New Scots Refugee Integration Delivery Project: funded projects analysis

Findings

People reached

Analysis of project returns found that approximately 41,895 people were reached across all activities of all projects. Projects were not required to specify whether the people reached were refugees and/or people seeking asylum so this number also includes members of the general public without this status. Additionally, one project developed a film and estimated that the film likely reached 30,000 people. The next largest number of people reached by a single activity was 2336. Finally, across the remaining projects, the number of people reached ranged significantly from single digits to hundreds and, in a few cases, 1000 or more.

Thematic analysis of project reporting

The findings from each of the categories identified in the qualitative analysis are presented below.

Successes

This category pulled data from responses to the following questions in the final report:

1. Thinking about the original aims of your project, has your project brought about the changes you expected it to? Please describe how successful your project has been in bringing about the changes you wanted to achieve. What are the most significant changes that you consider to have resulted from your project? If your project did not bring about some of the changes you expected it to, explain why you think this was.

2. Thinking about your project as a whole, what has worked well? Were there any aspects that were particularly successful? How well do you think that your project has contributed to refugee integration within your target communities? Please also include any unexpected outcomes or achievements you would like to share with us.

For the majority of projects, the expected outcomes were mostly or entirely successfully achieved. This is reflected through 90% (48) of the fifty-three project reports which explicitly indicated this. Some projects even felt that they had achieved more than they initially anticipated:

“We have far exceeded the aims and objectives of the original project outcomes. We have worked with more people than originally anticipated and we have also been able to support people who have been facing even greater struggles post pandemic, with rising fuel costs and the cost of living crisis…” (Ignite Theatre)

“We consider the project hugely successful. We successfully enabled the recently arrived community to connect with each other, their families, us at Refuweegee and other services as well as joining digital activities which had previously been impossible for them.” (Refuweegee)

“The project was even more successful we had initially anticipated. We were able to successfully assist the girls in gaining the confidence which we worked on. We noticed this whilst in a group discussion, where the opposite gender were present, the girls were no longer hesitant to voice their own opinions…” (Kurdish Women Community Hub)

Thematic analysis of the data related to project successes suggested 7 overarching themes.

1. Integration

Overall, the projects have reported having facilitated the integration of refugees and people seeking asylum through the acquisition of English language to foster communication in accessing and requesting services, socialising with other people within the community, and gaining prerequisites for employment in Scotland.

“One of the biggest successes was that learners clearly gained English language skills and improved on their vocabulary through nature activities. The ESOL team carried out an in-house survey of learners accessing their provision. Within the survey, 95% stated that attending TCV sessions had improved their English.” (The Conservation Volunteers)

“The group gained a lot of new language skills, as observed by ESOL staff who said they are now much more confident in introducing themselves, their name, home country and where they live. We have seen these introductions being delivered with much less anxiety, far more fluent language and stronger voices.” (The Conservation Volunteers)

“Our project brought about the changes we expected, as we were able to support 151 individuals to complete ESOL assessments, access ESOL learning appropriate to their English level, and participate in culture and sport activities across the city. Our project evaluation also demonstrated that learners expanded their networks and felt more settled since attending the ESOL provision, which is a significant positive development” (Culture and Sport Glasgow)

2. Skill acquisition

Projects reported that the acquisition of skills such as project delivery and management, vocational and other educational proficiencies supported participants to build their confidence and feel empowered to follow novel career paths. The ability to learn new skills was also reported to have helped participants improve their mental wellbeing, particularly in the face of traumatic experiences prior to arriving in Scotland.

“We saw a significant change as some of the beneficiaries began to use the editing skills they acquired during our training and some of them have even begun to set up their own online platforms to share their journeys. Some of our beneficiaries have also gone ahead to enrol in colleges and universities or other places of learning to study a creative industry related course in order to help them gain employment in the creative industry after their refugee status changes” (Turn Flicks)

“We supported many people who were in a really dark place when they arrived on these shores. Overall we are proudest of this in helping people to feel supported and made to feel welcome. Whether learning new skills, progressing musically, writing songs, finding hidden talents, starting bands, growing the confidence to do open mics, gigs, release music, secure a musical bursary for further education, making new friends for life, and all the transferrable skills in self-expression, self-esteem and confidence that stem there from. We think (participant) expresses this best: “I can not thank you enough for your help and support. Learning how to play piano (music) has made a notable difference in my life…”” (Music Broth)

“Target number exceeded initially, then maintained. High level of attendance is being achieved. The class have embraced the technology which is new to most of them. They have been enjoying the challenge of learning these new skills at a later stage in their lives, while having to juggle family and learning commitments. A notable improvement in confidence has developed.” (The Welcoming Association)

Many events held by the funded organisations reported providing refugees and people seeking asylum with vital social interaction and the ability to build relationships within and outwith their immediate communities.

“One of the participants expressed how finding people with similar personal experiences to yours can help you feel it is okay to have these feelings” (Jasmine and Thistle)

“The Healthy Holiday Clubs delivered during the Summer Holiday were very well attended by refugee families and other families from local communities, which helped enhance the feeling of belonging. * Refugees are more willing to join our mainstream activities and support groups” (The Braveheart Association (SCIO))

“I think I feel happier because of the friends I’ve made. It makes my life happier to go out and do things with other people… Before I felt so lonely and unmotivated to do anything” (Feedback from participant - Renfrewshire Council)

3. Access to services

Many projects focused activities on supporting refugees and people seeking asylum with access to services (e.g. health, housing, etc.). In these projects it was commonly reported that participants’ awareness and use of these services had significantly increased.

“[Findings] From the independent survey mentioned 57.5% felt their housing situation had improved… 62% felt better informed about their housing rights, over 70% felt their ability to seek support for housing issues had grown. 79% would be more likely to raise [housing] issues and complaints, due to the increased confidence and knowledge.” (Community infosource)

“The workshops have significantly increased participation of young people with each other and engaged young peoples” (City of Edinburgh Council)

“The main evidence of success is that all the young people who started with us are still engaged and wanting to continue. Two new young people joined us during the project and three more would now like to join. We did not expect the young people to be able to achieve a college accreditation for their work with Edinburgh College. We also did not expect to end the project with so many new plans for the future.” (Media Education C.I.C)

“The project has overachieved in raising awareness to 2747 individuals on employment opportunities. In-house basic employability vocabulary course is very successful within new migrants and has delivered 2 x in-house basic employability vocabulary course to 14 individuals and another cohort is in progress. The project achieved partnership working with 3 jobcentres for delivering project services to their clients. Through partnership working with Skills Development Scotland, our project is engaged with 3 employers for bridging the gap between new migrants and employment opportunities.” (West of Scotland Regional Equality Council)

“…asylum seekers have been supported to date including with housing issues, social support, smartphones, data top-up vouchers and/or shopping vouchers.” (Community infosource)

4. Delivery

In spite of significant obstacles such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in resettlement as a result of external factors (e.g. the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine), project implementation and delivery was broadly successful with organisations reporting to have adopted inclusive and creative approaches to ensure effective integration of refugees and people seeking asylum. Some of these approaches have developed further beyond the project outcomes and been integrated into the ongoing working patterns of the organisations that developed them.

“An innovative approach to the project was by taken by four different organisations finding new ways to work together on a single project. Discussions in the final Steering Group Meeting of the final quarter led to an agreement to continue to develop this partnership-working and create a legacy of the project by agreeing to meet early next year and plan further partnership-working... a legacy of the project that will continue after the project finishes.” (Culture and Sport Glasgow)

“Some financial saving [was] made through identifying Photovoice training which will be more sustainable as [it] builds capacity of staff for future work with young refugees... There is a real motivation for this to be incorporated into future work with unaccompanied young people, with plans to start a working group in the new year.” (City of Edinburgh Council)

Partnerships were key to ensuring the successful delivery of projects. Many organisations reflected on the fact that partnerships they sought and built afforded their projects with other resources such as venues to host events, learning from one another’s experiences, and providing greater access to the wider pool of refugees and people seeking asylum in need of support.

“Partnership-working with other agencies has been key in this project, we have worked collaboratively and delivered joint work and activities to meet the needs of refugees and asylum seekers where they live...” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C.)

“Through working with partner organisations we could cross refer to each other regarding any difficulties individuals were experiencing…” (Music Broth)

“Partnerships with two community gardens have now been developed, one of which has a gazebo to mitigate poor weather conditions.” (Scrap Antics C.I.C.)

“A further success has been connecting with faith communities we did not previously know about who are leading exceptionally important work with refugees and asylum seekers. more useful relationships were built with faith communities that we had no prior engagement with (e.g. Alpha Scotland or a local Jewish Community).” (Faith in Community (Scotland))

A significant intention of the New Scots Refugee Integration Delivery Project was for the learning and resources developed to be shared, re-used, learned from, improved upon and/or otherwise replicated in future integration work. A key success found in the analysis describes exactly this outcome. One example of this is North Ayrshire Council’s plan to adopt the integration strategy developed by Outside the Box Development Support Limited due to the significant impact it had.

“The women’s approach to integration has been shared across Scotland-leading to a new partnership to embed this approach with North Ayrshire Council.” (Outside The Box Development Support Limited)

“The success of this film [no radio silence] has inspired us to create a companion educational material, which will be distributed to all local schools in the format of an e-book. It has so far been adopted by the Scottish Refugee Council, South East Integration Network, Schools of Sanctuary, and it has been submitted to Education Scotland. The No Radio Silence educational resource was disseminated widely through Education Scotland, Cities of Sanctuary, Scottish Refugee Council, South East Integration Network. - We have also been invited to showcase the educational resource at the HERE Conference - Hub for European Refugee Education. - We have been invited to showcase the educational resource by Youth in Resistance, through the University of Edinburgh” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

5. Diversity and inclusion

Projects emphasised the importance of recognition of diversity and inclusion across the breadth of Scotland's refugee and asylum communities. Most projects considered different aspects of diversity as part of their initial application with many specifically intending to foster an atmosphere of inclusivity through the recognition of diversity.

Gender-specific classes provided groups of participants with safe spaces to come together and support each other through difficult and traumatic events.

“Having a women-only drop-in on Tuesdays has been crucial to supporting women, particularly those who have faced gender based abuse. Our close links with the Mother and Baby Unit has also helped with supporting women.” (Community Infosource)

“Analysis of the podcasts carried out in the first and second quarter has thrown up a range of issues… the need for a men’s mental health for asylum seekers/refugee group is clear. The researcher is well qualified to facilitate such a group and the sponsoring project is consider how to host this [in the future].” (Castlemilk Baptist Church)

Some projects learned about specific barriers preventing integration and, as a result have built skills and knowledge to better address them, through engagement with the communities they work with.

“Engagement with Arabic speaking communities has enabled an improved understanding of some of the complications that people face and an ability to recognise the barriers to participation and to effective wider integration. The project has reaffirmed the belief that it is important to allow the community themselves to respond when challenges arise so they can help in finding resolution.” (Scrap Antics C.I.C.)

“[The use of] Online classes worked well, as it allowed those with career/child responsibilities to be able to participate. Had the classes been in house, many participants might not have been able to attend. Having translators available to provide their services is invaluable, and it allowed many people to take part in the project. The project has been a great first step in refugee integration, as it helped form bonds and relationships amongst the refugee community.” (Pollokshields Development Agency)

A number of projects suggested specifically that they were ensuring all materials produced for participants were accessible. Other projects were found to be doing the same but did not specifically state this in their monitoring returns.

“We have produced an accessible online course available to all providers through a number of different platforms” (Dundee City Council)

“[We] Developed accessible information materials on relevant health topics and screening programmes” (The Braveheart Association)

6. What worked well

Most organisations indicated how the strategies and approaches they took led to very good results, with some even reporting that they had not anticipated their project to be as successful as it was.

