| | | | | | | | Welcome to the February edition of Spotlight | | | | Welcome to your February Spotlight! Read on to find out about our work over the last month and remember to follow us on social media for regular updates. X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
| | | | | | Dear Colleagues,
As we move through February, I am proud to share the Traveller Movement’s ongoing work across policy, advocacy, and community engagement.
This month, we were pleased to welcome Neale Richmond TD, Irish Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, to our offices for important discussions on the Irish Government’s forthcoming Diaspora Plan. Alongside key sector partners, we reinforced the need for greater recognition, targeted support, and action on discrimination affecting Irish Travellers in Britain.
Our Education Policy Team is gearing up for the Parliamentary Launch of our new report on institutionally coercive exclusions, a vital opportunity to shape policy for Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Traveller children. In Criminal Justice, we welcomed the Ministry of Justice’s commitment to tackling ethnic disproportionality in youth justice, a strategy we have long advocated for. Meanwhile, our Women’s Team is preparing for our International Women’s Day event in Parliament, celebrating the achievements of our Women’s Empowerment Network.
As always, our work is driven by the voices and experiences of the communities we serve. Whether it’s supporting the Stable Way Residents Association, engaging with local authorities in London, or continuing our Know Your Rights sessions, we remain committed to fighting for equity, inclusion, and justice.
Thank you for your continued support.
Best wishes,
Yvonne MacNamara CEO
| | | | | | | | | | The Traveller Movement welcomes Minister Neale Richmond to discuss Irish Diaspora Plan | | This month, the Traveller Movement was pleased to host Neale Richmond TD, Irish Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, at our offices. The Minister and his team are currently developing the Irish Government’s Diaspora Plan, which seeks to strengthen engagement with Irish communities abroad. As part of this discussion, we were joined by key sector organisations, including GATEHerts, London Gypsies and Travellers, and Friends, Families and Travellers, alongside Irish Traveller and Romani community members. The meeting provided a platform to highlight the specific needs and priorities of the Irish Traveller diaspora in the UK, ensuring they are meaningfully included in the Government’s forthcoming strategy. Key Priorities for the Irish Traveller Diaspora During the discussions, community representatives and sector leaders underscored the following priorities: Next Steps We welcome the Irish Government’s commitment to an inclusive Diaspora Plan and look forward to further engagement to ensure the voices of Irish Travellers are represented in policy and practice. The Traveller Movement will continue to work closely with the Irish Embassy in Britain and relevant government stakeholders to advance these priorities and strengthen support for the Irish Traveller diaspora. | | | | | | | |
Equality and Social Justice Unit (ESJU)
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Our Community Advocacy Caseworker has been handling a large volume of cases this month. Over the coming months, we are hoping to host several drop-in clinics for communities living on sites. Our Head of Partnerships and Advocacy has been supporting the residents on Stable Way to set up a Residents Association and is keen to organise a drop-in for the residents with our Community Advocacy Caseworker and Senior Women’s Worker over the coming months. We will keep you updated on this work!
We are also continuing with our Know Your Rights sessions, with our next session on 27th February. If you would like to register for any of our upcoming events, please visits our What's On page here
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This month, the Traveller Movement’s Education Policy Team has been actively preparing for the upcoming Parliamentary Launch of our groundbreaking report on institutionally coercive exclusions.
This panel event will convene policymakers, sector stakeholders, and third-sector experts to examine the systemic barriers facing Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Traveller children in education.
The event is being hosted by Baroness Morris of Yardley, former Secretary of State for Education and Skills, who will deliver the keynote address. It will provide a critical platform to discuss the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, exploring opportunities to strengthen legislative provisions that promote full and inclusive education for all young people.
With limited capacity and high demand, we encourage early registration for the event, taking place on 11th March. Secure your place here
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This month, the Traveller Movement’s Criminal Justice Policy Team participated in a strategic meeting with the Alliance for Youth Justice and Youth Justice Minister Sir Nic Dakin. During this meeting, the Minister confirmed that the Ministry of Justice will be developing a dedicated ethnic disproportionality strategy for the youth justice system—an initiative that the Traveller Movement and sector partners have long advocated for.
We welcome this commitment and will continue engaging with Minister Dakin and the Ministry of Justice to ensure the strategy includes targeted provisions for young Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Travellers.
