Social Inclusion

The NWDA is working to remove the barriers that exclude individuals from mainstream community life. The aim is to build a vibrant region based on competitiveness and social and economic inclusion by:

Making social and economic inclusion a mainstream part of all regional strategies and programmes
Developing thriving communities, citizen equality and sustainable neighbourhoods
Channelling the benefits of public and private investment to the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods and communities
Engaging all sections of the Northwest in alliances for regeneration and enabling communities to be key players in the road to social and economic inclusion
Building the capacity of individuals and communities for sustainable regeneration, citizenship and a dynamic civil society.

Key projects have included:

Merseyside Social Inclusion Observatory (MSIO) – an innovative and responsive research centre which focuses on research, effective community engagement with excluded groups and best practice

Positive Action Recruitment and Retention in the Public Sector - a project which aims to give practical social inclusion guidance and support to public sector employers and employees. The aim is to help them understand not only how they can implement policies to eliminate discrimination and enhance equal opportunities, but also how they can enable existing staff from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities and other disadvantaged groups to move up the career ladder

Asylum Seekers and Refugees Research Reports - the NWDA has funded two pieces of research to address issues facing refugees and asylum seekers in the labour market and to acknowledge that refugees have abilities that can contribute to the economic life of the region.

Regional Reducing Re-offending Action Plan (Northwest) - the Agency is supporting the regional Action Plan that sets out the Northwest's response to the Home Office National Reducing Re-offending Action Plan published in 2004. The regional Action Plan builds upon the strong and proactive work undertaken in the Northwest on the resettlement of prisoners and the management of offenders within the community.

Through partnership working, the Delivery Plan sets out the plans and commitments for the next three years at a regional level in order to achieve a 10% reduction in re-offending by the end of the decade.

Northwest Regional Reducing Reoffending Action Plan - October 2005

Northwest Regional Reducing Reoffending Delivery Plan - April 2007