Memorandum submitted by Latin American
Women Rights Service
Ref: Standard of service delivery to people
from black minority.
My name is Virginia Cifuentes, the Housing Money
&Debt Advice Worker for the Latin American Women Rights Service
"LAWRS". I am writing to you regarding the inquiry announced
by the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee to mention
the following issues that should be taken into account to eliminate
unlawful discrimination:
LAWRS is an organisation that supports Latin
American women living in London. For this reason, we would appreciate
the DWP ensuring that Spanish & Portuguese staff, interpreters,
and written information are made available.
The language barrier is one of the most significant
problems faced by our users. Communicating with members of staff
is often a real difficulty and in matters of extreme importance,
having Spanish/Portuguese-speaking staff would be an invaluable
help.
Many of our users feel frustrated at the fact
that they cannot get their message across and although they acknowledge
their own need to learn English, they would also appreciate having
material available or someone who spoke their native language
at hand (especially at the Jobcentre Plus).
We would also suggest that the DWP should include
in their monitoring form the Latin American Community.
I would like to thank you for taking the time
to consider these points.
Latin American Women Rights Service
5 May 2004
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