“The project was even more successful we had initially anticipated…” (Kurdish Women Community Group)

“We have far exceeded the aims and objectives of the original project outcomes. We have worked with more people than originally anticipated and we have also been able to support people who have been facing even greater struggles post pandemic, with rising fuel costs and the cost of living crisis.” (Ignite Theatre)

A number of organisations reported that, from their perspective, being able to support participants in a one-on-one approach allowed for greater levels of engagement and, as a result, greater outcomes.

“Being able to mentor youths and women on content creation on a one on one basis that has now led some to starting their own Youtube channels where they showcase their talents and skills” (Turn Flicks)

“[We] delivered one-to-one fitness training and culturally appropriate nutritional awareness tailored to specific refugee families which [we believe] will lead to improving the health and wellbeing of refugees.” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C.)

The data analysis and evaluations conducted as a result of the projects was emphasised by many organisations as being an important way to tailor support, gauge what was working and pivot where necessary. This came through in their own periodic monitoring of events and activities.

*“Regular feedback from students ensured that lessons could be tailored to needs… [As a result of this feedback, we] added additional weekly lesson for beginner learners most in need of additional support from mid July - mid Sept” (The Spartans Community Football Academy)

“Despite the change in the model from twice weekly ESOL sessions to single sessions to cope with the massive increase in referrals evidence from our learners shows we made a positive impact to the main outcomes listed in the project. Learner feedback show they had improved their English via ESOL session, group based language practice activities and online learning” (Inverclyde Council)

The ability to provide activities online worked well for many projects as it allowed more people and more diverse groups of people to participate.

“We first applied for this fund because our members were reporting feelings of isolation, loneliness and powerlessness. The money granted by the New Scots Fund has allowed us to run session addressing these feelings. Bringing our members together through the provision of data top-up and advice on how to use devices and technology, allowing our members to connect online has had a huge impact on the lives of our members. This was most clear to see at our Social Event on 18/12/22 with our members being able to laugh and to celebrate another year of your group.” (Unity Sisters)

“Having our Conversation cafes online has meant that learners from any part of East Lothian can readily attend any session and that we have been able to offer one in the evening, one at twilight (early evening) and one in the morning.” (East Lothian Works)

7. Unexpected outcomes

Many organisations reported on unexpected positive outcomes such as greater agency, increased skills, and aspirations beyond the scope of their project.

“There have been several New Scot individuals who, after attending a Weekend Club, have expressed interest in volunteering with the project. Three of these individuals then attended one or more future Weekend Club events in a volunteering capacity. This is evidence of an (unexpected yet celebrated) outcome of New Scots integrating within the project and with other volunteers.” (Edinburgh City Mission)

“We did not expect the young people to be able to achieve a college accreditation for their work with Edinburgh College. We also did not expect to end the project with so many new plans for the future. Our relationship with Syrian Futures is very strong and we can see many ways we can collaborate together to do more important work.” (Media Education CIC)

“[An] unexpected outcome is the encouragement by ESOL students to their parents and family members to further develop their own abilities in English language, which is also a benefit to integration.” (Glasgow Afghan United)

“One of the unexpected, but connected developments, for the project, has been the creation of a room at Lotus^[5] for young people as a wellbeing space designed in collaboration with young people.” (City of Edinburgh Council)

“There have also been unexpected outcomes in as much as we had not originally planned the Conversational and Women’s groups as part of the original project. However, these have proved to be very popular and an effective tool in encouraging further refugee integration.” (Midlothian Council)

Challenges and risks

This category pulled data from responses to the following questions in the quarterly reports and the final report:

1. What have you found challenging (from all quarterly reports)?

2. Are there any emerging risks that could potentially threaten delivery of the project (from the quarterly reports)?

3. Thinking about your project as a whole, what have you found challenging? Please give us details of what you have found most challenging over the duration of your project. If you had to deviate from your original project plan for any reason please include details here, and how you dealt with this (from the final report).

There were a number of challenges and risks that created significant barriers to the completion of the work by many of the funded organisations. Of the projects that completed their returns, twenty indicated that there were no significant risks to their project, while only four stated that there were no challenges to their project at all.

Challenges

Thematic analysis of the data related to challenges suggested 13 overarching themes:

1. COVID-19 and Weather Disruptions

COVID-19 primarily impacted service delivery and the attendance of participants. Due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, organisations struggled to transition from face-to face services to remote support. The main challenges reported were providing participants with the same levels of community engagement and feelings of security within groups that they felt comfortable engaging with. Some organisations found that the number of participants attending online sessions regularly dropped due to a feeling of “screen fatigue”. This, in turn, made it difficult for organisations to keep participants effectively engaged.

“Unfortunately, the sessions have not been as well-attended as we had hoped... We attribute this largely to ‘screen fatigue’, as our current cafes are not hugely different to our more typical classes, although they are conversation-based.” (East Lothian Works)

“restrictions due to COVID and increased pressures on service demand and staff time had a significant impact both on who was able to participate… and [with the] recruitment and engagement of the young people for the participatory photography sessions.” (City of Edinburgh Council)

“Overall, we didn’t have as much impact as hoped, but given pandemic challenges, and the demands on partners (and ourselves) of increased resettlement to the area, as discussed previously, but there were still successes.” (Grampian Regional Equality Council Ltd.)

“Participant numbers were lower than expected but were beginning to grow by the end of the project. This is probably due to the end of COVID 19, and our moving into new premises in October 22.” (West of Scotland Regional Equality Council)

In addition, organisations reported that the pandemic led to increasing numbers of staff sickness and prolonged absences which led to major gaps in service delivery leaving remaining staff struggling to manage the workload. The increasing rates of infections made participants more wary of attending group sessions which led to a drop off in numbers of participants attending. Many organisations responded to the crisis by either switching to remote sessions or delaying the start time, creating a strain on the projected timeline of the project.

“The start of the project was extremely challenging with face-to-face activity being non-existent until February/March of 2022. This was due to the pandemic with limits on face-to-face contact, staff absences and the fact that for the people that we were looking to engage with, virtual workshops were not an option. This has meant that we have had to deliver on the aims and objectives in a much shorter timeframe than was initially expected.” (Ignite Theatre)

“Due to COVID restrictions and staff affected by COVID, we had to move some advocacy sessions online or reschedule sessions during some periods, which was disruptive and disappointing to participants” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

Weather was reported as a disruptive factor to organisations who primarily deliver their services outdoors while COVID-19 restrictions meant that others must deliver their service in outdoor spaces when they normally would deliver indoors; this negatively impacted the attendance rates for some projects. Organisations were largely, however, able to manage these challenges by modifying how they offered the services to participants.

“Overcoming bad weather, particularly in winter, was a slight challenge. A lot of the ESOL learners were used to hotter weather and so were less inclined to come out on cold days or may not have had the appropriate clothing to do so. To overcome this, ESOL staff offered an indoor classroom as an alternative site when the weather was poor. This meant the sessions still had the same high attendance” (The Conservation Volunteers)

“One of the outdoor sessions was delivered in heavy rain, with the families making their bird boxes under shelter. A risk assessment has been completed for sessions which includes a plan for poor weather. Future outdoor activities will be planned for locations with either an indoor or other option (such as a marquee or gazebo).” (Scrap Antics)

2. Staffing

Prolonged staff absences had an impact on service delivery, leading to either the service being adapted to account for low staff numbers, delayed until the staff members returned or new staff could be recruited as well as certain services being cancelled due to a lack of capacity. Absences and a shortage of staff also meant that some organisations lacked the expertise and connections the previous members of staff possessed to maintain collaborations with external partners.

“We lost the main project sponsor and leader due to long term illness; this hindered our ability to talk to the right people at the right time. We have had to build working relationships with our partners from the beginning rather than benefitting from the project leaders experience and existing relationships.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

“One of the core volunteers also tested positive on 24 December and self-isolated for 10 days. He, too, recovered quickly, although experienced more difficult symptoms. In terms of impact on the project, this meant that planning was curtailed, and events became unpredictable at that point. Hence the cancellation of in-person meetings, and the delay in starting the toddler Zoom Club.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

“Unfortunately, high absence rates, primarily due to COVID, delayed the process significantly. The workers that have been present have been responsible for referring large numbers of young people and helped with introductions, however, without a full team we have struggled to access all young people who may benefit from the support.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

Staff loss and increased turnover in some organisations has increased the workload and reduced the capacity of existing staff and also caused delays to service delivery as well creating complications between staff members.

“Due to unforeseen changes to staffing roles within Glasgow City Council meant there were delays in moving the project forward. This had an impact on releasing funds for volunteer rents, support costs and salaries.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

“Our main challenges have been: The loss of another key member of staff, the grief this has caused in the team and the cut back in capacity as well, and the need to recruit new members of staff. The increase in need of support for asylum seekers who continue to be accommodated in very unsuitable and cramped hotels with very little support.” (Community Infosource)

“Staff turnover has affected our communication and smooth project delivery... Issues that had been [dealt with] at the start of the project had to be revisited, [at] great time resource costs to our project’s staff.” – (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

As a result of staff absences and loss of staff organisations reported that they had to restructure the roles of staff to ensure the project was completed. As well as this, existing staff had to take on additional administrative work to manage the workload.

“Having three part-time staff members as opposed to the originally planned one staff member brings opportunities and challenges. Having three staff members brings diversity in skill and experience which enriches interactions with faith communities, and within the project team. At the same time, it increases the time required for co-ordination between staff members.” (Faith in Community (Scotland))

“The absence of the projects lead sponsor led to the Rock Trust taking ownership of the project and funds. This has increased administration work, resubmitting project plans, working with Glasgow Council and the Scottish Government to transfer funding.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

“[It’s been difficult] Being able to stay on top of the administration for the course and tracking the budget and costs to the detail required. Given the very part-time nature of my current role, I have found this difficult to manage and there may be a requirement for us to fund a member of staff to help manage the administration of the project” (Midlothian Council)

3. Participants

The wider challenges faced by asylum seekers and refugees included financial insecurity, insecure accommodation and a greater strain added by the cost-of-living crisis. This created challenges in participants not being able to prioritise attending services due to greater concerns elsewhere. Organisations reported that a feeling of social isolation and fear exacerbated by increasing instances of hostility and discrimination added to the challenge of gaining participant trust.

“Other problem encountered during the calls at first was that some participants were reluctant to answer questions and were not comfortable to be asked personal information. The Language support team has to gain their trust and this takes time… As described in the funding application, our participants are severely traumatised, lack confidence, and have chaotic lives, combined with commitments of legal appointments… and problematic accommodation (in the case of asylum seekers), with women with recent refugee status often need to change accommodation and have to spend weeks ensuring that they the benefits they are eligible for.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“The challenges faced during the project are related to the wider challenges of asylum and refugee issues, such as financial, social isolation and insecure accommodation for our target groups. Working with people resident in temporary accommodation has meant we are working with a shifting population who have a variety of complex needs and support. These challenges have not led to a deviation from the original plan but has required an ongoing navigation of issues which necessitate an up-to-date, well informed awareness of surrounding issues and the capability to respond adequately.” (City of Glasgow College)

“Partners were shocked to experience the discrimination that our clients deal with. Views that refugees or certain nationalities will not be safe or capable were at times voiced out loud.” – increasing levels of discrimination on hostility towards participants due to status and nationality when reaching out for support” (Dundee City Council)

“A major challenge in the latter half of the project was the impact of the cost of living crisis on the people we work with: asylum support rates are pitifully low and so the rise in food prices is making it more difficult for people to adequately feed themselves and their families… It was challenging facing the impact of the Nationalities and Borders Act on our client group, as well as the Rwanda policy. So far, the main impact we are seeing is people’s mental health deteriorating because of living under increased fear and hostility.” (Govan Community Project)

Organisations faced challenges maintaining digital communication with participants, a particularly pertinent issue as much of the work needed to take place remotely under COVID-19 restrictions. Participants faced issues related to accessing devices to engage in service activities as well a lack of skills to navigate technology. This created challenges for organisations with regards to keeping participants engaged and maintaining numbers of participants attending online sessions.

