Windrush factsheet - February 2021 Update:
The Windrush generation were wronged by successive governments. To help right those wrongs, the Home Office has put in place a number of measures.
Supporting people to settle their status in the UK and outreach
Windrush Scheme
On 16 April 2018, the Home Office established the Windrush Taskforce, now known as the Help Team, to ensure members of the Windrush generation could get the documentation they need to prove their right to be in the UK.
Over 13,300 documents have been provided to more than 12,500 individuals confirming their status or British citizenship.
To help people apply for documentation, the Taskforce has attended over 80 surgeries in person at places of worship, care homes and community centres, across the UK since 2018.
Windrush Compensation Scheme
The Windrush Compensation Scheme was launched on 3 April 2019 and will be open for claims until at least 2 April 2023.
You may be able to claim compensation if you suffered losses because you could not show that you had a right to live in the UK.
Since April 2019 the Scheme has offered over £12 million, of which £4.1 million has been paid.
On 24 February the Home Office published the latest set of data on the scheme which covers the period to the end of January 2021.
To the end of January:
- The value of all payments made through the scheme was over £4.1m.
- A further £8m had been offered to individuals, awaiting acceptance or pending review.
- 338 claims had accepted and received a payment
- 651 people had been referred to the independent claimant assistance provider.
On 14 December the Home Office announced an overhaul of the scheme to ensure that people receive significantly more money, much more quickly.
We increased the minimum award under the Impact on Life category to £10,000. This is forty times the previous minimum award under this category and will be paid as a new early preliminary payment as soon as someone applying on their own behalf or on behalf of a deceased relative can show any impact on their life under the terms of the Scheme. They do not need to wait for their whole application to be assessed.
We also increased the value of awards for impact on life at every level so everyone will be paid more in this category, with the maximum award increasing from £10,000 to £100,000 (with options for even higher awards in exceptional circumstances).
Case studies:
- Individual A was originally offered around £10,000 to compensate them under impact of life. Through the revised scheme they were offered and have accepted £100,000.
- Individual B was originally offered just under £50,000 to compensate them under impact of life, legal fees and loss of access to employment. Through the revised scheme they were offered and have accepted just under £115,000.
- Individual C was originally offered £7,000 to compensate them under impact of life. Through the revised scheme they were offered and have accepted just under £70,000.
The scheme was designed with the independent oversight of Martin Forde QC, in close consultation with those who had been affected, to be as comprehensive and easy to use as possible. As a result, people should not require legal assistance to make a claim.
For those who do need support, the Home Office has funded an organisation to provide free, independent claimant assistance to individuals for the duration of the scheme. We are Digital will provide this service from the first quarter of 2021. Until then Citizens Advice will continue to support members of the Windrush generation and their families. This support is accessed by referral through the Windrush Helpline: 0800 678 1925.
Compensation payments are made as quickly as possible, but each person’s claim is deeply personal and deserves to be processed with the utmost care and sensitivity so that the maximum payment can be made to them.
Individuals must accept their offer of compensation before it can be paid, or, if they are dissatisfied, they can ask for a review.
This is first through an internal review and, if someone remains dissatisfied, through an independent review by the Adjudicator’s Office.
Urgent and exceptional cases
In December 2018, the Home Office established an Urgent and Exceptional Payments process for those members of the Windrush generation who had an urgent and exceptional need in advance of the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
The process remains open for those who need it. The total value of the payments approved to date is £46,795.08.
But this is just one way we help those in urgent need. There is also a dedicated Vulnerable Persons Team (VPT) to provide help and advice for more vulnerable people. This service also helps people:
- with support and advice on accessing mainstream benefits
- get support and advice on housing
To the end of March, the VPT has provided support to 1,438 individuals including:
- 364 referrals to Department for Work and Pensions in relation to fresh claims and reinstatement of benefits
- 265 individuals given advice and support on issues relating to housing
Windrush Cross-Government Working Group
On 22 June 2020, the Home Secretary launched the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group.
The Working Group, co-chaired by the Home Secretary and Bishop Derek Webley, brings together community organisations with government representatives to support the delivery of practical solutions to address challenges affecting the Windrush generation and their families.
Engagement
Grassroots, face-to-face engagement has been key to delivering our messages to the people we know we need to reach.
Since 2018, we have held approximately 135 engagement and outreach events across the country. These events include approximately 80 one-to-one surgeries to help people apply for documentation through the Windrush Help Team and over 30 public community engagement events to raise awareness of the Windrush Schemes.
These events were moved online during the coronavirus pandemic so that people can continue to access support and advice on the Windrush Schemes. To date, we have held 20 online events.
Promotion of the Schemes and supporting communities
The Windrush Community Fund opened for applications on 14 December. The Community Fund supports community and grassroots organisations to run outreach and promotional activity to raise awareness of the Windrush Scheme and Windrush Compensation Scheme.
For more information and how to apply go to: www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-windrush-community-fund
- For those who may need some assistance for smaller financial costs in holding events (e.g. venue hire and refreshments), applications can be put forward to the Home Office.
- To reach priority audiences throughout the UK, the Home Office ran a £750,000 advertising campaign late last year. The campaign used a range of channels including print, local radio, web and social media to make more people aware of the support available to them and how to apply.
- Grassroots activity has included partnerships with specialist media outlets and the recruitment of campaign ambassadors. The ambassadors have worked in communities throughout the UK to encourage and support applications amongst their networks, via activities such as media interviews, hosting information events, distributing materials through food banks, faith organisations and coordinating social media work.
- The Government continues to work closely with stakeholders to ensure as many people as possible apply.
Learning lessons and moving forward - the Windrush Lessons Learned Review
In 2018, the previous Home Secretary commissioned a lessons learned review into the events leading up to Windrush. Independent oversight was provided by Wendy Williams.
After receiving the final report, the Home Secretary published the report the next day on 19 March 2020.
On behalf of successive governments, the Home Secretary apologised to the Windrush generation for the way they were treated.
On 21 July 2020, the Home Secretary set out the action the Home Office is taking in response to the Wendy Williams Windrush Lessons Learned Review.
This includes comprehensive training for everyone working in the Home Office to ensure they understand and appreciate the history of migration and race in this country. Every existing and new member of staff working for the Home Office will be required to undertake this training.
Greater emphasis will be placed on taking a more compassionate approach to individual applications and decision makers will be empowered to use their own discretion and pragmatism.
The Home Secretary published a comprehensive improvement plan in response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review on 30 September, which shows how the Home Office is delivering on the recommendations and working to be more diverse and worthy of the trust of the whole communities it serves.
NOTE:
Statistics on the Windrush Compensation Scheme were updated on Wednesday 24 February 2021.
Offer numbers are taken from a live operational database and may be subject to future change or revision.