Ask for ANI scheme and postcode checker 
 

The government is continuing to pilot the Ask for ANI (Action Needed Immediately) scheme, delivered in partnership with Hestia’s Safe Spaces, in 18 jobcentres and Jobs and Benefits Offices across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

Alongside the pilot, a new online postcode checker tool has been launched, where victims of abuse can type in their postcode and find the nearest jobcentre, Jobs and Benefits Office or pharmacy offering Ask for ANI and Safe Spaces.  

Thousands of postcodes have already been searched since the tool launched at the end of February. 

For more information and to search for your nearest providers, please visit gov.uk/ask-for-ani. 

UK unveils plans for travel scheme to bolster the border 
 

The UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme will launch for Qatari visitors in October 2023. Visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council states, and Jordan, will be the first to benefit from the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, ahead of a worldwide expansion of the scheme throughout 2024. 
 
Read more about the ETA scheme here. 
 
County Lines intensification week 

New figures demonstrate the impact of coordinated and relentless police action in tackling county lines drug gangs. County lines drug gangs continue to be shut down at pace across England and Wales, as new figures released on March 9^th demonstrate the impact of coordinated and relentless police action. 

New figures reveal that since the government launched its County Lines Programme in 2019, police have shut down 3,588 drug lines. In the last year alone, over 1,000 lines have already been closed, meaning the government is on track to surpass its target to close 2,000 lines over 3 years. 

Watch and share our video on national county lines intensification week on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.  
 
Alternately, you can read more about the work police are doing to tackle county lines drug gangs here. 

Freezing Russian assets 
 
The United Kingdom and its allies have re-affirmed their joint commitment to enforce sanctions on Russia. Since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs Task Force (REPO) has worked across the globe to block or freeze more than £48 billion in Russian assets. 

The United Kingdom alone has frozen more than £18 billion in Russian assets. 

Minister Tugendhat said: “Together we stand united in defending global democracy and fighting against authoritarianism. There is more to come.” 

Read more on this here. 

UK and New Zealand work abroad schemes 

The Youth Mobility and Working Holiday schemes have been expanded so more young people will be eligible to live and work in both countries for longer. From 29 June, the age limit for New Zealand applicants coming to the UK will go up from 30 to 35 years old and the maximum length of time people can stay in their host country will be extended to 3 years. 
 
Read more on this here. 

Illegal Migration Bill 

The Bill, introduced to Parliament on March 7^th, 2023, will mean anyone who enters the UK illegally and who has passed through a safe country will be legally required to be removed and the Home Secretary will have the power to enforce it. 
 
Read more on this here. Please get in touch if you have any questions. 

Campaign Materials 

The government is running several campaigns for vulnerable audiences. We would be grateful if you could share campaign materials and messaging on your channels, and with your networks.  

• ENOUGH.aims to challenge perpetrators and raise awareness of what we can all do to safely call out abuse. Please find attached a partner pack which includes more information on the campaign, and materials which you can share on your channels. 
• Stop Abuse Togetheraims to empower parents and carers to take steps to help keep the children in their life safe. All children have a right to be safe from sexual abuse, and we all have a role to play in keeping them safe. Let’s #StopAbuseTogether 
• Parentwiseis designed to build parents and carers’ understanding of the range of harms their child could be exposed to. It includes a partner pack to help them spot the signs that something could be wrong and empower them to act if they are worried.  

 
Stakeholder news and campaigns 

 
NCSC Cyber Aware campaign 
 
The NCSC would like to highlight their Cyber Aware campaign resource, which also contains their social media toolkit and calendar of posts.  

The tools have been developed specifically for small businesses and organisations. These include the NCSC’s Cyber Action Plan (a 5-minute online questionnaire which small businesses, microbusinesses and sole traders are encouraged to complete to identify steps they need to take to improve their online security) and the new Check your Cyber Security feature, which has been tailor-made for small organisations (including schools and charities), which enables non-technical users to identify and fix cyber security issues within their businesses.  

Please make use of their free webinar, taking place on the 28^th of March to demonstrate the tools. It will be hosted by Lindy Cameron with panellists from BT, Federation of Small Businesses and Google. 

Stakeholder surveys and campaigns 

If your organisation has any upcoming surveys or campaigns that you would like us to highlight in our newsletter, please get in touch with the External Affairs team at [email protected]