I am grateful to have spent my Leadership in Action Project working at the non-profit organisation - Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) – as a policy researcher and caseworker. The charity has the long-term aim of ending immigration detention in the UK by improving access to justice and legal representation for detainees. As such, my work was in line with this broader aim and was divided into two halves – namely an independent research project and a caseworker on bail applications. 

From 10am to 12pm, I would respond to calls on the client advice line, where individuals would ask to open a bail enquiry or to ask for updates on their bail application. Hence, each day my tasks would vary depending on the workload, for example, on some days I was able to further develop my research project and on other days I was largely preoccupied with completing work for clients from the advice line. On a call, I would ask questions relating to their identity and circumstance before writing notes on their profile for the legal manager to check. If it was a new person calling in, and therefore a new case, I would send a prison pack or outreach pack depending on whether the detainee is being held at a prison or immigration removal centre. These packs contained several documents for the clients to sign and send back to BID before we could begin working on their cases. Since bail could only be applied for every 28 days, the advice line would be constantly busy because clients wanted to ensure their application had no faults before progressing to the next stage. Hence, the work was fast paced but enjoyable, as necessary documents had to be posted on the same day – likewise tasks were to be completed after a call.  

In addition to my work as a caseworker, I also enjoyed my role as a policy researcher. I was assigned a research project regarding the Human Rights Act (1998) and the implications of recent immigration legislation on foreign nationals who arrived in the UK as minors. I created a semi-structured interview plan and conducted phone interviews, I then analysed the responses for key information and statistics. During the research, I visited an Immigration Removal Centre and interviewed detainees along with my supervisors. I completed the report within this limited six-week time frame. The responsibility and insight I gained from being given large discretion with my project was invaluable because I was exposed to the first-hand difficulties of individuals going through the immigration and prison system. Whilst there were personal challenges in terms of being pushed outside of my comfort zone when I had to call refugees in prison or refugee detention centres for the interviews and on the advice line, as well as contact senior members of staff (for instance, probation officers), I am glad I had these opportunities as I gained confidence communicating with a range of people and portraying myself in a professional manner.   

I believe my project will be one steppingstone in exposing the inherent malice in immigration detention. Working with BID allowed me to raise awareness for the refugee community through social media (as I briefly worked with the social media team) as well as in my personal life as I would speak about the experiences I had working with immigration services to the people around me. Therefore, this project will undoubtedly have a sustained positive impact because an increasing number of people are aware of the issues facing detainees and the wider community. Moreover, due to the knowledge I gained, I am able to continue spreading the shared stories of people impacted by immigration detention and legislation, in hopes to bring this issue to light.   

Regarding the integral theme of leadership, I used to think leadership was about a singular person. Following this project, I have come to realise that leadership is defined relative to the relationship a leader has with their people. Whilst I have always thought that a leader must have empathy and integrity, these beliefs have been strengthened over the project. This is particularly because the people we spoke to ultimately needed a conversation where they were being compassionately listened to as opposed to demeaned and ignored.  

To conclude this post, I would like to thank Annie and Ines for being encouraging and reliable managers. I also hope that my experience can contribute to a productive discussion about immigration detention and the sustained ramifications of this practice upon individuals, their families as well as the wider communities.