“Digital communication was not optimal for some members of the target communities, so a future project of this nature should include face to face alternatives. Well-intentioned and valuable attempts to increase the degree of learner profiling and needs analysis (with particular focus on barriers to engagement) had only limited success. In future, translations will be necessary. Microsoft Immersive Reader could be used to large degree to solve that issue.” (City of Glasgow College)

“Digital disengagement is still an issue, with participants facing difficulties with accessing devices, connection and IT literacy. Participants also often choose to turn their screens off, so it becomes very difficult to gauge engagement and create rapport with participants. We are still setting up a communication structure with the steering group - we have set up a Slack platform but this hasn’t been very successful to date.” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

“We have adapted to this by increasing our offer of online sessions to different times/days. Unfortunately, the sessions have not been as well-attended as we had hoped, particularly the ‘Syrian women only’ group on a Friday morning, and so we have not been able to make use of breakout rooms on MS Teams. We attribute this largely to ‘screen fatigue’, as our current cafes are not hugely different to our more typical classes, although they are conversation-based.” (East Lothian Works)

Organisations faced significant challenges in keeping participants regularly attending and engaged in sessions. One major obstacle is that many participants cannot afford the travel costs required for attending in-person events. Furthermore, they often do not receive financial assistance for their training, and organisations are not always able to help with these travel expenses, making it difficult for participants to consistently attend sessions.

“Travel expenses are another challenge our participants are facing. Some cannot afford to come to Saheliya for the courses, as they do not have money for transport. Saheliya can only reimburse them for their bus tickets when they attend classes. As a suggestion, it may be worth considering other means by which refugees and asylum seekers can be provided with transport as their inability to afford to travel is an impediment to their integration into society.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“Travel is another challenge for some of our participants as some of them live far away, travel costs are expensive, and they some find that they cannot afford to buy the bus ticket to be able to attend the course. The asylum seekers do not receive help for transport when they arrive, sometimes they have one ticket for the whole family, which means they are only able to go to places within walking distance” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“We also found that there are some students from developing countries [who have] just arrived UK… they need subsidies [in order] to get transportation to the class and we have [insufficient budget to put towards] this, therefore, we [have used] another fund [to ensure that more participants] could come and attend” (Cross Ethnic)

Some organisations reported that lack of available or affordable childcare prevented some participants from attending project events and classes or otherwise distracted them when they were in attendance.

“Women’s engagement in the courses was affected by a number of challenges, including childcare obligations” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“Summer holidays… impacted the response levels of learners invited to assessment sessions. This is probably due to the child-care that exists during term time stopping for the summer break.” (City of Glasgow College)

“When some participants opened their mic to talk, they could not focus because of the noise coming from their children. We try to find a way to offer childcare or send some activities materials so those children can play quietly during the sessions.” (Jasmine and Thistle)

Some organisations suggested that participants struggled to cope with the transition to and back from COVID-19 restrictions; some participants felt discouraged to attend out of fear and shame over a lack or perceived worsening of English literacy and other skills. Furthermore, it was suggested that COVID-19 restrictions exacerbated feelings of social isolation slowing down the integration process. Participants also felt that participation would not yield concrete support. Organisations had to build participants' confidence to ensure they continued to attend their services.

“There are ones who have qualifications back home have been asked to do assessments and do not cope well with the various barriers and are giving up seeking for opportunities. We also understand that the lock down has affected them. They have been in isolation for a long time and have not been able to practice their English and have become apprehensive about starting up again. We are flexible and will adapt to their needs as much as we can to build up their confidence again. Having agreed to attend the Mental health courses, some do not attend. We are addressing this issue by offering information sessions before the courses, to give them the opportunity to understand beforehand what the courses are about, feel comfortable attending the courses fully and to have a better appreciation of the advantages of attending; knowledge, awareness and understanding so they can help themselves better.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“Lack of confidence, and also some embarrassment and stigma about lack of skills have also discouraged some. To mitigate, [we have] done more one-to-one calls and meetings to get that valuable feedback, and make sure people feel involved and included, and to amplify the voices of those most excluded currently…There is also some institutional fatigue amongst New Scots locally, where there are concerns that their participation doesn’t lead to meaningful action to improve services or support.” (Grampian Regional Equality Council Ltd)

4. Services

A delay in the delivery of project activities and support was often seen as having a knock-on effect in terms of delays in recruiting staff and receiving funding. This, coupled with COVID-19 related absences and illnesses caused some organisations to halt or slow service delivery. Despite these delays and stoppages to service, however, the majority of organisations were still able to be on track with their planned delivery overall by the end of the project.

“Large gaps in between training sessions made it hard for participants to retain the content information. As a way around this, the training providers extended the training period and will provide an accessible information booklet targeted to the participants, with tailored information about the content of the course.” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

“As it currently stands, we have had to stop Our Syrian Refugee Women Only group as this requires our direct support with transport costs that cannot be backdated/given in arrears as this was a real need we found with this community, discussed and agreed with (staff member in SG) but have not been able to continue without the payments...” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

“The disruption caused by changes to funding officer, lack of communication, and long delays in processing our project claims has been very challenging to manage. The flexibility within the project and the strong working relationship between OTB staff and project participants/group leaders has meant that we have been able to minimise the impact on delivery…” (Outside The Box Development Support Limited)

Some organisations noted an increased demand for services due to the Ukraine resettlement responses. This rapid rise in referrals meant that these organisations had to stretch their resources and staffing beyond what they’d initially anticipated in order to meet this increased demand.

“We had anticipated a slower growth-rate, but requests to support children from teachers, and the desire of additional families to take part, who saw friends and their children participating and wanted their own children to be supported in that way too, meant that a much faster growth-rate had to be accommodated. That increasing numbers of children who wanted individual reading time with one adult online also had to be facilitated, and that has been a challenge in terms of volunteer time commitment, as each child requires at least 30 minutes each week.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

5. Resources

Organisations have highlighted the stretched resources in the public sector and the challenges of managing the distribution of resources in the face of a growing service demand.

“[One of the main challenges is] stretched resources in the public sector” (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar)

“The College has faced significant challenges due to resourcing that have impacted the projects progress and impeded our development of the proposed activities in our project plan.” (City of Glasgow College)

“The aim is to further increase the number of volunteers over time, by involving more adults from the families at various events. At the same time, demand is also increasing, with, for example, families arriving in the area from Ukraine and now taking part in our sister project ‘Reading Together’. We have also now come to the end of our current funding, and, in order to sustain the Zoom clubs and indeed expand them, we are currently applying to various other sources for funding. In the meantime, the clubs are being sustained through our own resources. Time and money remain the most significant challenges.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

“We are seeing the impact of the cost of living crisis on the people we work with: asylum support rates are pitifully low and so the rise in food prices is making it more difficult for people to adequately feed themselves and their families. There has been increased demand for food support through the food bank and the community pantry projects both from our client group and the wider population: this means their resources are stretched and some places are having to restrict the amounts of food they can distribute.” (Govan Community Project)

Some organisations struggled with procuring the resources needed for service delivery. have identified significant challenges due to resourcing. This was often attributed this to project management issues where they underestimated the time needed for administration which had a knock on effect on how they managed their resources.

“To overcome this in future, we would recommend the project owner undergo some basic training in the principles and tools of Project Management e.g. progress planner, progress tracker, contingences. risks and mitigations” (City of Glasgow College)

“The absence of the projects lead sponsor led to the Rock Trust taking ownership of the project and funds. This has increased administration work, resubmitting project plans, working with Glasgow Council and the Scottish Government to transfer funding. This also meant we did not benefit from contacts the main sponsor had within Glasgow City Council and wider partners involved with the initial proposal. By taking ownership, we have managed to make contacts and establish working relationships with other parties, but this has taken more time. This continues to be a risk to the project’s future due to the initial delays at the start.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

“Expanding the number of volunteers to include participants themselves has demanded the development of appropriate induction support and support as they start working in the project. Inevitably, this takes time and initially slows down the administration of the project but will ultimately have important benefits for both the volunteers and the project. Time and money continue to be the biggest challenges facing the project.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

“I think one of the most challenging areas of the project has been in the general administration of it. It has fallen largely on one person to stay on top of this on a very part-time basis, alongside broader ALN and ESOL responsibilities for the Council. In retrospect we should have used the budget more wisely to bring in an administrator from the beginning who was able to focus on ensuring that this was dealt with more reliably and more efficiently.” (Midlothian Council)

6. Funding

Some organisations had to amend budgets to manage increased spending, either as a result of delays in funding, shortening of delivery time or unexpected increases in the costs of items used as part of the project. As a result, some organisations had to either use their reserves to continue service delivery or make arrangements to secure additional funding elsewhere in order to continue activities.

“[We had to amend our budget as a result of] Increased cost of certain services essential for the delivery of project activities such as venue and creche hire, transport and food…Providing incentives for taking part in the programme activities (grocery vouchers, gym memberships/voucher, bus tickets, meals, etc.)” (The Braveheart Association (SCIO)

“As a result of the shortening of delivery time, we have requested a budget reprofiling. Although a daunting exercise, we have received support from the funding team throughout the process, which was extremely helpful and made the task straightforward.” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

“Managing the funds for pitch hire has also been very difficult due to the cost of football facilities hire. This has meant that we are already exceeding the proposed budget for venue hire. To mitigate this, the club will consider raising our own funds by various means such as raffles, football cards or asking for sponsorship from local businesses. We’re also looking for and applying for funding to help supplement the funds already secured for the project to complete the project and to pursue further coaching qualifications.” (Universal Football Club)

“In supporting more people, more quickly than planned, we have had to spend more on books now, rather than in the next reporting period… This has also required us to front-load the use of the budget.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

Some organisations reported finding it very difficult to communicate with project support officers regarding delayed funding decisions due to staff turnover within the Scottish Government and partner organisations. This, coupled with the impact of delays in received funding on the ability to carry out work caused anxiety and stress amongst funded project staff and had knock-on effects, such as negative experiences with project partners.

“It has been extremely difficult to communicate with the team at the Scottish Government, officers seem to change roles very often, leaving us in the dark and as it currently stands we have never received any further funds since the first instalment no matter that we have tried consistently via email and phone with no success and guidance on how to move forward.” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

“We experienced extreme delays in the processing and receipt of our due payments from the New Scots project finance team. We have not received even our Q2 payment as yet despite reporting being submitted 8 months ago. Q3, Q4 or Q5 also unpaid. All our paperwork, reporting and budget agreements with our project officer have been agreed at all times. There has been no delay on our part. We are owed £45,701.69, a huge amount in total to be waiting for, for any organisation, and have paid all our bills so this is a large deficit in our accounts. These considerable delays by the New Scots finance team have put a huge amount of undue stress and worry on our project team and created a huge risk to our organisation.” (Music Broth)

“The project is very worthwhile and the refugees we have been able to help are appreciative of the tablets we have been given. The Scottish Government delays in funding have resulted in us making promises to our partner organisations that we have been unable to meet. This as you can imagine is very challenging. Continuing the project without funding would put our entire organisation at risk.” (Safe in Scotland)

7. Communication

Due to a wide variation in English proficiency and confidence to communicate in English, organisations reported challenges with delivering workshops in the same format especially when there are a number of ethnic backgrounds present as multiple translators cannot be recruited to facilitate the event. This included a reduced engagement in the project activities and participants not having a full understanding of the service and the support available.

“We are using interpreters, although given one of our main aims is to help them work on their English, we are careful not to overuse this method but this is the best way to get important information across. Translate apps on mobile phones are particularly useful and we have encouraged all the volunteers to download.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

8. Education

Organisations that offer participants training sessions found it difficult to manage the language barrier when delivering sessions in English. This was often further exacerbated as a result of COVID-19 restrictions requiring classes that would otherwise be in-person to move online. Varying levels of digital literacy in refugee communities meant that even being able to attend a class could be a signficiant challenge and this, in turn, often resulted in lower engagement.

