Communities Together Durham: Developing local advice capacity where it is needed most
Communities Together Durham (CTD)is a charity working with the Diocese of Durham on poverty and social justice. Over the past three and a half years, its work has evolved significantly in response to changing needs across County Durham, including an increase in the number of people seeking asylum.
What began as a small, pilot-funded project has developed into a broader support service, with additional funding enabling CTD to employ two further members of staff. The organisation now runs three weekly drop-ins, providing support across a wide range of issues including Universal Credit, housing, administration and asylum support.
The development of immigration advice capacity has become an increasingly important part of this work. County Durham has very limited access to immigration advice, making local capacity particularly valuable.
Developing a pathway towards regulated immigration advice
When CTD joined the Stronger Communities North East (SCNE) programme, the organisation was already supporting people with non-regulated immigration queries and working closely with Justice First. With the support of SCNE, they identified an opportunity to build on this existing relationship and develop CTD’s own capacity to provide immigration advice.
Jessie, a trainee advisor has been developing her immigration knowledge alongside her existing casework. She completed Level 2 Asylum and Protection training and sat her assessment at the end of August 2026, while four other members of the staff team have completed Level 1 training in Asylum and Protection.
The SCNE funding has provided protected time for training, revision and professional development which has been particularly important alongside a demanding frontline role.
Strengthening casework and service delivery
Although CTD does not yet provide regulated immigration advice independently, the training and development supported through SCNE has already influenced how the organisation approaches casework.
Jessie continues to respond to non-regulated queries and refers regulated matters to Justice First. She also shadows a Justice First adviser on cases, giving her the opportunity to see how complex immigration issues are handled in practice.
One particularly valuable element has been casework management training. It has helped Jessie understand the level of detail required when preparing applications, managing cases, taking notes and organising files and document bundles.
“Case management training provided an understanding of the details needed to make applications and manage cases, it has shaped my thinking and my note taking, filing, which will connect well with regulated advice provision in the future.”
— Jessie, (Trainee Adviser)
For CTD, these improvements are already visible in the quality and structure of the information being gathered from clients and referred onwards. The process has also brought greater clarity around professional boundaries, triage and when cases need to be escalated to a qualified adviser.
From learning to practical impact
One of the clearest examples of the impact of this development came when a family from Pakistan approached CTD following a refused asylum claim.
The family had not contacted the organisation immediately after receiving the decision, leaving just one day in which to lodge an appeal.
Although Jessie was not able to provide regulated advice, her developing knowledge meant she understood the urgency and the practical requirements of an appeal. Drawing on her training and experience shadowing Justice First, she was able to act quickly: communicating with the family, liaising with a legal representative, identifying the information and documents required, and helping prepare the case for the qualified adviser.
The family was able to arrive at their appointment the following day with the necessary documentation already organized, which allowed for an appeal to be lodged within the deadline.
The case demonstrates how developing frontline knowledge can complement specialist legal advice. CTD is able to provide the immediate, practical support and information-gathering that helps a regulated adviser pick up a case efficiently, while maintaining the necessary boundaries around regulated advice.
The value of partnership
For CTD, the development of immigration advice capacity has not happened in isolation, its relationship with Justice First has been central.
Justice First attends CTD's weekly drop-in, creating a semi-integrated model in which people can access frontline support locally and, where necessary, be connected with specialist immigration advice.
The relationship also provides Jessie with opportunities to shadow experienced advisers and build her practical understanding of immigration casework.
Joanne (Project Co-ordinator) believes that this partnership is particularly important given the shortage of immigration advice across the North East.
“We feel, without Justice First partnership, we wouldn’t be able to offer IAA-regulated advice. The personal relationships are critical to us.” – Joanne (Project Co-ordinator)
What Stronger Communities North East has enabled
CTD was already accessing Refugee Action training before joining SCNE, and Jessie had begun developing her knowledge through Refugee Action’s training and support. However, the SCNE programme added dedicated funding and a stronger impetus to progress towards IAA registration.
The programme has provided time for training and exam preparation, opportunities to connect with other trainees through the Community of Practice, and practical guidance through meetings and one-to-one conversations.
Joanne and Jessie particularly valued the support they received in navigating the IAA registration process, including help resolving difficulties along the way.
“There was more impetus there to get IAA registered and to engage more, as well as funding for the time.”
— Jessie (Trainee Adviser)
Joanne also believes that, without the support available through SCNE, CTD may not have continued with the registration process.
“I’m not sure we would have gone through with IAA registration if we hadn’t had SCNE support.”
— Joanne (Project Co-ordinator)
The programme has therefore contributed not only to individual learning, but to a longer-term organisational ambition to develop sustainable local capacity to respond to immigration and asylum needs.
Challenges and the road ahead
The journey towards IAA registration has not been straightforward. CTD has experienced delays and uncertainty during the registration and assessment process and since submitting the application.
“Meetings and emails with colleagues at Refugee Action have helped us through the IAA registration process.” – Joanne (Project Co-ordinator)
Despite the challenges, CTD remains ambitious about the potential impact of developing its own regulated advice capacity. If registration is secured, the organisation could become the only IAA-registered provider in County Durham — a significant development in an area where Joanne notes:
“I can’t remember the last time we were able to find somebody a lawyer. That’s the problem with the North East. There is just not enough advice available.” - Joanne (Project Co-ordinator)
Looking ahead, CTD would like to train more paid staff at Levels 1 and 2, increase Jessie's hours and give staff clearer areas of specialism. It also wants to develop the role of volunteers so they can provide more practical support with issues such as Universal Credit applications, driving licences, GP registration and housing.
For CTD, the ultimate goal is a more structured and sustainable service in which different members of the team bring different areas of expertise, supported by strong referral and partnership arrangements.
“We’d want to work more in partnership as it is isolating working on these issues in an under-served client group.” — Joanne (Project Lead)
Building local capacity where it is needed most
Communities Together Durham's journey through Stronger Communities North East illustrates how investment in frontline organisations can build capacity beyond the immediate delivery of advice.
The organisation has strengthened its casework processes, developed staff knowledge and deepened its relationship with specialist legal advice providers. These are the foundations for a more sustainable local immigration advice service in County Durham at a time when the need for accessible, trusted support has never been greater.
For more information on Communities Together Durham, please visit Communities Together Durham - Hope to Local Communities