To strengthen this work, we are actively seeking input from young people with lived experience in the youth justice system.
If you would like to share your insights, please contact our team at cjs@travellermovement.org.uk. | | | | | | The team have been hard at work organising our International Women’s Day event in Parliament celebrating the launch of our Women’s Empowerment Network Annual Review 2024-2025. We hope you will join us in celebrating the achievements of our WEN members on Wednesday 19th March at 5:30 PM. To register for your FREE place, please click here
We have also started a piece of work seeking to improve referral pathways for Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Travellers to access talking therapy services. Stay tuned for more information about this project!
Our Never Going to Beat You Training is resuming. We have trainings booked in for February and March and will be announcing upcoming training dates shortly! You will be able to book in for these trainings here | | | | | |
Our London Partnerships Officer has been meeting with local authorities across London to find out what they are doing to support their Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller constituents – and improve their access to healthcare, education and employment.
The team have also begun working on a 1-year project called The Dignity Campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness around the living conditions on local authority sites across the country, with a specific focus on the Stable Way site.
We will be producing a short investigative film as part of this project. Stay tuned for more information on this!
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Our Work on Stable Way Site
Located directly underneath the A40 near Latimer Road, in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, is the Stable Way site. The site became a local authority site in 1976 but had been a stopping place for Romani (Gypsies) and Irish Travellers for centuries prior to this. The site has 19 pitches but is overcrowded and concerns have been raised around living conditions on the site.
Read more here
| | | | Parliament and Government Announcements
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Our public affairs team is actively working on the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, ensuring that all changes to social care and education are culturally competent and inclusive. We are collaborating closely with Janet Whitaker and other MPs and Lords to table amendments that will better reflect the needs of Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller communities.
If you want to have your say on this important issue, we encourage you to contact your local MP and share your views. Your voice can help shape a more inclusive and equitable future for all children.
MOPAC (Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime) is conducting a public consultation to help shape its Police and Crime Plan for 2025-2029, which will run until 10 February. The draft plan is available here, along with information on various ways you can participate in the consultation.
The Child Poverty Unit is also looking for people to feed into its work you can submit your views here.
If you would like to get involved in any of our work, please contact publicaffairs@travellermovement.org.uk
| | | | | | Digital and Communications Officer - Find out more and apply here
The ideal candidate will be a self start, highly motivated individual with excellent professional credentials and at least 2-3 years experience in the digital, communications and public relations field to undertake the role of Digital & Communications Officer. The officer will work 14 hours a week and play a crucial role in spearheading the implementation, design and deliver a comprehensive campaign agenda and outreach programme in line with our strategic objectives. They will ensure TM's Senior Management Teams and Community Advocates are equipped and prepared to take advantage of media opportunities that arise, to raise our profile in line with strategic objectives.
Suitable candidates from the Romani Traveller Roma communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Advisory board ongoing recruitment – find out more here
TM are also recruiting a new intern for the Partnerships team. Find out more here. This is an ideal opportunity for anyone with an interest in film making, social media and/or digital design. | | | |
28th January 2025: Know Your Rights Session with Ben Hoare Bell Solicitors - BOOK HERE
25th February 2025: Dealing with Hate Crime, Hate Incidents and Hate Speech - BOOK HERE
27th February 2025: Know Your Rights Session with Bindmans - BOOK HERE
19th March 2025: Empowering Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller Women - BOOK HERE
3rd April 2025: Know Your Rights Session with Criminal Injuries Helpline - BOOK HERE
9th April 2025: Autism Awareness Training - BOOK HERE
| | | | Community facing survey We are currently working on a research project around the effects of shame and reputation within the Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Traveller communities. This project takes a peer-led approach, which means we will be actively involving community members to ensure our findings genuinely reflect the lived experiences and voices of community members. As part of this research project, we have created a survey and we would love to hear what you have to say around this topic.
Please feel free to share this survey to your family and friends. The link to the survey is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GXB8SXF. We will also be putting the link to this on our social media.
| | | | Contact TM's Community Advocacy Caseworker on
079 0843 3413
| | Contacts TM's Domestic Abuse Helpline on
0754 1637 795
| | | | Follow our EventsBrite page to keep up to date on what Events we are holding | | Visit our Women's microsite for information and support for Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller Women
| | Visit our Education microsite support Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Travellers in the UK to navigate Education
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