“The biggest barrier is language. They do not feel ready or they think that their language level is not good enough or/and sometimes their English level is not good enough to understand the information giving by the trainers. There is terminology that does not exist in their own language either. They need writing skills to be able to take the assessments. Some of them do not have enough confidence, and some feel anxious having not been in a learning environment for long time.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“High number of refugees are hesitant to join online activities and would prefer in person sessions which proved to be difficult during the COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions” (The Braveheart Association (SCIO)

9. Recruitment

Recruitment challenges largely stemmed from the time it took to recruit and train staff as well as a lack of interest in the position advertised. The challenges observed were mainly from organisations with an existing staff shortage needed to carry out service delivery, whereby a further delay in recruitment exacerbated those issues.

“It proved significantly more difficult to recruit a project worker for this role than anticipated. The extensive advertising and recruitment process we carried out, did not lead to the clear outcome we had hoped and as was originally outlined in the application/budget… The late appointment of a staff member delayed our progress of some of the activities.” (Faith in Community (Scotland))

“All staff received ongoing support from the Strategic Manager throughout the funded period. Difficulty with accessing replacement tutors has proved challenging as the Project Coordinator has had to deliver provision which has placed time constraints on developing other aspects of the project.” (Culture and Sport Glasgow)

As well as a general lack of interest in the post advertised. The lack of interest in the positions were typically due to the public having a lack of time to pursue volunteering as well as the unpaid nature of the role being viewed as unattractive. There was also difficulty in finding staff with suitable skills for the roles required.

“Another challenge was finding a professional basketball coach who could assist the group of girls in the sessions. This is currently still an outstanding challenge as this position is voluntary and unpaid. Nevertheless we strive on continuing our efforts to find the right coach because our girls are very much enthusiastic in continuing to play and learn.” (Kurdish Women Community Group)

“…there have been some changes to asylum seekers’ right to work in some shortage sectors (e.g. care), and this has affected the spare time some asylum seekers have and we have struggled to attract as many volunteers with lived experience of the UK asylum system once they have the right to work.” (Community Infosource)

“One of the challenges which we faced was finding an English and Kurdish speaking volunteer. This was essential as the young girls involved are much more comfortable with communicating more effectively in English.” (Kurdish Women Community Group)

10. Data

Many of the organisations faced relatively common research challenges related to the collecting, managing and reporting on data collected from participants. Amongst some of the smaller organisations, however, a lack of experience with this kind of work exacerbated the impacts of these challenges.

“…compliance with deadlines for submitting completed questionnaires was considerably more laborious than anticipated which resulted slight delay in setting up baseline data.” (Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education)

“What we have found challenging is this way of reporting, which is new to us, but we have adapted to this and are happy to proceed in this way and provide all necessary informations.” (Glasgow Afghan United)

“Data collection: compliance with deadlines for submitting completed questionnaires was considerably more laborious than anticipated which resulted slight delay in setting up baseline data.” (The Braveheart Association (SCIO))

11. Planning and Partnerships

For many organisations managing and planning within their partnerships has been a challenge due to the differing schedules of their partners or a miscalculation of the scale of demand for the services provided by the project and the work required to meet this demand.

“The main challenge was engaging partners as broader demands on them increased substantially as resettlement increased locally, from Afghanistan, then Ukraine, and then widening dispersal of people seeking asylum.” (Grampian Regional Equality Council Ltd.)

“[having to provide] support for partner organisations [was significant]. Sharing information across numerous partners with different management structures [was a challenge].” (City of Edinburgh Council)

12. Wider Policy

While challenges related to wider policy was not a theme faced by a significant number of participants there was feedback from an organisation that illustrates how wider policies around asylum seekers created challenges for participants and barriers for organisations to provide adequate support.

“The main challenges faced with this project reflect the wider difficult policy landscape, on the level of the Home Office and more locally around dispersal in Glasgow…Since the start of the pandemic, the Home Office has been accommodating asylum seekers in Initial Accommodation (in S98) in hotels in Glasgow city centre. Prior to the pandemic this would have been in flats around the city. This means that anyone who does receive a S95 refusal is likely to be living in a hotel in Glasgow City Centre, therefore would not fall under the geographical remit of this project.” (Govan Community Project)

The status of asylum seekers also hindered the ability for them to gain qualifications.

“The Level 2 Introduction to Caring for Children and Young People offered by Skills Network, which is a government funded course, required the participants to provide ID, NI number, or proof of residence during the application process. As almost half of our participants interested in the course were asylum seekers, they did not have the required status to be able to join the course” (Saheliya Steering Group).

In this case the organisation in question (Saheliya Steering Group) provided an alternative form of training to support participants and overcome this challenge.

“To overcome this situation recurring, we are planning to arrange a package of online accredited training which offers a wide range of short courses related with childcare. Once completed, participants will receive a certificate. We concluded that this was the best way we could continue to move forward with this group of participants, to maintain their involvement, support them in their learning, build their confidence and enable them to integrate more fully.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

Risks

Thematic analysis of the data related to risks suggested 5 overarching themes.

1. COVID-19

Organisations were concerned, particularly in the first few quarters of their projects, about the emerging new variants of COVID-19 and the unknown risks that it would pose on service delivery. There were worries over the potential for participants and staff delivering the courses to get infected which would lead to the project being delayed or stopped entirely.

“With the present situation of COVID-19 infections among the population there is the risk that the service users and the staff delivering the courses and rest of the team get infected. Which will delay the project.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“With the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 this quarter became particularly challenging, with 6 of the 18 families currently taking part having family members testing positive at some point. This meant being very vigilant to ensure that the virus was not spread. There was no week in January in which the project did not operate, but on Friday, 31st December, the height of infection across the project, only 8 people were able to receive their book loans that week.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

There were also considerations regarding how to transition service delivery from face-to-face to online support or how to maintain COVID-19 measures in the facility in line with Government guidelines.

“This may impact our budget as a smaller number of people can attend each session, requiring our sessional coaches to deliver several smaller group sessions, yet the overheads are getting higher. Moreover, there is an overwhelming demand for the service which has led us to have to operate a waiting list.” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

2. Funding

Nearly half (45%) of organisations who provided feedback identified funding as a significant risk that threatened their service delivery. Several of these organisations struggled with an absence of funding or a delayed release of funding throughout the duration of the project, resulting in organisations relying on their financial reserves. This became an increasing risk in later quarters of the project due to an increased service demand as a result of the cost of living crisis.

“At a time where number of participants has reached over 80, with demand increasing, the project has also come to end of its funding. Currently, we are sustaining the project by funding it from our own resources, but this is a short-term situation, and we are in the process of applying for funding from various sources to continue the project.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

“It has been extremely challenging to communicate the project's concerns with the Scottish Government funding team. Our first funding officer (in Scottish Government) left the role in the first quarter of the project. We made several attempts using emails, and telephone calls for many months but we got no response from anyone we also tried to re-engage with [the person] who was our previously allocated funding officer and [they] kept telling us that a new funding officer will be allocated but this took so long… we have consistently highlighted the issue of running the project with no money, which has risked our service providers not getting paid on time and this situation has created several risks of stopping the project.” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

“The only risk to the project is the release of funding” (Ignite Theatre)

“The Scottish Government delays in funding have resulted in us making promises to our partner organisations that we have been unable to meet. This as you can imagine is very challenging.” (Safe in Scotland)

Numerous organisations reported that a lack of financial clarity and long wait times in responses to financial enquiries caused insecurity and reduced ability to plan and deliver their activities. Some organisations voiced frustrations with the inconsistency of having contact regularly with one funding officer and then having this officer change as a result of staff turnover within Scottish Government.

“In fact, we have been unable to open some locations that would have been a good addition. As it currently stands, we have had to stop Our Syrian Refugee Women Only group as this requires our direct support with transport costs that cannot be backdated/given in arrears as this was a real need we found with this community, discussed and agreed with (staff member in SG) but have not been able to continue without the payments being made from you. Moreover, there’s great confusion with continuous and several messages relating to but not progressing the project. The mix-up in contact between Refugee Council and the Scottish government has created so much more meaningless administration for our grassroots team.” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

“We are in month 10 of a £80,000 project and have received no payments since the advance payment in September 2021. We do not have the resources to bankroll this project without Scottish Government funding. This is a significant expansion of our activities. The project has had to be put on hold until funding is received. There is every possibility our new partners may not be willing to continue with a stop-start project.” (Safe in Scotland)

“The biggest risk to the project right now is the lack of funding and issues with communication with the New Scots funders financial team.” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

Some organisations however, such as Govanhill Baths Community Trust above, were able to mitigate this some of this impact with engagement and support from the funding team at Scottish Government.

“As a result of the shortening of delivery time, we have requested a budget reprofiling. Although a daunting exercise, we have received support from the funding team throughout the process, which was extremely helpful and made the task straightforward.” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

Some projects noted that the risk of the project or the work of the project not continuing when funding ends will impact their ability to continue developing activities and partnerships.

“We are already involved in partnership-working for example with the local college, Fyne Futures (housing project), Mount Stuart and we hope they can continue to support some of our activities after the project terminates, but all agencies are presently financially strapped, so in most cases it is difficult to guarantee this.” (Argyll and Bute Council)

“…as the continuation of the ongoing work that is needed with new asylum seekers arriving every month cannot happen without securing new funds which is increasingly difficult to secure (and very time consuming) with the rising demand for support for asylum seekers and for other people also suffering during the cost of living crisis. We do though intend to keep fundraising!” (Community Infosource)

3. Staff

There was an overall concern in the number of staff available to meet capacity in delivering activities, especially when it came to one-to-one sessions with participants. Due to the short-term nature of the projects this became an increased risk at the later stages as many staff members would leave the organisations to find other employment. This coupled with staff illness and the fact that some organisations found it difficult to retain volunteers over the summer months as students were likely to return home or work over this period, meant that staffing was a fairly consistent cause of stress across the projects. Despite this, volunteers from a number of charities and organisations showed good practice by continuing to engage with participants on a remote basis.

“…illness in important members of our team have made it difficult to keep up with our original plan.” (Massive Outpouring of Love (MOOL) SCIO)

“one of the students is currently working on putting together short videos that we can pass on to the young people. These will cover subject like applying for a Young Scot card, writing personal statements for college. Others have engaged with young people online, through message platforms and social media.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

“Our current reduced capacity due to the loss of a staff member means we are not operating to our normal capacity. Other team members have taken on tasks in the interim by increasing their hours temporarily, to divide the labour as equally as possible.” (Community Infosource)

“the key organiser at the June’s event was unable to attend due to contracting COVID-19.” (Edinburgh City Mission)

“there has been a lot of illness in the group, with members isolating and being unable to take part.” (Media Education CIC)

4. Wellbeing

Organisations also reported that they were struggling to support the mental health and overall wellbeing of participants. Some projects noted the growing tension of the ’Safety of Rwanda Plan’ as having a detrimental impact on participants due to them living under increased feal hostility.

“We have been concerned about the impact of the Nationalities and Borders Act and its impact on our client group, as well as the Rwanda policy. So far, the main impact we are seeing is people’s mental health deteriorating because of living under increased fear and hostility.” (Govan Community Project)

“We note that developments around deportations to Rwanda have caused significant concern amongst the local asylum-seeking community.” (Grampian Regional Equality Council Ltd)

Organisations reported that with the support rates for asylum seekers already low, the cost of living crisis had negatively impacted participants as the rise in food prices made it more difficult for them to support themselves and their families.

“increased demand for food support through the food bank and the community pantry projects both from our client group and the wider population: this means their resources are stretched and some places are having to restrict the amounts of food they can distribute.” (Govan Community Project)

Partnership-working

This category pulled data from responses to the following question in the final report:

1. If you have worked in partnership to deliver the project, what have been the positive aspects of the collaboration and have there been any challenges in working together?

