Purpose: Enhance the integration of migrants through a set of articulated actions implemented by a consortium of relevant local partners.
Stimulus/Rationale:
One of the strengths of the plan is the fact that it is based on the elaboration of a social assessment, allowing one to deepen the knowledge of resident communities, either those that use formal support networks, or those that are informally integrated, about which there is not much information. This plan presents the priority intervention axis for the 2015-2017 period. After the end of the formal plan and agreement and funding from the High Commission for Migrations, the municipality decided to continue several actions of this plan, within the action of the CLAIM - Local Migrant Integration Centre, funded by the city directly.
This plan encompasses various priority areas of intervention: welcoming and integration service, citizenship, capability and training, culture and education, and language. One of the main advantages of this project is the opportunity it provides to devise corrective measures in the field of immigration, thus creating an opportunity to build a more participatory, planned and inclusive territory, making it intercultural.
Process:
The Migrant Integration Plans are an initiative by the High Commission for Migration (ACM), that motivates all Portuguese cities to draft local strategies and plans for the welcoming of migrants and diversity management with local ethnic minorities and other groups.
A group of local partners are invited to be part of the Plan. The plan is then drafted collaboratively, and the current programmes implemented by the partners are taken into consideration when drafting the Plan. The Plan is then sent for approval by the High Commission for Migration (ACM) and, if approved, receives funding for part of the actions. The remaining actions will be implemented by the partners.
Partnerships of the
- Instituto Superior Manuel Teixeira Gomes
- CAPELA Association
- ISSS, IP FARO
- Portimão Parish
- Alvor Parish
- Mexelhoeira Grande Parish
- ACES II BARLAVENTO – Portimão Health Centre
- SEF – Immigration and Borders Service
- IEFP
Impact: Several measures proposed in the plan were implemented, with the most relevant one being the creation of the migrant support office. It is a service with welcoming, information and training services for migrant citizens (immigrants, emigrants and refugees) that has been achieving positive results regarding the integration of these migrants.
Key reference documents:
