SUPPORT will continue to be provided for asylum seekers, refugees and traveller families after a successful petition.

Vital support posts helping asylum seekers as well as traveller families were due to be axed following a funding cut.

For a number of years, primary schools in the borough have paid into a pooled budget to provide a central service to support children from to access school and the curriculum.

But schools opted to cease funding the service effective from August 31.

Now, following a successful petition from the ARC Project, which works closely with with asylum seekers and refugees across the borough, Blackburn with Darwen Council has elected to pick up the slack.

Funding for the posts has been found through restructuring the inclusion team's budget.

The petition asked the council to ensure that it continued to provide this vital service to the families.

The council has duties in relation to admissions, safeguarding and home schooling that apply to all children.

Given their specialist knowledge, staff from the New Arrivals and Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Team directly undertook some LA duties around

admissions and safeguarding, including those relating to asylum seeker and refugee children.

Children's services executive member, Cllr Maureen Bateson, said: "In recognition of the gap left when that service ends and in order to retain specialist knowledge, management built two new posts into a re-structure of the local authority's inclusion service which enables the council to continue providing specialist support for international new arrivals and for children and young people in gypsy, Roma and traveller communities in the borough.

"The restructure was approved and appropriate members of staff have been appointed to the International New Arrivals post and the Gypsy, Roma Traveller post, enabling continued support for families to navigate the

process of accessing school places."