Approximately half of the funded organisations indicated that they would be designing and/or delivering their project in partnership with another organisation.

Benefits of partnership working

The responses related to partnership working indicated an overwhelmingly positive experience across this subset of funded organisations. Thematic analysis of the data related to the benefits of partnership working fell broadly into 2 overarching themes:

1. Combined skills and experience

Partnership-working was seen by many organisations as a useful experience as it allowed different organisations with distinguishing but complimentary skillsets to link and produce significantly positive outcomes. Feedback indicated that, as a result of how successful several of the partnerships had been, the organisations would look to continue working in partnership and collaborate where possible going forward.

“Working with excellent team of academics from University of Dundee, University of Durham, Abertay University, Edinburgh Napier University as investigators or advisors were wonderful experience in creating the intellectual discourse on barriers of refugee settlement in Scotland. Engagement of students in data collection process was very successful approach as well.” (Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education)

“Working in partnership has been an enriching experience as we draw together a wealth of experiences and skills. Faith in Community Scotland and Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees complement each other’s work well. Each organisation brings complementary knowledge and areas of expertise. The work has been so positive that both organisations have decided to continue this partnership.” (Faith in Community (Scotland))

“A successful achievement and legacy of this project has been the strengthening of collaboration between the partners. An innovative approach to the project was by taken by four different organisations finding new ways to work together on a single project. Discussions in the final Steering Group Meeting of the final quarter led to an agreement to continue to develop this partnership working and create a legacy of the project by agreeing to meet throughout 2023 and plan further partnership working.” (Culture and Sport Glasgow)

“There have not been any challenges in the partnership. We have collaborated and plan to now work together on a number of projects in the future.” (Media Education CIC)

“The main positive of this project and the innovation behind the initial bid was the link between two local authority areas and a third sector organisation into one project. As already explained when the referral pathway was expended out to Inverclyde then the trio of local authorities working in partnership with Barnardos was, in my view, a unique collaboration. It showed that three local authority areas could share the same resource to the benefit of the young people it was supporting.” (Renfrewshire council)

2. Reach

Partnership-working also allowed projects to reach a wider range of participants by drawing on existing networks between organisations.

“By partnering with other organisations we manage to reach a wider range of participants. We also receive different perspectives from each partner organisation depending on their role within the project, and we also share new skills and experiences. This gives us a better understanding of peer-advocacy related to New Scots women from both the perspective of the advocacy organisations and the New Scots women themselves.” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

“There have been many positive aspects to partnership working within the project, particularly the drawing together of resources, knowledge and wider networks to initiate the greatest impact for refugee communities.” (Centre for Contemporary Arts)

“By partnering with other organisations we manage to reach a wider range of participants. We also receive different perspectives from each partner organisation depending on their role within the project, and we also share new skills and experiences.” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

Challenges of partnership-working

Projects did, however, also encounter challenges as a result of partnership-working. Thematic analysis of the data related to the challenges encountered fell broadly into 3 overarching themes:

1. Organisational distance and effective integration

Some organisations noted that engagement with other groups they had partnered with was often strained as a result of the physical distance separating them. Working in different offices meant the work did not always feel completely integrated thus posing additional challenges.

“In times of stretched resources you perhaps do not engage with the partner organisation as much as you would if it were teams within your own organisation.” (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar)

“Challenges in working together have included not sharing the same office space which was offset by regular meetings online and meeting together in person once a month where possible.” (Faith in Community (Scotland))

“Overall the main challenge in partnering has been the practicality of partner organisation staff becoming an integrated part of the project, through training and participation. We did have a very productive conversation with CDT about how this might work in future, in relation to joint funding bids and a new role which could be integrated in future Storyplay activity at the hub. It’s clear that these partnerships have potential and that we may be able to build towards more integrated partnership delivery over time.” (Licketyspit Limited)

2. Organisational culture

Another challenge raised by the funded projects was around a difference in organisational culture. Organisations are known to operate in different ways and so this was considered to have posed difficulties around effective and efficient working practices.

“Challenges when working with different council areas [(the partners)] are that some paperwork and welfare forms overlap and making sure every base was covered with regards to safeguarding and risk assessments was sometimes a long process.” (The Conservation Volunteers)

“The main challenge in this project was the volume of referrals received by West Dunbartonshire Council. Before the bid was written I made contact with my counter-part in West Dunbartonshire and was told they could provide approximately 15 referrals. The final total was 5 referrals. I accept that Renfrewshire had a wider pool to refer from. The main issue was that West Dunbartonshire did not use the same theory of referral. In practice this meant West Dunbartonshire were the gatekeepers of all referrals. The project never had a chance to be exposed to young people who were unsure or didn’t consent to a referral. The result of receiving a low number of referrals from West Dunbartonshire was to include Inverclyde in the referral pathway.” (Renfrewshire Council)

3. Aspiration vs. reality

Some organisations noted difficulties in marrying their work with the expectations of the community they were servicing. Time and capacity limitations were common factors across all organisations and this meant that, with the best will in the world, it was not always possible to achieve every outcome to the fullest possible state.

“The only difficulty we had was that we were limited in time and capacity, and sometimes had to disappoint this community, as they aimed to achieve a huge amount. We have made lasting connections though, and have plans to work together in future.” (West of Scotland Regional Equality Council)

Innovation

This category pulled data from responses to the following question in the final report:

1. Since your project has adopted innovative approaches, please tell us about your experience of using innovation in this project. What have been the positive aspects of taking on a new approach and what it has allowed you to achieve? Did you experience any difficulties in implementing a project which has not been done before? What have you learned from this?

Approximately half of the funded organisations indicated that they would be designing and/or delivering their project in an innovative way in line with the requirements of the application process.

Thematic analysis of the data related to project innovation fell broadly into 5 overarching themes.

1. Collaboration and co-design

Many organisations valued taking the time to form relationships with their participants and other organisations supporting refugees and people seeking asylum in Scotland, and found this to be a way of improving participation and trust. This helped to establish what participants needed from the organisation and provided a sense of community and empowerment, building their confidence and enhancing their skills in the long-run.

“Overall, the innovation was mostly around the application of Rowe's Citizenship Model in a refugee setting, and the co-production/design element. In both areas, we were successful. We previously discussed with Dr Rowe and greatly appreciated his time and support. We're keen to report back to colleagues within relevant networks, particularly Karen Black, at Turning Point Scotland, whose advice and support early on was crucial. As above, co-production has been highlighted throughout both as key and a significant success. Co-production allowed us to work directly with the community so that the classes reflected their wants and needs. We'll be looking to embed this learning throughout our organisation going forward.” (Grampian Regional Equality Council)

“The collaboration and close working practices between the authorities has been a major positive for professionals and evidences the ability for local authorities to work together for a common goal. Sharing of good practice and linking and learning from each other is a major positive that will continue in the future. The innovation is the ability to not just collaborate but work together collectively and this was done by regular management meetings between the two (then three) local authorities and Barnardos…” (Renfrewshire Council)

“Bringing together staff and carers from different professional backgrounds and roles has been a strength in terms of sharing learning across agencies. This has opened up ideas for services such as refreshing in-house learning materials.” (City of Edinburgh Council)

“We learned how important to use the new refugees” knowledge to choose what suits them. We took his advice that the programme seems fit for purpose and suitable for the application.” (Jasmine and Thistle)

“Co-production allowed us to work directly with the community so that the classes reflected their wants and needs. We”ll be looking to embed this learning throughout our organisation going forward.” (Grampian Regional Equality Council Ltd)

“Integration of photovoice as a tool for coproduction and intervention was extremely beneficial as it ensure all young people had a voice. It used a combination of visual literacy and oral storytelling to allow young people to explore topics on their own terms. This reposition of power was empowering for all of the young people involved and they were able to connect with each other in a way that they had done so before.” (City of Edinburgh Council)

2. Peer support

Peer support was seen as a particularly useful way of enhancing engagement of participants. Providing them with support on a personal level they could connect with allowed for a greater sense of comfort while giving those in the support role a sense of ownership and enhanced confidence.

“After the initial training, 60% of our professional champions reported using the Storyplay games in their workplace settings. By the end of the project, all of the professional champions participating in the project were using Storyplay outwith the sessions, and were taking an increasing lead in the hub sessions, leading games, preparing the food, meeting the families to travel together to the festival, taking on communications with the families.” (Licketyspit)

“Having existing relationships with participants, a shared sense of womanhood and sometimes a shared language were essential to establishing the trust that made for sensitive and meaningful research encounters” (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

3. Relationships

Many organisations placed strong emphasis on the formation of strong connections between the project staff and participants, reporting that it significantly improved project success through improved senses of integration, wellbeing and support amongst participants.

“They kept participants informed about the courses, encouraged them to do the courses and thereby improve their ability to integrate. The language support team used their language skills to assist the delivery of some sessions and thereby overcome language barriers and open up the opportunity to a group of our participants and their families who were otherwise isolated.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“That focus on each individual is where the project differs from, for example, a library, and is what has ensured participants have a sense of ownership of and belonging to the project. What has been difficult is the amount of time this approach requires. What we have learned is the time requirement and the need for an increasing number of volunteers to ensure that the project continues to be effective as numbers of participants increase. It would be tempting to reduce the personal/individual focus but that would also reduce the impact an effectiveness of the project, and it would not be in keeping with the innovative approach being employed” (Glenburn Independent Church)

4. Education and skills development

Organisations also prioritised building participants’ skills and/or language development as a way of improving their confidence and autonomy. This, in turn, brought about greater cohesion, connection and collaboration across the cohorts of participants.

“[committing to this model of participant autonomy in education has]… contributed to the strong relations of trust, improved communication with target groups and the greater incentive among participants for connectivity and collaboration. It has allowed us to achieve a resonance with refugee communities as the project has foregrounded their insights, knowledge, experience and hopes.” (Centre for Contemporary Arts)

“Through using the arts, we can skill people and give them the confidence to share their stories and to feel empowered. This work is about building relationships and trust with people which allows them to feel safe in being able to share and create through the creative arts. This project has allowed us to introduce new people to the arts, to bring people into areas that they wouldn't normally come, to learn new skills and to feel connected to each other.” (Ignite Theatre)

5. Trauma-Informed Practice

Trauma-informed practice considers the effects of trauma on individuals and communities and so exists to ensure there is awareness of potential areas of re-traumatisation by ensuring their organisation is a safe space and place for participants. Projects used innovative methods to provide participants with space to express their emotions in a safe environment with a professional.

“These approaches allowed us to provide young people with a way to express their unspeakable emotions and experiences in a less confrontational way. Through working on body outlines, young people became able to identify some of their difficult feelings, tensions and pains which helped them to reflect on the events that were previously unaddressed and to make meanings of them with the therapist.” (Youth Community Support Agency)

“Our approach targeted and tailored programmes to maximise the reach to, outcomes for, and inclusion of marginalised women experiencing racism, especially those who are traumatised, to gain childcare qualifications and put them into practice in a supportive environment is already unique in Scotland. Our project worked with a team of language support staff that has enable us to reach marginalised women, to know their skills, areas of expertise and dreams. The language support team working in the project built trust with the service users.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“Participatory photography has been found to be a useful and successful new approach of engaging with unaccompanied young people. Staff and young people have shared this view, and a short report was produced about this. Integration of photovoice as a tool for coproduction and intervention was extremely beneficial as it ensure all young people had a voice. It used a combination of visual literacy and oral storytelling to allow young people to explore topics on their own terms.” (City of Edinburgh Council)

Spreading good practice

This category pulled data from responses to the following question in the final report:

1. Since your project was based on good practice, please explain how you have expanded existing examples of successful refugee integration activities to deliver your project in a new area, to a new community or as part of a new partnership. How do you think your project has enhanced or improved previous examples of this type of work, so far? What have you learned from this?

This section created space for organisations to reflect on their projects and consider their success in conducting refugee integration activities. Approximately half of the funded organisations indicated that they would be designing and/or delivering their project in a way that ‘spreads good practice’, building on the design of similar work previously done in this area.

