How to get ahead in ... Gypsy and Traveller support work

From the Guardian

Gypsy and Traveller officers working for councils share mixed views about government proposals to give local authorities new sanctions to eject Travellers and Gypsies from unauthorised sites before they have a chance to settle.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles announced the new powers for councils – which would involve issuing "temporary stop notices" and unlimited fines – at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham last week.

But Bill Forrester, chair of the National Association of Gypsy and Traveller Officers (NAGTO), says many professionals are already achieving these ends without the promised extra powers. "What a lot of us are doing now about this issue, is maintaining contact with planning enforcement officers and their work with unauthorised sites, to prevent them getting out of hand. That approach appears to work."

The secretary of state's announcement of a new policy on the Gypsy and Traveller communities has coincided with a call to draw up a national model for looking after their needs. According to Pauline Burton, Gypsy Liaison Officer (GLO) at Leicestershire county council, pulling together a team of professionals from the local authority, health, police and education sectors can help to reduce public prejudice and provide Gypsies and Travellers with the most appropriate support at the right time.

Burton, who is also a member of the NAGTO national executive committee, says: "I would like to see the model we have developed in Leicestershire established all over the country, to have a multi-agency Gypsy and Traveller unit all in one place."

The Gypsy and Traveller unit in the East Midlands is made up of a team co-ordinator and three GLOs, a police officer, an education welfare officer and a supporting people officer. Its remit includes helping with planning applications for permanent sites, as well as responsibility for evictions from unauthorised sites. While the unit is in charge of site management, it also works to increase understanding of the Traveller community and develop links. A similar multi-professional team already exists in Northamptonshire and discussions are underway about establishing a unit in Essex.

The success of the East Midlands unit, which was set up three years ago and covers Leicester city, Leicestershire and Rutland, led to the creation of the Gypsy and Traveller Equity project. Its volunteers, together with the Gypsies and Travellers who take part in the project, have become the voice of the community, raising awareness about their lifestyle and culture.

Burton says: "They have become a voice for themselves, which is much more important than having somebody like me. No GLO should be talking about Gypsies and Travellers – they should be talking themselves."

There are thought to be around 125 GLOs in England, working for local authorities and traditionally based in housing and environmental health teams, yet there are few nationally accredited qualifications for these staff.

Until last year, the Chartered Institute of Housing offered an accredited Level 3 professional housing qualification for people working with Gypsies and Travellers. The course was unusual in two ways: firstly, Gypsies and Travellers were learning alongside professionals; secondly, it was thought to be the only course of its kind that offered Gypsies and Travellers the chance to complete a national Level 3 qualification. However, the course folded last year, after local authority funding dried up.

South West Councils in Somerset, which represents the interests of local authorities in the region but also has a national training arm, runs a Level 3 Btec advanced award in management of Traveller and Gypsy sites. The qualification includes learning about site management, planning law, health and safety issues and current government policy around the Gypsy and Traveller communities and their sites. The organisation is in the process of developing the course into a Level 4 qualification, which will include a new module about Gypsy and Traveller culture.

Fay Edwards, director of learning at South West Councils, says the qualification now attracts a broad range of students from across the public sector, amid growing interest in Gypsies and Travellers. "What we have found in recent years is that it's not just GLOs and Gypsy site managers who attend the course, we now get people from the police, from housing, and local councillors coming as well."