African Rainbow Family (ARF) was represented by Akindele Akinlosotu at this year’s Casework Solidarity Forum, held on 29 July 2026 at the Grassroots Resource Centre in London.
The annual forum brings together frontline migrant support workers and organisations from across the UK to connect, share experiences, exchange ideas and collectively explore the challenges and opportunities facing the migrant support sector.
As an organisation supporting LGBTIQ+ refugees and people seeking asylum of African heritage and the Global Majority, African Rainbow Family recognises the importance of creating spaces where frontline organisations can come together to strengthen solidarity, share learning and identify practical solutions to the challenges affecting the communities we serve.
Building solidarity across the sector
Following the fruitful discussions and brainstorming sessions from previous forums, this year’s event continued to provide a valuable space for frontline practitioners to reflect on the realities of migrant support work and consider how organisations can respond collectively.
The Forum included plenary discussions and smaller breakout sessions focused on different themes and challenges within the sector. These sessions encouraged participants to share their experiences, explore common concerns and develop ideas for more effective and collaborative approaches to supporting migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum.
For African Rainbow Family, participation in the Forum provided an opportunity to contribute the experiences and perspectives of our community, while also learning from organisations and practitioners working across different parts of the UK.
Strengthening collective action
The Casework Solidarity Forum highlighted the importance of collaboration in a sector where organisations and frontline workers often face complex and rapidly changing challenges. By creating opportunities for people to connect and organise collectively, the Forum helps build stronger networks of solidarity and encourages organisations to learn from one another.
Akindele Akinlosotu’s participation also reinforced African Rainbow Family’s commitment to working collaboratively with partners and frontline organisations to improve support for migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum.
The event provided an important opportunity to reflect on how collective action, knowledge-sharing and partnership working can contribute to more responsive, inclusive and effective support services.
Looking ahead
African Rainbow Family is grateful to the organisers of the Casework Solidarity Forum for creating this important space for dialogue, learning and collaboration.
We look forward to continuing to build relationships with organisations and frontline workers across the UK and contributing to collective efforts that promote dignity, equality, safety and meaningful support for migrant and refugee communities.
Together, through solidarity and collective action, we can strengthen the support available to the communities we serve.