New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy 2018 to 2022: evaluation

1. Introduction

There has been a New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy in place since 2014, developed by the Scottish Government, COSLA, Scottish Refugee Council (SRC) and a range of other partners across the public, third and academic sectors. The Strategy aims to provide a framework for those working towards refugee integration to assist them to make the best use of resources and expertise that are available across Scotland. It sets out a vision for a welcoming Scotland where refugees and people seeking asylum are able to rebuild their lives and integrate into society from the day they arrive in Scotland.

To understand what the Strategy has achieved between 2018-2022, and to aid the development of the third iteration of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy (2023-2027), the Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, the Scottish Refugee Council and University of Glasgow, commissioned an evaluation of the 2018-2022 Strategy. The overall aim of the evaluation was to gain a fuller understanding of what works in relation to refugee integration in Scotland. The objectives of the evaluation were to assess how the Strategy has been implemented, the progress made towards achieving its intended outcomes and what learning could be used to inform future policy and practice. The evaluation forms part of the New Scots Refugee Integration Delivery Project (NSRIDP), a two-year (2020-2022) EU-funded programme aimed at understanding, documenting and expanding the impact and reach of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy (2018-2022). The programme is supported by the European Commission’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and involves a partnership between the Scottish Government, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the Scottish Refugee Council and the UNESCO Chair at the University of Glasgow.

1.1. Refugees and people seeking asylum

A refugee is someone who has left a country to escape violence, war or persecution and has had their status as a refugee recognised under the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Refugees have full access to the same social and economic rights as UK citizens, including medical treatment, education, benefits, housing and employment.

A person seeking asylum is someone who has asked a government to recognise their refugee status and is waiting to hear the outcome of their application. The UK is a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention and therefore must consider applications for asylum made in the UK by a person who claims to be fleeing persecution^[1]. People seeking asylum are not entitled to most welfare benefits in the UK and are, in most cases, banned from working. They can access support in the form of housing and basic living expenses while in the UK through the Home Office. This is known as ‘Asylum support’^[2].

People seeking asylum who are granted refugee status are classed into one of two groups. A refugee is classed as Group 1 if they:

• came to the UK directly from a country or territory where their life or freedom was threatened
• made their claim for asylum without delay
• have entered or have stayed in the UK illegally and the authorities have accepted their reason for doing so

A refugee who doesn’t satisfy these conditions is classed as a Group 2 refugee.

If a refugee falls in Group 1 they may be given permission to stay in the UK for a minimum of 5 years in what is known as ‘refugee permission to stay’. The exact amount of time depends on how their application has been assessed. After 5 years, they can then apply to settle in the UK. If a refugee falls in Group 2 they may be given permission to stay in the UK for a minimum of 30 months. This is known as ‘temporary refugee permission to stay’. The exact amount of time depends on how their application has been assessed. After 10 years they can apply to settle in the UK under long residency rules^[3].

1.2. Policy background

Asylum policy is reserved to the UK Government under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998^[4]. As a result, the UK Government has control over arrangements for the accommodation and financial support of people seeking asylum, as well as the assessment of asylum claims. However, health, education, legal services and housing services (excluding asylum accommodation), which are essential to supporting refugees and people seeking asylum, are devolved and therefore the responsibility of the Scottish Government and local authorities. Scotland’s New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy aims to support refugees and people seeking asylum to integrate from the day of their arrival.

Since the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act^[5], a proportion of the people seeking asylum in the UK have been dispersed to Scotland while waiting for a decision on their asylum application. The UK policy of dispersal has been criticised for selecting accommodation based on availability as opposed to where existing social networks and kinship are in place, which can contribute to social exclusion and isolation^[6]. The available accommodation is often concentrated in already deprived communities leading to additional barriers to integration^[7].

For over two decades, Glasgow was the primary^[8] local authority area in Scotland where people seeking asylum were housed, with approximately 10% of the UK’s dispersed asylum population accommodated there^[9]. In April 2022, the UK Government announced plans for a policy of full asylum dispersal, under which it was assumed that asylum accommodation could be procured in any local authority in the UK. Widening of asylum dispersal is now beginning in areas outwith Glasgow.

Since 2015, the UK Government has launched multiple refugee resettlement schemes. These include: the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) (2015-2020); the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) (2016-2020); the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) (2021- present); the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) (pathways 1, 2 and 3; 2022– present) in early 2022; the Scottish Government’s Super Sponser scheme alongside the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme (2022-present); the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) (2021- present); and the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) (2021- present). See Box 1 for further details.

In addition to these resettlement schemes, there have always been ‘spontaneous arrivals’ of people seeking asylum and UASC throughout Scotland. However, as noted in the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy in 2018, the majority of refugees living in Scotland at that point had arrived through the asylum system rather than through these resettlement programmes. The implementation of these refugee resettlement schemes in Scotland has been led by local authorities in partnership with local statutory and third sectors. Resettlement schemes (e.g. Vulnerable Persons/Children’s Resettlement Scheme) allow for a more person-focused resettlement approach.

