IRCs and in the community paces us in a unique position, where we are abe to identify potentia victims of trafficking. Our knowedge and experience gives us the reevant skis to support them during their time in prison and continue to provide support via our resettement department or connect them with other services. The work with potentia victims is around identification, referras to the reevant statutory and non-statutory organisations and heping to resove any issues the potentia victims might strugge with. A support we offer is cient-focused and taiored to individua needs. Hibiscus Initiatives 19

20 SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING During the year Hibiscus staff have spoken at various conferences and events with a specific focus on antitrafficking and victim care. Since the expansion of our Community project we are working with more women who have been trafficked for sexua and crimina expoitation. There is extremey imited support avaiabe after the initia refection and recovery period, which can be as itte as 45 days. In our experience some women end up and remain in very unsafe situations because that is the ony way they can survive. Livia s story Livia is a Romanian nationa, who came to the UK aged 19 after meeting her boyfriend whom she thought was the ove of her ife. He promised a better ife abroad and Everything was good unti we arrived in the UK. But then her boyfriend forced Livia into prostitution. She experienced physica vioence on a reguar basis and her boyfriend used to hit her daiy to contro her. She tried to escape many times. Livia even reported it to the poice but was eft on her own after eaving the poice station, when her boyfriend who had foowed her, forced her into his car. She was expoited and abused for many years before she was arrested in a raid. She was eventuay convicted and sentenced to six years for controing prostitution. It was ony whie serving her sentence that she discosed everything to one of Hibiscus project workers and an Immigration Officer and was then recognised as a victim of modern savery. Livia was encouraged to work with the Poice to support the investigation against her traffickers. Once she competed her sentence she was deported to Romania. Hibiscus iaised with organisations in Romania to ensure she received the right support upon her return to the country. Hibiscus aso provided her with winter cothes as the temperature on her return to Romania was minus 20 degrees. Livia sti remains in occasiona contact with Hibiscus caseworker. 20 Hibiscus Initiatives

21 OUR PEOPLE Our Trustees Rache Youngman, Chair Rache has both nationa and internationa experience across a range of sectors, both at CEO and board eve, incuding the United Nations, European Counci, nationa governments and reguatory bodies. She was previousy Interim CEO of the Prisoners Education Trust. Anne-Marrie Whittaker, Company Secretary Anne-Marrie has over 25 years experience within the crimina justice and socia care systems. Liz Hogarth OBE, former Chair Liz has worked in the crimina justice system since the mid-70s and was centra to the government s response to the Corston Report. She was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to women offenders. She continues, in a vountary capacity, to advocate for reform of women s treatment in the crimina justice system. Margaret Crise Margaret has amost 40 years experience as a soicitor, speciaising in chidren s, famiy and menta heath aw. She now serves as a tribuna judge. Heen Easton Heen is Senior Lecturer in Criminoogy at London South Bank University where she is the Lead of the Gender and Sexuaities Research Group in the Schoo of Law and Socia Sciences. She has a thriving research and consutancy portfoio reating to crimina justice issues and trafficked or sexuay expoited women. Sara Khan Sara has worked in the areas of menta heath, equaity and diversity and as a practitioner in the Prison Service. Geradine McLeod Geradine has worked as a Probation Officer for many years and is an experienced ong-term trustee. Becky Shepherd Becky has worked as a crimina justice practitioner for 17 years and currenty works in an inner London Youth Offending team. She has a MSc in Criminoogy and is an occasiona ecturer at London South Bank University. Becky is aso a member of the Quaker Crimina Justice Network. Anne Stephens Anne was a ong-term member of the Inde pendent Monitoring Board at HMP Hooway before joining Hibiscus Board. She aso sits as a ay Magistrate. Hibiscus Initiatives 21

22 OUR PEOPLE Our Staff Chief Executive: Adrienne Darragh Project Managers: Vanna Derosas, Michaea Jarosinska and Donna John Team: Abdu Ahmed, Seika Aziz, Sister Margaret Baxter, Simona Baj, Giuia Bonacaza, Caitin Boswe-Jones, Anta Brachou, Eena Brihan, Katy Edwards, Diana Seybou-Hamani, Jerry Hughes, Anu Liisanantti, Amy Mis, Monica Ortiz, Aessandra Rossi, Waseem Saghir, Kerry Smith, Key O Suivan, Amanda Wiiams, Tesni Woodfa, Ea Wooster. Our Vounteers We are gratefu to our vounteers and mentors. They compement our work and enhance the services we provide as an organisation. Across our work in prisons, in detention and in the community they assist staff and cients in a range of ways. This may be as interpreters and transators, mentors to women coming to the end of their sentences, as workshops faciitators or heping out with admin tasks. We have 45 vounteers, working in a variety of roes, from interns working in the office through the CAPA and TWIN schemes (an internationa and European student earning progra mme respectivey), to crimino ogy students gaining work experience. Past cients aso continue to vounteer for Hibiscus, maintaining reationships with current cients. We want to express our thanks to a our voun teers for a their hard work and commitment. 22 Hibiscus Initiatives

23 GOING FORWARD We are deveoping our wefare services to famiies facing remova from the UK We are extending our partnerships with other organisations, working coaborativey and creativey, to maximise what we can do with imited resources We pan to extend the range of services offered in our Women s Centre We aim to estabish our presence in more femae prisons We are improving our IT systems and using technoogy to improve our efficiency We aim to achieve the PQASSO quaity mark accreditation We pan a fied trip and fact-finding visit to Romania We aim to extend Lega Immigration training so there wi be more staff quaified to give immigration advice to eve 2 Hibiscus Initiatives 23

24 MONEY MATTERS Summary of financia information is given here. Fu detais of the audited accounts and Trustees report for 2016/17 can be found on our website: Income for the year: 847,620 ( 735, /16) 780,432 Expenditure for the year: ( 611, /16) Number of staff (FTE): 18 ( /16) 24 Hibiscus Initiatives

25 WHERE OUR MONEY CAME FROM TOTAL 847,620 HOW OUR MONEY WAS SPENT TOTAL 780,432 Hibiscus Initiatives 25

26 OUR THANKS We express our appreciation to the funders and individuas who support our activities and without whom our work coud not be possibe. This project is part funded by EU Asyum, Migration and Integration Fund. Making management of migration fows more efficient across the European Union. 26 Hibiscus Initiatives

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28 Hibiscus Initiatives Resource for London 356 Hooway Road London N7 6PA T: 44(0) F: 44(0) Emai: Foow us HibiscusCharity Hibiscus Initiatives is a registered charity no Company imited by guarantee, registered in Engand no Registered office: Resource for London, 356 Hooway Road, London N7 6PA 28 Hibiscus Initiatives