On 21st July, Priti Patel announced that the Home Office is setting out new actions in response to Wendy Williams Windrush Lessons Learned Review.
These will include comprehensive training for all working in the Home Office to ensure that they understand and appreciate the history of migration and race in this country. The department will also increase engagement with civil society and the public at an early stage to build evidence for policy and an introduction to specialist mentoring and sponsorship schemes to ensure that the Home Office reflects the diverse communities for senior jobs. This will ensure more Black, Asian and minority ethnic people will be in senior roles to drive cultural change. Home Secretary Priti Patel said,
“I am driving change to implement the important findings of the Lessons Learned review to make sure nothing like this can happen again. The action I have taken will ensure cultural change at the department, leading to more diverse leadership.
“I want the Windrush generation to have no doubt that I will reform the culture of the department so it better represents all of the communities we serve.”
Patel has also announced an evaluation of the compliant environment policy and measures. The evaluation will make sure there are the right protections in place to protect against immigration abuse, whilst ensuring no one with a legal right to be in the UK is wrongly penalised. The work to respond to and act on the Windrush Lessons Learned Review is being informed by the cross government Windrush working group co-chaired by Bishop Derek Webley.
The five themes are, righting the wrongs and learning from the past, taking a more compassionate approach – putting people above cases, more Inclusive and rigorous policy making, greater openness to scrutiny and creating an inclusive workforce. A delivery plan has been drawn up to ensure meaningful and rapid action; an approach welcomed by Wendy Williams.
Bishop Derek Webley, co-chair of the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group said,
“I and others on this group know the communities who have been affected well. We live, work and dwell among them. They have endured a great deal for a long time, and they must not be disappointed again.
“The true story of the Windrush generation is one of courage, faith, and hope. One of success and achievement. That is where we need to get to, and this process represents another positive step on the journey there.
“Three sub groups have been established to look at how to implement the Lessons Learned recommendations, how to design the new Windrush Community Fund, and how to work with the new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.”
The Home Secretary will publish a comprehensive improvement plan in response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review in September, which will show 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.
