AVID - Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees
Contact details
AVID - Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees
27-31 Carlton Road
Nottingham
NG3 2DG
Public phone: 0207 281 0533
Email: enquiries@aviddetention.org.uk
Website URL: http://www.aviddetention.org.uk
General information
Service offered: We are a small, national charity that supports volunteer visitors to immigration detainees, wherever they are held. We have 16 member groups that visit in every detention centre in the UK, and some prisons. We work to raise awareness of immigration detention and we advocate for positive change in the detention system. AVID's membership network comprises 16 visitors groups and organisations who visit across the UK, representing over 650 volunteer visitors, as well as many individual members, who give their time to befriend and support people being held in immigration detention. Our members visit in every detention centre and short term holding facility in the UK, as well as in a number of prisons. All visitors groups are independent, but work with AVID and each other to ensure that detainees across the UK have access to the emotional and practical support of a volunteer visitor, to share best practice, and to promote a collective voice for change based on detainees' real life experiences. We also support our membership(visitors groups) by provide training, advice, information and networking. Training - We develop and deliver a range of training for volunteer visitors on topical and current issues, equipping them with the skills to support detainees and to deal with the challenging situations they may encounter while volunteering. We deliver our own training, as well as working with expert partner organisations on our training programmes. Sessions regularly delivered to visitor groups include: Detention Policy and Practice; Working with vulnerable people; Unlawful detention and Access to healthcare and legal advice for detainees / Advice and Support - We provide ongoing support, advice and information to both established visitors groups and those in the process of setting up and running new groups. Visitors groups contact us regularly and we meet every month via the Detention Monitoring Group. We also make regular outreach visits and support groups to work together to share experiences and address common issues and challenges / • Information sharing and networking - We work to bring groups together to share ideas and information, network and work collaboratively on detention issues. This includes a range of events such as our annual Coordinators' Conference. We also produce a Handbook for Visitors which contains a wealth of information on detention policy and practice, guiding volunteers through the visiting process and giving background information on the experience of detention and visiting skills
Target group: People held in immigration detention, volunteer visitor to immigration detainees, visitors groups.
Area served: UK.
How to contact: Phone (0207 281 0533) , email.
Availability
Monday: 9.30am - 6pm
Tuesday: 9.30am - 6pm
Wednesday: 9.30am - 6pm
Thursday: 9.30am - 6pm
Friday: 9.30am - 6pm
Weekends:
Office Hours:
Accessibility
Wheelchair access: Yes - full
Accessible toilets: Yes
Access notes: Yes to all of the above- Contact by phone, email or letter. Conferences and meetings held at accessible venues.
Other information
Languages other than English:
Charity number: 1063784
Year established: 1994
Staffing: 2 Full Time Staffs, 7 trustees, 650+ visitors.
Public transport:
Record last checked: 22 November 2023