There are currently around 5,000 people seeking asylum, who are living in Scotland. The exact number changes all the time, as people come into and exit the asylum system, but has been around 5,000 for several years. There is no data on the number of refugees living in Scotland. Once people are granted refugee status, they are free to live where they choose in the UK like anyone else in the community, and there is no data collection in the general population that identifies people as refugees. Despite the number of people who have arrived from Ukraine, it will still be the case that the majority of refugees in Scotland have come through the asylum system, as asylum dispersal has been in place in Scotland for over 20 years.

Box 1.1: UK resettlement schemes

Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS)

The Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) was launched in 2014 and expanded in 2015 to help resettle 20,000 refugees from the conflict in Syria by 2020. This was the first time that all local authorities in Scotland began to receive resettled refugees. According to the Home Office September 2022 report, Scotland received approximately 16% of the 20,319 Syrian refugees who were resettled in the UK under this scheme.

Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS)

The Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) was launched in 2016 to support refugee children from the Middle East and North Africa region. The scheme’s aim was to resettle 3,000 ‘at-risk’ refugee children. Scotland received approximately 13.6% of the 1,838 refugee children who arrived in the UK under this scheme.

Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)

The UK Government introduced the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) in April 2021, offering relocation to eligible Afghan citizens who had worked with or for the UK government in Afghanistan in “exposed or meaningful roles”. As of November 2022, over 11,600 people had been relocated from Afghanistan to the UK as part of the scheme.

Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) was formally opened in early 2022 to help resettle vulnerable people and those that have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan. It consists of three pathways. The UK Government stated that the scheme would resettle more than 5,000 people in the first year and up to 20,000 over the coming years. Data published in the Immigration System Statistics release show a total of 21,365 individuals under the Afghan ARAP and ACRS pathway 1 schemes. This number differs from the total number of arrivals following the evacuation from Afghanistan, as not all those evacuated required resettlement (for example British citizens or those with settled status). The total number of arrivals up to the end of December is around 24,500.

Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

The Ukraine Super Sponsor scheme was introduced by the Scottish Government alongside the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme in March 2022 to provide sanctuary to those fleeing Ukraine. As of 14 March 2023, there had been a total of 45,126 confirmed applications (of which 85% were sponsored by Scottish Government), 38,183 visas issued (of which 85% were sponsored by Scottish Government) and 23,778 arrivals (of which 81% are sponsored by Scottish Government) with a Scottish Sponsor.

UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS)

The start of the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) began in 2021 and was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme states that the UK will continue to “offer a safe and legal route to vulnerable refugees”. Progress has subsequently been slow due to focus on Afghanistan and Ukraine.

National Transfer Scheme (NTS) for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)

The National Transfer Scheme (NTS) for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) began in 2021 to allow for the safe transfer of unaccompanied children from one local authority to another.

1.3. Support for refugees and people seeking asylum in Scotland

In recent years Scotland’s local authorities, with support from COSLA, have played an enhanced role in delivering humanitarian protection programmes and facilitating refugee integration through participation in the Syrian Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement Scheme (SVPRS)^[10], Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS)^[11], UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS)^[12] and more recently the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)^[13], Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)^[14] and the National Transfer Scheme (NTS)^[15] for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) as well as providing services for people within asylum accommodation as part of the move to a ‘full dispersal’ model introduced in 2022. In addition to meeting their statutory provisions, such as providing education, social care, social services and health care, there have been significant developments over recent years to operational practice and service delivery within and across local authorities with a wide range of expertise having been developed among staff.

1.4. New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy

The New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy aims to support refugees and people seeking asylum in Scotland’s communities. There has been a New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy in place since 2014, developed in partnership between the Scottish Government, COSLA, Scottish Refugee Council (SRC) and a range of other partners across the public, third and academic sectors. The second, and latest, Strategy (2018-2022) was informed by engagement with 2,000 people through a number of events, including over 700 people with a refugee or asylum seeker background^[16]. Key challenges raised by stakeholders in this engagement analysis were reflected in the six themes of the latest Strategy: employability and welfare rights, housing, language, education, needs of people seeking asylum and communities, culture and social connections. The engagement process also raised challenges in relation to poverty and destitution among refugees and people seeking asylum in Scotland. The 2018-2022 Strategy aimed to provide a framework for those working towards refugee integration to assist them to make the best use of the resources and expertise that are available across Scotland.

