The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Health Service Executive have access to interpretation and translation services. Interpreters are aware of the confidentiality requirements in all engagements between Department and Customer

If you or someone you know needs interpretation or translation in talking to social welfare, or at your GP or a hospital, it is possible to arrange this. It is better to have a professional interpreter than relying on family and friends, and staff will be able to arrange this for you. Services should be able to access interpretation over the phone right away but if possible, give advance notice. If you need language interpretation in person, you should make an appointment. If you need document translation, this needs five to seven working days.

Immigrant Services Kilkenny provide a drop-in clinic on Monday and Wednesday 9am -1pm, at the Fr McGrath Family Service Centre, St Joseph’s Road, Kilkenny city and from 9am to 5pm at O’Loughlin Court Community Building.

If you are having trouble knowing how to access the services you need, this free drop-in clinic will help you find the information that you need. See: http://frmcgrathcentre.ie/immigrant-support-clinic/

The Citizens Information Service also provide free information about public services for anyone who needs it, in person in their centre on the Parade, Kilkenny city, by phone or on their website. Staff also have a direct line to the Immigrant Council of Ireland, to help you with immigrant queries.

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/

If you need help in accessing any of the services, or filling out any of the forms mentioned below, the Citizens Information can help.

Anyone either experiencing or witnessing a racist incident can report it to the Gardaí, and offenders can be prosecuted.

Ring your local Garda station and report the incident. You can also request support from a specially trained Ethnic Liaison Officer (there are several in Kilkenny).

If you have experienced discrimination in the workplace, you can report it to the Workplace Relations Commission.

You can fill out the e-complaint form on the Workplace Relations Commission website at
https://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/

If you wish to report racist incidents confidentially, the Irish Network against Racism collects reports through www.ireport.ie

Fill out the form at http://www.ireport.ie/ . Even if you have al- ready reported it through other channels, you can report it here, to allow the Irish Network Against Racism to monitor reports of racist incidents in a variety of different settings. http://www.ireport.ie/

A fuller list of how you can report racism or discrimination is provided by the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration.

http://www.integration.ie/en/ISEC/Pages/Mig_Info_Reporting_ Racism

Ossory Youth engage with a diverse group of young people and their families through their activities around the county, and run groups for Syrian young people specifically in Urlingford, Callan and Thomastown.

Look at http://www.ossoryyouth.com/our-services/ to find out more, and contact details for relevant youth workers.

Foroige also engage with Syrian youth and other nationalities in the Drum Youth Centre, in the McDonagh Shopping Centre, Kilkenny, and in Ferrybank.

The Drum Kilkenny provides a Youth Café, a band rehearsal space, one to one support and referrals, and other organised activities.
https://macdonaghjunction.com/stores/the-drum-youth-centre/

Foroige Ferrybank are planning to work with young migrants in the 10-14 age brackets, restrictions dependent.

The Yellow Flag programme for schools is a diversity and anti-racism award scheme for schools, similar for to the Green Flag environmental programme.

The Football Association of Ireland, together with Show Racism the Red Card, deliver anti-racism training in schools across the county, including actively in Kilkenny.

This project engages with school parents from new communities and takes place on a Friday morning with two tutors from the Family Learning Project. It is currently moved online.

Hug a Book (for parents with literary difficulties) and Digital Literacy (for parents who need to upskill in IT to support children) are also open to migrant families

Both currently online. Contact Carmel Bryan on 056 7763149 for more information.

For those looking to start or develop their own businesses, both the LEADER Partnership and the Local Enterprise Office can provide supports.

Details for the Partnership are above. For the Local Enterprise Office, see
https://www.localenterprise.ie/Kilkenny/
for supports, training and events.

The Employment for People from Immigrant Countries (EPIC) programme.

Usually available for those in the Dublin region, it has now moved online and will consider applications nationwide.
https://www.bitc.ie/business-action-programmes/
business-action-on-employment/are-you-a-jobseeker/

The Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board run a full programme of English language classes at various levels, as well as other courses and services.

Contact the Adult Learning Service on 056 7763149 with regard to English language provision, or see http://kilkennycarlow.etb.ie/further-education-and-training/

for other courses.

A number of Fáilte Isteach programmes (informal, volunteer- led conversational English language classes) are currently being run in Kilkenny.

The English and Integration Course is run on a Wednesday morning in the Fr McGrath Centre by Immigration Services Kilkenny (contact 056 775 1988 to find out more). Two further mornings of classes are run by the same providers as part of the New Start programme, with the support of the County Kilkenny LEADER Partnership. Fáilte Isteach classes are also run by the Partnership in Ferrybank (contact 056 7752111).

The Library Service welcome new communities and do their best to cater to them with books, events and activities.

Find your local library at https://www.kilkennylibrary.ie/eng/

Twilight Community Group welcomes all migrant interaction and participation.

Visit the Twilight website https://www.twilight.ie/ for more details.

Membership of the PPN is open to all community and voluntary groups, including cultural and intercultural associations. If you would like to register your group with the PPN, or if you would like to find out more about groups you might join, you can email ppnkilkenny@kilkennycoco.ie, contact 056 7794710 or 087 1731634, or visit https://kilkennyppn.ie/

A new Government initiative to raise awareness about the potential signs of human trafficking. Human trafficking involves the sale, trade and exploitation of human beings for profit. This may be for the purposes of sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, criminal activity, forced begging or forced marriage, and victims may be adults or children.