Hibiscus Initiative’s Response to COVID-19

In response to government advice on the current COVID-19 crisis relating to social distancing and homeworking, Hibiscus Initiatives (Hibiscus) has had to adapt our delivery model in order to adhere to these new measures and to help keep our clients and staff safe during this time.

With our 30-year track record of providing high-quality, impactful services we remain committed to our work with foreign national and black, minority ethnic and refugee women in prison and in the community, and with men and women in detention settings. We are working hard to continue to provide remote, flexible, responsive and specialist one to one support to our Women’s Centre clients via phone and video call, email and post, and via phone calls to our clients in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). However, in line with government advice, we have had to temporarily suspend group activities at our Women’s Centre.

The groups that we work with are particularly vulnerable and often experience multiple and compounding inequalities, including health inequalities. We recognise that during this crisis, those who are already
marginalised may face increasing barriers to accessing the support and assistance they need. We will continue to support our clients to overcome the inequalities they face, including any additional barriers experienced as the result of the current crisis.

For more information please call our main phone line on 020 7697 4120 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Referring to Hibiscus

Community Resettlement Projects, including: Pan London/WrapAround, Diversion and Courts Work
Our Community Resettlement Project remains open to referrals during this time. The service provides practical and emotional support and advice to women released into the community, designed to reduce the inequalities experienced by ex-offenders and women with no recourse to public funds.

All clients referred to our Community Resettlement Project must:
➢ be referred by an existing partner agency (we do not currently take self-referrals);
➢ be 18+ years old;
➢ be women; and
➢ be either a foreign national who has been affected by the criminal justice system (CJS); a foreign national at risk of being involved in the CJS; or a victim of human trafficking who are not eligible for other sources of support.

For more information or to refer someone to our community resettlement service, please complete a Referral Form which can be download from our website and return it to referrals@hibiscus.org.uk and/or community.referral@hibiscus.cjsm.net

International Resettlement and Detention Project
If anyone has any concerns regarding anyone in an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) or would like to find out more regarding the service then they can call our office on 020 7697 4120 – we will be taking calls on this number from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

During this time our support for those in detention is phone based, but we are assisting as much as possible given the circumstances.