Thematic analysis of the data related to challenges suggested four overarching themes:

1. Collaboration

A dominant theme within the data was the importance of collaboration as a marker of good practice. Organisations regularly work with participants to understand their needs and challenges, on reflection, they are prioritising seeking new areas, and partnerships for collaboration to improve upon their existing service and enhance the feelings of connection participants have out with their cultural ties and in their local communities.

“We have established connections with local organisations and enabled them to understand the key issues and needs of refugees within local areas they live. We have worked in partnership with other agencies and created pathways for refugees to access mainstream services such as Edinburgh Leisure Programs, primary care services such as GP practices” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

“…we actually have been to involve other communities from different backgrounds into our group, for example now we have attendants from backgrounds such as Afghani, Pakistani and locals from Scotland as well. In the past, our group was run completely in a different manner. Although the refugees attending our group found a community in which they can access help and understanding of their surroundings. Now we have been able to deliver so much than that. Rather than having sessions and meetings which consisted of repetitive topics and such, we now have well planned discussions on topics which were actually affecting the refugees in their day to day lives. This means that we have been able to overcome our own fears and try and communicate with others outwith the community.” (Kurdish Women Community Group)

2. Relationships

This relates to the efforts taken by organisations to form strong relationships and trust between staff and participants. Edinburgh City Mission is a good example of how organisation can transition ideas of collaboration from “us” helping “them” to a more relational horizontal approach to build trust and collaboration between volunteers and participants.

“In addition to these notes, we have learned the importance of stressing the “horizontal” aims of the event, by which volunteers should be mindful of power differentials and avoid thinking in “us vs. them” terms… We have found these activities very successful in helping volunteers to shift their frameworks to one based on community-building and solidarity rather than benefactor-beneficiary relationships.” (Edinburgh City Mission)

The relational approach was shown also to empower participants to be agents of change in their local communities and provide others the support and knowledge they have gained through using the service this ties in to themes that will be touch on further including peer-support and empowerment

“We find that our members gain most knowledge and experience from an informal discussion, with those who share and can relate to refugee and asylum seekers experiences. Our participants are community assets as they take what they learnt in our group to their community and start practicing. Our Sisters(New Scots women) became agents of change: they help others New Scots to understand their rights and support them to get knowledge about anything they need to know.” (Unity Sisters)

3. Co-design and peer support

Codesign refers to organisations working not for but directly with the people who use a service, who will assist in the service design. The rationale behind this is so that those with an insider perspective can assist in ensuring the service meets the needs of its users, and attends to that which is required most. In some cases, organisations appointed users as advocates for the support of others.

“We used a unique approach of involving people with experience of the asylum process or people with refugee background to shape the project, design the process and perform the new play. It has created a tool by using forum theatre as a method to engage with communities to share stories and experiences of migration by and with those directly affected.” (World Spirit Theatre)

“We have learnt that in order to make a great impact in the lives of people we have worked with in this project, we have to fully involve people in the planning and implementation of the activities, and we have to go at the pace of the communities to better understand what works and what doesn’t work for individual refugee communities.” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

“Our participants are community assets as they take what they learnt in our group to their community and start practicing. Our Sisters (New Scots women) became agents of change: they help others New Scots to understand their rights and support them to get knowledge about anything they need to know. An important success that has happened during this project stemmed from the request from our members (made up of asylum seeking and refugee women) to have a session on hate crime and discrimination. We invited WRSEC which provided the sessions. A further success during this reporting period was the idea from our members to start an peer advocacy group which would empower our members to call out experiences of discrimination and hate crime. This will be replicable into the New Scots” community This came off the back of a sessions held by WRSEC on human rights and discrimination.” (Unity Sisters)

4. Empowerment

Similar to codesign, the theme of empowerment involves providing participants with autonomy and the freedom to determine the service they get and the skills they learn. Active participation promoted personal development through upskilling and encouraged a feeling of connection and community.

“This project enabled non-English speakers to become active volunteers. Tech is not language focused which meant it enabled people, each male, to offer their specialist skills in a meaningful way, rather than open-ended vague volunteering opportunities which did not play to their skills.” (Refuweegee)

“They have a stronger sense of ownership over the project and the work. Evaluative comments show that they can see where they, and other New Scots, can positively contribute to community influencing a more diverse, accessible, and ultimately fairer society.” (Outside The Box Development Support Limited)

“Through the Climate Challenge Fund, we have worked with diverse groups in reducing their carbon footprint, which has directly benefitted communities by increasing their skills in reducing food waste, upcycling, recycling. This, then indirectly benefits those communities who are facing food and textile poverty by providing skills which assist them on a daily basis… This directly benefits the reduction of isolation and loneliness and increases mental and physical health via the introduction of active participation.” (West of Scotland Regional Equality Council)

Refugee involvement and participation

This category pulled data from responses to the following questions from the quarterly and final reports:

1. How have you ensured meaningful participation of refugees in the project during this reporting period? (From the long quarterly reports)

2. Thinking about your project as a whole, how well were you able to involve refugees in its delivery? If there were any challenges, please explain what these were and how they were addressed. (From the final report)

3. Thinking about your project as a whole, how well did you reach everyone who could benefit from your project? Please describe what you did to ensure that all potential participants were informed about the project and supported to engage with it. If your project hasn’t reached at many people as you would have liked, explain why you think this is.

Thematic analysis of the data related to refugee involvement and participation suggested four overarching themes:

1. Codesign

From the data, there was a strong emphasis on community-led projects which helped to engage with refugee communities and were known to foster strong relations with participants. Organisations reported that this was crucial to maintaining participation in those who seek out support and to design a service that supported the needs of those who used the service. Organisations often actively involved participants in the planning and delivery of the project.

“The involvement of each individual participant refugees and asylum-seekers is crucial to the delivery of the project. They lead the direction in terms of topics and subjects for books, and with growing awareness of authors in English, they are central to the authors which they read. The primary and secondary children frequently volunteer to join the volunteers on Friday deliveries every time schools are on holiday. This has made seasonal deliveries Christmas, Easter, Summer and October especially important as the children deliver the books at those times. They have the opportunity to meet new people, from different countries, and they get involved in packing and unpacking the books. This volunteering by the children has developed at their suggestion, and there is usually a waiting list of children who want to volunteer” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church).

* ”The children have become increasingly involved in the delivery of the project, through planning and suggesting directions. They have also become the public face of the project when public events are held.”

“[Participants] were also involved in planning - where and what day and time we would do the sessions and promoting the upcoming in person Porridge & Play sessions suggesting ideas and reviewing drafts of the flyer and poster, which included their faces where this was desired, and creating a film with us on Zoom, where they were the face and voice of the project, inviting other families to come along. Many also invited their friends to the project. (Film available on Licketyspit website) During the next stage of the project, these same Storyplay Champion refugee families were involved in delivery by helping our delivery team to host the sessions, including leading games, setting the table, writing name labels and welcoming people as they arrived, passing round the food and juice and sometimes staying to help clear and wash up.” (Licketyspit Limited)

Some organisations encouraged users to take part in evaluating and providing feedback on the project or any activities they were involved in, as a way of shaping practice and potential future projects.

“We will continue to use our partners to reach out to more young people. There is an opportunity to engage the young people in future consultations to help shape the project going forward. We have funding to run workshops that will help shape the evaluation for the project and we aim to include the young people at all levels. We feel that this is their project and they know what’s best to reach out to their peers at a time of need.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

“We evaluate the courses with our refugees to try to ensure that we are delivering these to the greatest benefit.” (Midlothian Council)

“We regularly consult with all [the participants]. They have a range of opportunities to feed in to the programme including regular meetings with our support staff and ongoing evaluations. (Argyll and Bute Council)

Organisations reported the involvement and recruitment of participants as consultants to help shape the projects. This offered the opportunity for people who have used the service to help shape future projects.

“The participation of refugees and asylum seekers in our project continues through our reference group which meets regularly. In addition, we organised a focus group session with refugees and asylum seekers as described above. As we develop our work, we ensure that refugees are involved at every stage. E.g. as we start organising our conference, we have invited people with lived experience to be part of the planning group. Finally, one of our project workers has lived experience of the asylum system and the project continues to benefit from his expertise and skill on a weekly basis.” (Faith in Community (Scotland))

“We did consult with volunteers and young people with what main areas the project would focus on in terms of support. This was achieved by volunteers building relationships with young people and asking what common issues affected them on a regular occurrence.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

2. Partnership-working

Many organisations highlighted partnerships as crucial to the successes of their project, and their ability to engage with the refugee community. Furthermore, such approaches were seen as beneficial in respect of collaboration with others, while ensuring a wider reach of service provision. Some used their network of partners who worked directly with refugees to reach more people than they would have achieved by operating alone:

“Working with longstanding and trusted referral partners meant we could deliver this project to those a) most in need and b) deliver that support quickly at speed. The decision to work with partners broadened and increased the number of people who were aware of Refuweegee as a service.” (Refuweegee)

Organisations highlighted the benefit of working with established networks to ensure meaningful participation from refugee communities. Several respondents also noted the usefulness of collaborations with partnerships, as they were seen to provide a method of establishing relationships with the wider refugee community.

“We believe we reached as many people as possible and we engaged them via networks and personal contacts because our target groups and beneficiaries usually wouldn’t be easily accessible due to their immigration status and complications with the home office and they tend to keep to themselves or shy from public events. We engaged them via our personal contacts with them and also through some key community leaders who they trust and associate with. These key people helped us to deliver our message about our projects and its benefits to them. Over the years we have also built a strong reliable relationship with our beneficiaries and many of them also helped to engage their counterparts and reach out to them to participate in our project.” (Turn Flicks)

Organisations explained how they worked in collaboration with stakeholders to ensure that members of the refugee community were not only getting support from their own service, but that processes are in place to ensure they can be supported by other local organisations if and when it is required.

“We also received referrals from partner agencies and ethnic minority organisations that work with or have links with refugee and asylum seekers across Edinburgh.” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

“We reached out to different women organisations (Saheliya, No eviction, Freedom from Torture, MORE, Africa future, Ubuntu Women’s shelter) and We invited their members to join us.” (Unity Sisters)

Some organisations who did not have the resources or capacity to promote their service often worked with local media or partners to ensure their service could reach as many people as possible. Organisations also worked alongside translators to ensure that people could be informed about the service in their native language.

“Invites to the screening of the short films was sent out to all secondary Schools in Glasgow, to Community Groups, Organisations working with Refugees, MP’s and Councillors, this ensured a broad range of people from society of all ages and ethnicities were able to attend.” (Ignite Theatre)

“The project was advertised locally through local media: New service supports mental health of unaccompanied refugee and asylum-seeking children | Barnardo’s (barnardos.org.uk) Refugee and asylum-seeking children will get support in Renfrewshire through new Barnardo’s project - Daily Record New service to support mental health of unaccompanied refugee and asylum-seeking children in Renfrewshire (renfrewshire24.co.uk) Flyer were made available and this was emailed out to all involved professionals, agencies and staff to help promote the service internally in each authority.” (Renfrewshire Council)

“We now have a strong network of associates and collaborators who share our work and signpost other New Scots to the Moments of Freedom network.” (Outside the Box Development Support Limited)

3. Relationships

Feedback suggested that having existing ties with refugee communities was crucial in encouraging more participation for the events:

“Social networks and relationships are the building block for improving health awareness and capacity in the community. As a strong community-based and volunteer-led organisation, we have been able to leverage those relationships to promote the project and integrate activities into our existing projects.” (The Braveheart Association (SCIO))

“Our deep knowledge of the community also helped to reach out to more refugees who would normally have been hard to reach. We believe we reached as many people as possible and we engaged them via networks and personal contacts because our target groups and beneficiaries usually wouldn’t be easily accessible due to their immigration status and complications with the home office and they tend to keep to themselves or shy from public events. We engaged them via our personal contacts with them and also through some key community leaders who they trust and associate with. These key people helped us to deliver our message about our projects and its benefits to them.” (Turn Flicks)

Building and maintaining strong relationships was seen to play a crucial role in creating and maintaining meaningful participation. Members of the refugee communities, it was believed, felt safe reaching out to organisations who emphasised establishing trust and safety.

