Syrian refugees due in Westmeath next month

The first group of refugee families fleeing the Syrian conflict will arrive in Westmeath within the next four weeks or so, it has been confirmed.

Some 13 families are to be housed in Mullingar in either late June or early July, Westmeath County Council has confirmed.

“The families will be accommodated in homes around the town which have been identified to facilitate their positive integration into the existing community.”

The council, in a statement, explained that the families have arrived in Ireland and are currently being accommodated in the Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres of which there are three (Monasterevin, Clonea Strand and Ballaghaderreen).

After it emerged last year that some 24 refugee families would be allocated to the county, Westmeath County Council established a Resettlement Inter-Agency Working Group to plan and prepare for their arrival.

Membership of the Working Group includes representatives of the mainstream service providers such as the HSE, the ETB, TUSLA, An Gardai, the Department of Social Protection and Westmeath Childcare.

The council said it recently met with the principals of the local schools in Mullingar with a view to enrolling all of the children in the appropriate classes on their arrival.

'We also met with local voluntary agencies in the town in order to identify volunteers who can assist with the integration of the families into the local community. Both meetings were very positive.'

Following a recent tendering process, the council appointed Westmeath Community Development Ltd (WCD Ltd) as its Implementing Partner for the provision of support services for the Westmeath Resettlement Programme. WCD Ltd is currently recruiting a support worker.

The resettled refugees have the same rights as that of an Irish citizen.

Another 10 and 12 refugee families are due to arrive in Athlone until late 2017/early 2018 and preparations are already underway to identify suitable accommodation for these families.

WCD Ltd will continue as the council’s Implementing Partner for this part of the programme and the inter agency working group will continue to work with the council and the Department of Justice & Equality to ensure the proper integration of these families into the community on their arrival.

Nationally, the Government has committed to receiving at least 4,000 people through the Irish Refugee Protection Programme. These include over 2,600 to be admitted as asylum seekers from Italy and Greece and over 1000 persons to be admitted for resettlement primarily from Lebanon.

The council also reiterated that refugees are selected following face-to-face interviews carried out by the Irish team from the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration in Lebanon.

The purpose of these interviews is to assess all prospective refugees in terms of their suitability, their health requirements and their educational needs.

Background security checks have also been undertaken and health screening is carried out in advance of departure.