Report on Social Policy in Action - Gypsies and Travellers
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REPORT ON SOCIAL POLICY IN ACTION
COMMUNITY CARE POLICY AND PRACTICE:
GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS
COMMUNITY CARE POLICY AND PRACTICE: GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS
INTRODUCTION
Gypsies and Travellers are an ethnic minority group who have suffered and continue to suffer complex and extensive forms of inequality and exclusion within British society. The central recurring themes that can be identified in respect of Gypsies and Travellers include prejudice and discrimination, negative public perception and stereotyping (especially through the media), lack of cross-cultural understanding and intolerance from the wider community, barriers to housing, employment and social services, including welfare benefits and health provision. This report will examine each of these themes together with the government policies that seek to address them.
Accommodation
At the heart of the conflict between residents of the wider ‘settled community’ and Gypsies and Travellers lies an insufficient supply of suitable sites and the subsequent use of unauthorised encampments for accommodation. Gypsies and Travellers are often caught in a cycle of evictions and are constantly forced to relocate from one unauthorised site to another (EHRC, 2009a). Current planning policy proposes that Gypsies and Travellers purchase private sites themselves and apply for permission to develop the site as an authorised encampment. These planning applications frequently lead to conflict with neighbouring ‘settled community’ residents, usually because of misconception and fear of the group’s traditions and culture (EHRC 2009a). In respect of social housing, Gypsies and Travellers are often excluded due to the nomadic nature of their lifestyle. Generally, Gypsies and Travellers do not to qualify for social housing due to being deemed ‘intentionally homeless’ (EHRC, 2009a).
Most Gypsies and Travellers live on rural sites and usually reside in mobile vehicles. Although few have to meet traditional...
COMMUNITY CARE POLICY AND PRACTICE:
GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS
COMMUNITY CARE POLICY AND PRACTICE: GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS
INTRODUCTION
Gypsies and Travellers are an ethnic minority group who have suffered and continue to suffer complex and extensive forms of inequality and exclusion within British society. The central recurring themes that can be identified in respect of Gypsies and Travellers include prejudice and discrimination, negative public perception and stereotyping (especially through the media), lack of cross-cultural understanding and intolerance from the wider community, barriers to housing, employment and social services, including welfare benefits and health provision. This report will examine each of these themes together with the government policies that seek to address them.
Accommodation
At the heart of the conflict between residents of the wider ‘settled community’ and Gypsies and Travellers lies an insufficient supply of suitable sites and the subsequent use of unauthorised encampments for accommodation. Gypsies and Travellers are often caught in a cycle of evictions and are constantly forced to relocate from one unauthorised site to another (EHRC, 2009a). Current planning policy proposes that Gypsies and Travellers purchase private sites themselves and apply for permission to develop the site as an authorised encampment. These planning applications frequently lead to conflict with neighbouring ‘settled community’ residents, usually because of misconception and fear of the group’s traditions and culture (EHRC 2009a). In respect of social housing, Gypsies and Travellers are often excluded due to the nomadic nature of their lifestyle. Generally, Gypsies and Travellers do not to qualify for social housing due to being deemed ‘intentionally homeless’ (EHRC, 2009a).
Most Gypsies and Travellers live on rural sites and usually reside in mobile vehicles. Although few have to meet traditional...