“[these relationships contributed] towards the integration of refugees and asylum seekers with the local community by giving them new levels of confidence and the ability to interact and to be able to express themselves to other people by communicating and speaking in the English language more fluently. The benefit of bringing a diverse community together has a positive external effect in our society because it enables people to respect and understand one another.” (Universal Football Club)

“This was achieved by volunteers building relationships with young people and asking what common issues affected them on a regular occurrence. The drop-in sessions provided a platform for young people to explore what support they would benefit from - allowing staff and volunteers to set up workshops for young people to attend and learn.” (Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership)

4. Support:

Several organisations offered support to attendees during the sessions by translating where necessary, information into participants’ first language so as to ensure they were aware of the context for each question. Others have supported participants financially by helping with travel expenses and childcare to allow them to attend sessions regularly or by repeating assessments when participants have been unable to attend.

“[participants] have been offered to do one or both courses and some have done further levels. Level 4 and Level 5 in the case of the FAMH course and Level 2 for childcare. They have been supported during the duration of the courses, they have received language support in first language during the delivery of some of the sessions to understand the content. They have been helped with travel expenses and childcare when was available. The service users who are finishing the Childcare level 2 course will start to do a working placement experience in our nursery.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

* “We ensured the participation of our service users also by giving the opportunity to those who were not able to complete the courses for a specific reason to repeat the assessment during the following course.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

Participants were not always able attend sessions, particularly if they lived in isolated areas. However, in some cases, organisations were known to have provided some participants with transportation or to have created extra sessions nearer the families so they could still participate:

“Transport to sessions was occasionally a challenge, particularly for those staying in isolated areas. Many participants did not drive so were relying on public transport. Some participants were not confident in their English ability so taking public transport was a daunting task for them. Taxis were occasionally booked for families to ensure that they wouldn’t miss out on the bigger family events. When transport was not possible, TCV ran extra sessions nearer the families that were isolated so they could still take part in Building Roots activities. Some participants also did not want to fully engage with the group initially but would rather watch the activities from the side. To overcome this initial hesitation, we ensured we had someone to assist them if they had any questions. We also had a Dari translator come to three sessions to assist with translating instructions and help engage some of our more uncertain members.” (The Conservation Volunteers)

Reaching target groups

This category pulled data from responses to the following questions in the final report:

1. How successful have you been at reaching the intended target groups for your project? Were there any groups or people with protected characteristics that were more difficult to reach (e.g. specific refugee communities, older people, disabled people, LGBTQI+ people)? If so, why do you think that was?

2. What have you learned from working with the project target groups and/or groups or people with protected characteristics? Is there anything you would do differently in the future?

The target groups were those whom the project intervention benefitted directly and indirectly, and were indicated within the project proposal.

Approximately 87% of the funded organisations that completed all of their monitoring indicated that they had reached their intended target population. The remaining 13% either indicated that the target population reach was not applicable, or no information was provided.

The majority of the returns explicitly indicated tenets of the protected characteristics (per the Equality Act) had been reached. The rest did not explicitly indicate this and other data points did not suggest particular protected characteristics had been targeted.

Thematic analysis of the data related to the reach of target groups suggested 4 overarching themes:

1. Recognising and effectively targeting protected characteristics

Organisations found that tailoring their work based on engagement with their participants, examining their specific needs and designing their activities to best suit them, led to greater outcomes and better engagement.

“The project includes readers who are 18 months-old, and readers who are in their 60s; readers who had little opportunity to go to school in their home country, and readers who graduated with multiple degrees in their home country. The project includes children, teenagers, men and women, and people from over 10 countries, speaking many different languages. The most important thing we have learned is to listen to each individual voice. That priority makes the project very time-intensive. Spending time listening to and talking with people to make sure that each book is the right level for them at their current stage, as well as a topic which will interest them, while simultaneously be challenging and help them to progress, demands a significant amount of volunteer time. It is, however, the reason for the effectiveness of the project.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

“We hosted many at Music Broth as a central location, for organisation groups still operating remotely, and online for those especially in the earlier part of the project feeling tentative about COVID risks. This especially supported older people, disabled, those with additional mental and physical health vulnerabilities and social anxiety.” (Music Broth)

“We’ve learned more about working in women-only spaces, and some of the specific barriers to access around childcare, and perceptions about the value of certifications.” (Grampian Regional Equality Council Ltd.)

2. Delivery staff

Many organisations mentioned consistent and effective staffing as being particularly key to success when looking to reach targeted groups. This included having project staff with lived experience as well as staff of the same sex as the group/s being worked with to ensure comfortability and meet cultural expectations or norms where appropriate.

“East Ayrshire was the council area the project had the most successful engagement. This was a result of both a central location that was easy to access by public transport and ESOL tutors regularly reminding learners of where and when activities were taking place. Having the same ESOL tutors attend TCV sessions meant ESOL learners were comfortable that someone familiar would be there to help them with their English if they needed it.” (The Conservation Volunteers)

“As part of the project staff there was a female Support Worker, Emily. She was pivotal to try engaging our female participants when referrals were received. This was successful to varying degrees and it was good the project had access to both male and female support workers.” (Renfrewshire Council)

“The participation of New Scots as volunteers and the additional funding achieved to employ a worker from a refugee background supported our ability to engage the community in activities. This approach followed the model suggested by the Scottish Refugee Council in their "Toolkit for Community Integration". It is important to include the New Scots and refugee communities from the start in decision making in order to encourage participation.” (Scrap Antics C.I.C.)

“People are key - our staff were new Scots Syrians themselves and are part of the Syrian community this ensuring understanding, clear communicated and engendered trust for the programme.” (The Spartans Community Football Academy)

3. Safety

Providing a safe environment where the target group could be themselves was highlighted as important to eliciting engagement and achieving project goals.

“We create a safe and welcoming space for people to be themselves. Through this we have gotten to know people better, and they feel comfortable to express their needs. We have learned to speak more slowly especially during mask wearing COVID times, and check in that we are understood especially for those new ESOL learners. We are always learning more about our LGBTQIA+ community and how people wish to be supported, always respecting their pronouns, and rights to self-expression. Overall it has been a wonderful experience.” (Music Broth)

“We have learnt that New Scots are ready and willing to share their stories when they are in a safe setting. We have learnt that New Scots are willing and able volunteers.” (Castlemilk Baptist Church)

4. Time

Organisations reported that time was a particularly important factor when attempting to build relationships and have a more in-depth understanding of what support is needed. Some reported that, had they had more time, they would have been able to more successfully achieve their outcomes and support the communities they were serving.

“It is always difficult to engage with people who are affected by multiple issues and concerns and it takes time to build trust and respect amongst groups of people who have been treated and let down by organisations, governments and people in the past.” (Ignite Theatre)

“It is important to be patient when working with people who may not have English as a first language. It can take some time to build relationships and trust with these communities.” (Scrap Antics C.I.C)

“One thing we would do differently is ask for more time. This would have allowed us to deliver a richer project. The time it takes to build confidence and trust is so long that it feels like you are gaining momentum when the project is finishing.” (Media Education CIC)

“More time invested in building relationships with young females and having a more in-depth understanding of what would support their mental health and wellbeing could have resulted in a greater reach.” (City of Edinburgh Council)

Lasting impact

This category pulled data from responses to the following question in the final report:

1. Are there aspects of your project that you think will have a lasting impact after the funding ends? This may include adopting approaches from your project more widely across your other work, or continuing some or all of the project with other funding.

Thematic analysis of the data related to lasting impact suggested 6 overarching themes.

1. Support

Many organisations centred their support on a holistic approach that intertwined education, employability, community engagement, and health empowerment. Initiatives like providing student accommodation for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) emphasised the importance of education and language skills in fostering integration and reducing isolation. Health-focused initiatives and the peer education models were found to empower communities to address health concerns proactively.

“Placing UASC in student accommodation encourages young people to remain in education and to bolster their skills in the English language. This will alleviate isolation and create more opportunities in the future such as, employment and further education. A key role of the project was to link the young people up with resources, activities, sporting & cultural opportunities that will help them to widen their circle of contacts.” (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

“The project and space is continuing beyond the funded period and we have a fully functioning space that will be used for communities and further develop. We have computers and wifi and a spacious social area that can service refugee communities for different activities and events. There are several groups and events that continue to take place in Common Ground, organised by the project itself and wider community groups and New Scots, all of which we will continue to support. We have also recognised the need for more focus on employability within the arts for New Scots and this is a project we intend to develop in terms of increasing knowledge, enhancing skills and strengthening capacity for New Scots.” (Centre for Contemporary Arts)

“The project has contributed positively to help build community capacity for refugee families and we hope this approach has given individual families the opportunity to not depend on outside service providers but empowered people to encourage each other within their local communities to take action on some of the health issues of concern to them such as preventing poor physical health. The peer education model will help members of the communities we have worked with throughout this project to take greater control of their own lives and the knowledge and skills gained will feed directly into making everlasting difference in people’s lives.” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

“We now have a range of resources and materials that will enable us to deliver the Employability course, or elements of it, in the future. The success of the conversation groups and the Women’s group has proved to us that there is a demand for these groups and we will commit to continue delivering these in the future as part of our broader ESOL service.” (Midlothian Council)

“We have created an ‘off the shelf’ resource which is be available to all adult learning providers across the UK for free. We believe that this work could be carried out using core budgets and we have identified other local funding streams which could meet additional costs for health and safety training if required. This learning can help refugees access further learning opportunities, enhance their employability, as well as empower them to progress within the workplace. we have also created an information guide to construction industry certification for ESOL and employability providers.” (Dundee City Council)

“We intend to carry on the work of this project after the end of the funding as it is crucial ongoing work, with new asylum seekers arriving in Glasgow every week and because the UK government's hostile asylum policy creates poverty and trauma among asylum seekers. We intend to continue implement our learning on working with asylum seekers at the earliest opportunity after arriving in Glasgow, so that they quickly understand their rights and can access support - this would be applied in our Wellbeing project as well in future.” (Community Infosource)

2. Education

Many organisations pointed to the enduring benefits and extended reach of educational and developmental initiatives tailored to diverse community needs. These initiatives encompassed a broad spectrum of areas, including IT and digital skills, financial inclusion, language proficiency, and music, all designed to provide lasting value to participants. By focusing on essential skills, inclusive resources, and accessibility the projects hoped to offer enduring benefits, enhancing the lives of participants and the broader community far beyond the lifespan of the project.

“This year we are delivering more IT and/or digital skills courses through our partnership with WEA, City of Glasgow college and Trade union to cope with the demand for these courses.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“The academic papers that have been produced and hopefully published in special issue and some other places will be always the point of reference on any discussion about Muslim financial inclusion in Scotland. In addition, educational videos on invisible ceiling for Muslimprenours in Scotland provide from the college will have huge impact on refugees, imams and policy makers who will be able to refer to that.” (Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education)

“We feel that the learners will continue to benefit from their improved English skills and confidence and enjoyment of English, especially at school.” (The Spartans Community Football Academy)

“There are definitely aspects of our projects that would have a lasting impact. We are currently designing some music workshops to be delivered online and made available in the public domain. These workshops when done would be accessible worldwide which means our reach is becoming global all thanks to this particular project as it has helped us see the potential of delivering online training. The training videos we made during this project would also live beyond the closing date of the project and continue to impact on who watches them.” (Turn Flicks)

3. Integration

Projects emphasised the significance of an improved sense of belonging and integration amongst the communities they support. Projects felt that this will, in turn, equip individuals with new skills and confidence to succeed within their communities.

