Information
Here you will find information and links to the useful websites:
- Advice services
- Accommodation
- School system and childcare
- Education
- Passports and Immigration
- Employment
- Discrimination issues
- Benefits
- Embassies
- Asylum seekers and refugees
- Driving information
- Cheap flights
- News websites
- Online dictionaries
Advice services
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
Most towns will have a CAB. The Citizens Advice Bureau Service offers free, confidential, impartial and independent advice. Citizens Advice Bureaux help solve problems every year which are central to people’s lives, including debt and consumer issues, benefits, housing, legal matters, employment, and immigration. Advisers can help fill out forms, write letters, negotiate with creditors and represent clients at court or tribunal.
You can find your nearest CAB from www.nacab.org.uk or a phone directory.
Call Advocacy
CALL Adocacy is an organisation providing indepedent advocacy for the people of Lincolnshire. It provides a 'voice' to support people to get their views heard and their choices respected.
For further information please look: http://www.calladvocacy.org.uk/
Accommodation
Centrepoint
Centrepoint is the national charity working to improve the lives of socially excluded, homeless young people. It provides a range of accommodation based services, including emergency nightshelters and short stay hostels, specialist projects for care leavers, ex-offenders, young single parents, foyers and supported flats and floating support services. Centrepoint works with young people to enable their personal, social, educational and vocational development.
For more information please look at: http://www.centrepoint.org.uk
Council help
The Council does not own any council houses for rent but maintains a Housing Register to deal with the demand for rented homes. All social rented housing in the district (including what were previously Council houses) is owned by Housing Associations (now often referred to as Registered Social Landlords or RSLs ). Anyone 18 years old or older can apply to the Council’s Housing Register. The Council assesses each application and awards a level of priority for housing based on each person’s individual circumstances. The Council nominates applicants from the Register with the greatest housing need to the properties owned by housing association as they become available.
SHAC is a registered charity and as such is a non-profit making organisation. Since SHAC do not aim to make a profit they can keep rents at affordable levels thus making high quality accommodation available to all. SHAC have accommodation available over wide geographical areas in Northern Ireland such as Belfast, Newtownabbey, Whiteabbey, Carrickfergus, Coleraine, Enniskillen and Derry.
Please check: http://www.shac.org.uk/index.htm
Accommodation based on farms
(B&B, self-catering, camping) www.farmstayuk.co.uk
Youth Hostel Association
Accommodation www.yha.org.uk
School system/childcare
Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS)
The main aims of the EMAS service are to work in partnership with schools to:
- Reduce the level of under-achievement of ethnic minority pupils, including those with English as an Additional Language (EAL).
- Provide support for parents needing additional information, knowledge and translation in order to participate actively in the education of their children.
- Develop provision for race equality and cultural diversity
Childcare Link
The Government launched the ChildcareLink helpline and website in December 1999 as part of the National Childcare Strategy. This strategy aims to help people back into the workplace by removing the childcare barrier. The ChildcareLink service is funded by the Department for Education and Skills and the Scottish Executive. The ChildcareLink service comprises the ChildcareLink web site, a national information line 08000 96 02 96, and details of local Children's Information Services (CIS). The CISs provide face-to-face or phone advice on all aspects of childcare. http://www.childcarelink.gov.uk/index.asp
Education
The National Academic Recognition Information Centre for the UK to find out the UK equivalent of your foreign qualification www.naric.co.uk
Information for all foreign and British students studying in the UK www.ukstudentlife.com
All about learning English, studying in England, taking exams www.britishcouncil.com
Online learning www.learndirect.co.uk
Passports & immigration
Home office- http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/passports-and-immigration/ Immigration and National Directorate - http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ Home office - www.workingintheuk.gov.uk. Immigration advisory service http://www.iasuk.org/
Employment
Home office - www.workingintheuk.gov.uk
Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate -If you work for an agency that is treating you badly and you think it might be breaking the law you can report it to the government office that regulates agencies. T: 0845 955 5105
Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) - Some agencies (usually the better ones) are members of the REC, which sets standards for its members. If your agency has a REC symbol in its offices or on paperwork then you can complain to the REC if you think it is breaking employment law. T: 020 7462 3260
Health and Safety Executive- The HSE can provide advice and information on health and safety issues. T: 08701 545 500 (8am-6pm)
National Minimum Wage Helpline T: 0845 600 0678
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) -ACAS is a public body that promotes good workplace relations. Their national helpline answers employment questions and provides general advice on rights at work for employees and employers. T: 08457 47 47 47 (9am-4.30pm)
Employment Tribunal Service Enquiry Line - Information about making a claim or tribunal procedures T: 08457 959 775
Job centre plus: advice, vacancies. www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Inland Revenuewww.inlandrevenue.gov.uk
All the information about how to get a work permit in the UK www.workpermits.gov.uk
Discrimination issues
Equal Opportunities Commission T: 0845 601 5901 www.eoc.org.uk
Commission for Racial Equality T: 020 7939 0000 www.cre.gov.uk
Disability Rights Commission T: 08457 622633 www.disability.gov.uk
Lesbian and Gay Employment Rights T: 020 7704 6066 www.lager.dircon.co.uk
Benefits
Government Department of Work and Pensions – help with benefits and downloading the forms www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Department of Work and Pensions – how to apply for benefits and services www.dwp.gov.uk
Pension Service, how to apply for a pension and pension credit www.thepensionservice.gov.uk
Free calculators to help you work out your entitlement to benefits and tax credits www.entitledto.co.uk
Tax credits www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk National and Local Childcare information www.childcarelink.gov.uk
Embassies
Embassy and consulate listings and addresses worldwide www.embassyworld.com
Asylum seekers and Refugees
The Refugee Council – information about asylum seekers and refugees www.refugeecouncil.org.uk
Klars- provides advice and help for the refugees, and asylum seekers. http://www.klarskl.org.uk/
Driving information
Driver and vehicle licensing agency – all the information about driving in the UK www.dvla.gov.uk
Driving issues, accidents, all about driving in UK www.driving.co.uk
Cheap flights
www.easyjet.com
www.ryanair.com
www.airbaltic.lt
News
In the UK and world www.bbc.co.uk
Lithuanian www.delfi.lt
Latvian www.delfi.lv
Russian www.rambler.ru
Newspapers from all over the world www.worldpressweb.com
Online Dictionaries
http://dictionary.reference.com/translate/text.html
http://www.m-w.com/
http://lingvo.yandex.ru/
http://www.babelfish.altavista.com/tr
http://www.google.co.uk