The 2018-2022 Strategy was underpinned by five principles^[17]:

1. Integration from day one

2. A rights-based approach

3. Inclusive communities

4. Refugee involvement

5. Partnership and collaboration.

The New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy sets out a vision for a welcoming Scotland where refugees and people seeking asylum^[18] are able to rebuild their lives and integrate into society from the day they arrive in Scotland. The New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy 2018-2022 committed to working towards achieving four broad outcomes:

1. Refugees and asylum seekers live in safe, welcoming and cohesive communities and are able to build diverse relationships and connections

2. Refugees and asylum seekers understand their rights, responsibilities and entitlements and are able to exercise them to pursue full and independent lives

3. Refugees and asylum seekers are able to access well-coordinated services, which recognise and meet their rights and needs

4. Policy, strategic planning and legislation, which have an impact on refugees and asylum seekers, are informed by their rights, needs and aspirations.

1.5. Implementation of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy

There is no single definition of integration, and what constitutes successful integration is a contested topic in wider academic literature^[19]. In the development of the first and second New Scots Refugee Integration Strategies, the partnership recognised that integration is a two-way process, where all communities and individuals can play a role in ensuring welcome and supporting integration. Ager and Strang identified 10 core domains (Figure 1.1) of integration categorised into four overall themes.

The domains of employment, housing, education and health represent the context in which integration can take place, and areas of attainment that are widely recognised as critical for integration.

The social connections theme acknowledges the importance of relationships in supporting integration, with the domains referring to different kinds of relationships that can contribute to integration.

Facilitators are key factors that facilitate integration – such as language or cultural knowledge and expertise, or feelings of personal safety.

The rights and citizenship of refugees and other migrants are foundational to achievement in all the other domains. This framework was used to underpin the development and implementation of the first New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy and the 2018-2022 Strategy^[20].

A group structure was put in place to guide the implementation of the Strategy’s (2018-2022) objectives and actions. The New Scots Core Group is responsible for monitoring and reviewing progress of the Strategy’s outcomes, coordinating the work of a number of ‘theme groups’. The Core Group is composed of 25 members from 12 organisations. These organisation are: Scottish Government, COSLA, University of Glasgow, Scottish Refugee Council, Red Cross, Mental Health Foundation, Strathclyde University, DWP, Bridges Programmes, Police Scotland, Glasgow ESOL, and Creative Scotland.. The Core Group was independently chaired by Professor Alison Phipps of the University of Glasgow. An overarching steering group supported the core group, helping to explore and decide upon the core group’s agenda. A Leadership Board, which included the relevant Scottish Government Minister, COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, the Chief Executive of Scottish Refugee Council and the independent Chair of the Core Group, was established to oversee the direction of the Strategy and ensure a collaborative approach.

In addition to the core group, six themed groups are responsible for identifying actions that would make progress to achieving the Strategy’s four outcomes. Group members comprise representatives from a range of organisations including local authorities, academics, third sector and community-based organisations with an interest in supporting refugees and people seeking asylum, and organisations relevant to the themed group (e.g. employers, ESOL providers, housing providers). The six themed groups, and member organisations are outlined in Table 1.2 below.

Table 1.1: Organisational membership of New Scots themed groups

Housing - Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, Mears Housing, Migrant Help UK, Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF), British Red Cross, Wheatley Group, North Ayrshire Council

Health and wellbeing - Scottish Refugee Council, Mental Health Foundation, Glasgow HSCP (NHS GGC), North Ayrshire City Council, University of Strathclyde

Employability and welfare rights - Bridges Programmes, Department for Work and Pensions, Business Gateway, Stirling Council, Glasgow Clyde College

Education and language^[21] - Strathclyde University, Glasgow ESOL, University of Glasgow, Workers' Educational Association (WEA) Scotland

Needs of people seeking asylum - Scottish Government, Police Scotland, Glasgow City Council, Mears Housing, Migrant Help UK

Communities, culture and social connections - Citizens Theatre, Scottish Refugee Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Scottish Faith Action for Refugees, Scottish Community Development Centre

1.5.1. Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF)

In 2020, the Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC) and the UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Language and the Arts at the University of Glasgow secured funding from the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) to expand and evaluate the impact and reach of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy and develop international good practice. As part of this, in August 2021, 56 organisations were awarded grants totalling £2.8 million to build upon and widen the reach of successful integration approaches and disseminate positive outcomes. Where gaps had been identified through the experience of implementing the first New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy, funding was available to support innovation in projects which pilot or test new initiatives^[22],[23].

Funding was structured around eight themes, drawing on the experience of the New Scots themed groups^[24]: language, health, employability, digital inclusion, communities, arts, housing and legal. Funded projects were implemented between September 2021 and November 2022. A full list of the funded projects is available in Appendix A.

1.6. Evaluation of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy

As part of the same EU-funded project, and to aid the development of the third New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy (2023-2027), the New Scots partnership commissioned an evaluation of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy 2018-22 alongside a range of other research outputs intended to further understanding of refugee integration in Scotland. The rationale for the commission was to evaluate the existing New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy and approach, including to assess progress towards achieving the Strategy outcomes, objectives and actions. ScotCen was selected via open tender to undertake the evaluation, and contracted in October 2021. Matter of Focus was subcontracted by ScotCen to deliver elements of the evaluation. This report outlines the main findings from the evaluation.