The objective was to explore the lived experiences and future needs of Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BAME) people residing in North Lanarkshire in relation to four key themes identified by NLC as being of interest in relation to this project:

• ageing population
• digital skills and inclusion
• employment and skills
• community cohesion and integration

Ageing population

Language was a barrier in making effective use of health and social care services especially for those who had limited or no proficiency in the English language.

The lack of a culturally sensitive care service was leading to personal care being rejected by ethnic minority families.

There was a perception that mainstream mental health services were western-centric and failed to acknowledge and consider alternative perspectives on mental health.

There was frustration at the attitude of receptionists when engaging with primary health care services such as GP services to request appointments.

Some BAME groups compared their experience of health care services in the UK unfavourably with their country of origin.

Overall, the pandemic was viewed as having had an adverse impact on the experience of using health and social care services among BAME communities.

Digital skills and inclusion

In most BAME communities, there was a marked digital divide between the younger and older generations and between those who had better proficiency in English and those who lacked the necessary language skills.

The provision of IT training by NLC and other agencies was deemed helpful. However, there were concerns that some aspects of the training did not meet the needs of learners and consequently uptake was low.

There were mixed views among BAME communities as to whether cost was a barrier to accessing digital hardware and reliable internet services with affluent BAME families not impacted by the cost of digital devices and internet provision.

In terms of future needs, some financial support for accessing digital and IT equipment would be welcomed by specific communities especially over concerns that digital services were overtaking face to face service provision since the pandemic.

Employment and skills

Occupational segregation in the labour market was viewed as being rife with BAME employees overrepresented in low status and low paid jobs.

There was a perception that racial discrimination and lack of opportunities for BAME people in the labour market contributed to unemployment and confinement to low level jobs.

For some BAME groups, language was a barrier to attaining high paid and high-status jobs even for those who possessed good educational qualifications and experience from their country of origin.

Self-employment was an attractive option for many BAME groups as it provided an escape route from unemployment and low paid jobs and compensated for lack of educational qualifications.

BAME groups would welcome training schemes and better support from agencies and organisations to help boost skills that could help enhance employment prospects.

There was frustration that skills and qualifications acquired overseas were not always recognised in the UK and this impacted on the ability to compete in the labour market.

Community cohesion and integration

Integration with the host or white majority community was broadly supported by all BAME groups but language was viewed as a key barrier especially for those born overseas and the elderly.

Despite support for integration, most BAME groups believed in the importance of maintaining their cultural and religious identity.

The ability to speak English was viewed as important by BAME groups for a variety of reasons. However, some BAME groups did not feel that ESOL classes were effectively tailored to their needs.

There was a broad consensus that the diverse cultures of ethnic minority groups were not celebrated by NLC in ways seen elsewhere in Scotland.

Racism from the white community was not a major issue but children experienced a degree of racial microaggression at school.

Most BAME groups had a better relationship with other ethnic minority groups than with the white community due to facing common challenges and having shared values and interests.

Most BAME groups felt relatively safe in their neighbourhoods and did not have too many concerns when going about their day-to-day activities.

Engagement with the political process was low as most BAME communities did not feel that politicians at local or national level did enough to address the issues they faced.

The findings reported above are broadly representative of all or most BAME communities who took part in the research. However, there are also findings that are unique to specific BAME groups that are highlighted below.

Polish community

The Polish community perceived themselves as having a stronger work ethic than their Scottish counterparts but felt they lacked confidence in asserting their rights at work.

Despite taking on work that was below the level of education and skills that had been acquired in Poland, there was a belief that the UK offered opportunities for career progression.

Polish participants were divided on whether they would stay in the UK permanently with some expecting to return to Poland at some stage in the future.

Chinese Community

The Chinese community would welcome a care home service designed specifically for elderly members of the Chinese community.

There was a feeling that some ethnic minority groups received more resources from the Council than the Chinese community.

Although most Chinese people were doing financially well, success came at certain costs such as anti-social hours and poor working conditions.

The Chinese community was underrepresented in politics at both local and Parliamentary level, not just in Scotland but across the UK. This was down to apathy among the Chinese community about participating in politics and mistrust of authorities.

Black African and Caribbean community

Health services, including GPs, needed to employ more people from ethnic minority backgrounds to create a more welcoming environment for ethnically diverse service users of both primary and secondary health care services.

There were concerns that some community centres and community facilities did not have access to reliable internet services.

There was a lack of trust when it came to white co-workers and a perception that they were out to make life hard for black employees in the workplace.

Congolese community

There is a digital divide between Congolese men and Congolese women due to women having childcare commitments and not having access to affordable childcare and being primarily housebound. This meant men had more opportunity to attend classes to get training in IT skills.

Congolese women would like the Council to provide greater access to IT equipment. While libraries did have computers these were always in demand and because libraries had specific opening and closing times, this was not always convenient.

Congolese males were struggling to find suitable employment due to lack of training and prior work experience.

Schools were not doing enough to demonstrate their inclusivity, for example primary schools had no pictures of Black children on their walls.

There was perceived discrimination in the allocation of housing with ethnic minorities offered poor and unsuitable housing in comparison to white people.

Syrian refugee community

There was a need for access to doctors who shared the same gender as patients due to cultural reasons as members of the Syrian community felt uncomfortable being examined by practitioners from the opposite sex when accessing health care services.

The adults among the Syrian community were reliant on their young children for language support as the latter had attended school in Scotland. Children were often translating for their parents and the elderly in various situations.

Syrian women who were mothers were keen for their daughters to get educated rather than get married very young and become housewives.

Syrian women are happy to pursue employment and volunteering work once their children are older.

The pursuit of self-employment was appealing to Syrian women but they lacked the funding to make this a reality.

There was a perception that Syrian men were struggling to find appropriate employment for a number of reasons such as jobs on offer not matching their skills, language barrier, and because some were suffering from health conditions acquired as a result of the conflict in Syria. Agencies geared to help find employment such as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) were not viewed as supportive.

There was disappointment that Syrian families were not given the choice to send their children to non-denominational schools.

Children had experienced racial bullying at school including name calling and girls were harassed because they wore the hijab.

The value of integrating in Scottish society was accepted but this would not be at the cost of neglecting religious and cultural practices.

The experience of fleeing persecution and the trauma of war had shaped or impacted the engagement of the Syrian community with certain services such as the police.

Indian sub-continent community

There was a lack of awareness of where to seek support in the future as more members of the Indian sub- continent community were becoming older and needed personal care, especially if they lived on their own and had no family support.

A key barrier to the recruitment of more ethnic minority carers was the depiction of care work being a menial job.

Hospital care services were not culturally sensitive with some hospitals unaware of ‘halal’ food. This meant that secondary health care services were not meeting the needs of patients from minority faiths.

It was noted that NLC provided funding and resources for IT training in different languages. However, these were poorly attended and viewed as a lost opportunity.

There was a feeling that the areas where participants reside had an impact on experience of racism. Those living in affluent areas and who attended schools there were less likely to experience issues than those who lived in deprived areas.

It was difficult to gauge the prevalence of domestic abuse in the Indian sub-continent community but it was felt that it did exist and that it was very much hidden as it was considered a taboo area in Asian society.

Some men from the Indian sub-continent were viewed as having a backward culture and were keen to push their own career forward whilst holding women back.