“The lasting legacy will be that increased sense of belonging in and to, both the local community and the country, and in addition, an increasing confidence to step up, to lead, to support other people who need help whether that be in Paisley or Bolivia, or wherever. The way of managing the project will also have a lasting impact on the way future projects are managed, with time being the most valuable component, with listening being at the core of all future projects, regardless of how challenging that makes support.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

“The main lasting legacy will be one of integration - both for the refugees and also for the island community.” (Argyll and Bute Council)

“The lasting impact of the project is the new skills the participants have learnt. The confidence they gained will help them integrate in society and also open them up to other community based learning opportunities.” (Pollokshields Development Agency)

4. Varied Working Practices

Projects took many different routes through very different working practices in order to bring about sustained change. These were particularly characterised by enhanced personal development, strengthened community support networks, enriched cultural and educational experiences, and organizational growth.

“As above, we're embedding aspects of the Citizenship Model, and more co-production and co-design throughout our work looking ahead. Student graduates have reported increased knowledge, awareness, confidence, and opportunity, and that is a fitting legacy on its own.” (Grampian Regional Equality Council Ltd)

“This project cemented our belief that the most effective way of supporting people is through peer-to-peer support. Nobody understands the frustrations, struggles and challenges of the recently arrived community better than another recently arrived person. There is a constant optic through which we consider our work and that is one of being white and privileged, helping people of colour in extreme disadvantage. It is much more preferrable to create opportunities for people to help each other. We will take this approach through all our future programmes. As well as the implicit imbalance of privilege, being helped by somebody who speaks your own language is significantly easier. This creates an environment which feels much more positive: an atmosphere that is immediate easy and theirs to own. We will continue to distribute devices but on a smaller and slower scale as we now depend on donated items and need to make sure these are reconditioned and fit-for-purpose.” (Refuweegee)

“14 volunteers had completed the training at the end of the project. Unfortunately, this will be more of a lasting legacy of the project than actively contributing to the success of the project. Volunteers started the training in late August with a 10-week training programme. We will use the assessment and monitoring tools as a lasting legacy. Based on this project we are attempting to secure resources to continue this model offering learners in Inverclyde a minimum of 2 ESOL classes, online distance learning and co-ordinated language practice activities. Although we had to change the model in August we are confident that the impact of this new model shows us the way forward for future service provision.” (Inverclyde Council)

“Connections made through the project work continue with individuals who have met through workshops and being in our library space have become volunteers with us, created bands together, played open mics or other gigs, got involved with other organisations, and the wider music scene. We really have brought people together to connect musically who otherwise wouldn’t know each other.” (Music Broth)

“Jasmine and Thistle's organisation and the team have gained good and vital experience from the implementation of this project. That includes time management skills, planning, and organisational skills. We have learned how to attract refugees. We better understand anticipated challenges and the needs of the refugee community and will develop our services accordingly. Online zoom use reduces the impact of mental health stigma and makes it easier to attend sessions during COVID, especially for mothers and the elderly. We are trying to increase the number of members of J&T. Also, the team has improved their resilience levels as dealing with psychosocial support projects requires more flexibility, active listening and consideration.” (Jasmine and Thistle)

5. Partnerships

As found when looking specifically at the findings related to partnership working, the partnerships developed as part of the New Scots Refugee Integration Project reported being highly successful. Many organisations have even reported that they will continue to work in partnership with the organisations they’ve worked with after the end of the project.

“The approach to partnership working, and the practical steps taken throughout this project to make this possible, will be continued beyond the life of the funded project. This will have a lasting impact both for our organisations, and for refugees in Glasgow who will benefit from a more joined-up approach.” (Culture and Sport Glasgow)

“[A lasting impact is that we now have a] Good relationship with Argyll and Bute Council and we communicate more about other aspects of resettlement... Participants in both areas will continue in the local ESOL delivery programmes.” (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar)

6. Participant Development

Beyond the acquisition of specific skills, the projects reported cultivating a broader sense of empowerment, belonging, and active engagement in society. Participants were reported to have emerged from these initiatives not just with new abilities but with an enriched capacity to contribute to and thrive within their communities, demonstrating the enduring benefits of focused developmental support.

“The lasting impact of the project is the new skills the participants have learnt. The confidence they gained will help them integrate in society and also open them up to other community based learning opportunities.” (Pollokshields Development Agency)

“I believe that some of the messages we tried to get across to the girls will be embedded in their mindset when they grow older and feel the pressures of society. For example, when we delivered the body image session it will give them the confidence to not fall within the image of society. Due to the activity aspect of the project the girls have become more fit and active and more willing to play sports even outside the group. They have been joining basketball and football clubs near their homes and joining school competitions.” (Kurdish Women Community Group)

“After this project, these connections will continue and individuals that once felt isolated now have other people they can continue to learn new skills and socialise with. Feedback has shown that participants have learnt a variety of new practical conservation skills that they can utilise in the future such as woodworking and gardening. Other skills they have learnt such as wildlife identification and sketching have helped some participants develop a newfound passion for nature. 15 participants achieved their John Muir Award they can add to their CV and will help them with future volunteer opportunities or employment. They have also developed English language skills that they will use every day living in an English-speaking country, making them feel less isolated and more confident to communicate.” (The Conservation Volunteers)

Feedback from projects and participants

This category pulled data from responses to the following question from the quarterly and final reports:

2. Do you have any other comments or observations you wish to add about the delivery of your project overall?

3. In this last reporting period or since you’ve finished your project have you received any feedback from participants about the project? Please provide details of the main feedback you have received over the duration of your project.

Thematic analysis of the data related to feedback from projects and participants suggested three broad themes.

1. The Positive Experience of Running the Project

Projects overwhelmingly wanted to share how positive they found the experience, how proud they are of the work they’ve been able to do and how grateful they were for the funding they received as it gave them the ability to run successful projects, bringing about significant positive change for the communities they support.

“I feel extremely proud of the bid and its success. I feel fortunate to be involved and work with the many wonderful staff from Barnardo’s, West Dunbartonshire, and Renfrewshire. Lastly to provide a service which is focused on health, wellbeing and nature is a passion which is fundamental to my own existence is fulfilling. My biggest achievement as a professional is the smiles and experiences of the young people who participated, learned, and created memories forever.” (Renfrewshire Council)

“Only that it has been a pleasure to participate in this project” (Argyll and Bute Council)

“We are proud of what has been achieved over the lifespan of this project. We have built good working relationships with CDT and have provided tailored support to New Scots in the area.” (Govan Community Project)

“Licketyspit is enormously grateful for the opportunity to undertake such a substantial project. This has really enhanced our understanding of this work, drawing on learning and multiple strands of preceding projects, to deliver it successfully.” (Licketyspit Limited)

“We are grateful for the support given to us to fund this project delivery, which has had a life-changing result for the participants. It has been an honour and a pleasure to deliver this project and see the fantastic impact on the students and their families and we are sure that without this project there would have been more of a struggle for them to achieve and attain as well as they have. It is proof of the incredible potential in refugee and asylum seeker and ethnic minority youth when the barriers to learning are removed.” (Glasgow Afghan United)

“Thank you for the opportunity created by this funding and we look forward to working together again in the future.” (Universal Football Club)

"We have really valued the opportunity to do this work together.” (Media Education CIC)

This was also reflected in feedback from participants, many of whom were particularly emphatic about how beneficial they had found it to be able to take part in the activities provided by the funded organisations, and in the feedback from staff within these organisations working with the participants.

“[Participant] We have met new people- we’ve been able to network and find friends. It’s good for integration and feeling less isolated being able to be part of a group in a new country. It’s a chance to know more about the culture here but also introduce our culture to others. It’s time for ourselves, where we can share ideas and opinions” (Outside The Box Development Support Limited)

“Many asylum seekers expressed deep gratitude to have opportunities to share their experiences and be part of thinking processes.” (Faith in Community (Scotland))

“[Participant] I really enjoyed the two levels of the course. I thought it was well planned and layer out, easy for me to follow. The work load was just enough. I got to learn about mental health and not feel over loaded and rushed. Also the assessment towards the end was straight forward and covered all the topics we learned. The trainer did a great job.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“Many participants talked of the stories they had heard and how moved they were by them. This was a feature of the day with those with lived experience sharing openly and generously in workshops, in discussions and at lunch.” (Faith in Community (Scotland))

“[Participant] I was worried when I first came but I’ve never felt so welcome. It’s a good group of people; we all get on with each other, we help each other in a lot of ways emotionally, we are a good support network for one another. That support network allows people to discuss how they are coping with their trauma/mental health issue with a freedom which would not normally be found outside the group.” (Enkula Wellness Hub C.I.C)

“[Participant] I am delighted that I enrolled for this course. I will use the information not only for myself but to serve the community.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“[Participant] After doing this course many concepts are clear and it is also helping me to understand my children more and help friends with small kids. I am looking for a job. I found one but I need this qualification to get it. I am volunteering within my community working with children.” (Saheliya Steering Group)

“The majority of the participants commented that the activities are well planned and helped them gain a lifetime knowledge and skills 5. many said that they are now less reliable on other people they know and / or young people in their families to find about different services”. (The Braveheart Association (SCIO))

2. Personal Growth and Confidence Building

Projects wanted to highlight the positives of their ability to support and enhance a sense of belonging and integration within local communities, with a focus on inclusiveness and broad participation.

“The change the project aimed to achieve was for the children to know and to feel a sense of belonging in their local area and new country. We have seen their confidence and comfort in their environment increase. The children in the primary/early secondary clubs confidently take their part in annual cultural events - New Year; Burns Night; Paisley Book Festival; Red Nose Day; Aye Write!; The Refugee Festival Scotland; St Andrew's Day etc They enjoy and anticipate trips during Easter, Summer, October and Christmas holidays. They are comfortable and confident in new - and now not so new - local environments such as Braehead (bowling, Gravity, adventure golf) and Silverburn (funfair), as well as in cinemas in Paisley and Glasgow.” (Glenburn Independent Baptist Church)

“[statement from volunteer] He became quite confident in speaking about his emotions and his life... These conversations helped me in understanding and guiding him in the right direction. I also came to know about the career he wants to pursue in future and I told him that gaining essential vocational training is the way to go about it." (Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership)

“Overall the project was really successful as we witnessed the girls becoming more confident and mixing with the opposite gender. They were starting to become friends with people they wouldn’t normally speak to. We noticed that the girls attendance was becoming alot more than the boys (before boys would attend the group more than girls). It made the girls a lot more closure as we spoke about issues that affect us on a daily basis whether that’s around culture or religion. We openly spoke about some of the restrictions our society places on us and spoke about their future ambitions. The girls were also becoming more active and put more effort in during activities as they were always willing to beat the other team or opposite gender.” (Kurdish Women Community Group)

“The practice of inclusive child-led intergenerational engagement through drama-led play, food, chat and shared reflection that Porridge & Play (& Picnic & Play) represents is deeply nurturing and therapeutic because it enables the facilitators and Champions to take responsibility for ensuring that each participant is always seen, heard, included and valued so they can relax, feel at home and get the best out of every session. These sessions are memorable events. Like family parties, which is why so many participants have described the project as Family. This takes enormous care and effort on the part of the company but returns, as you can see, enormous rewards. This approach enables people to bring and share the best of themselves to each other, to support each other and foster a sense of belonging and collective possibility. It is a really hopeful activity which can enable people to remember that even, and arguably especially, at a time of dire need, they can still source their innate self and their capacity for joy, love, play and solidarity.” (Licketyspit Limited)

2. Funding and Administrative Concerns

Some projects were keen to reiterate concerns which had been raised in previous sections of their final reporting. Namely concerns over the impact of funding delays and administrative burdens that were felt to have detracted from the primary objectives of the projects. It is important to note that funding issues were prevalent throughout the lifespan of the project due partially to staff turnover within Scottish Government and partner organisations and partially due to issues with financial returns from certain projects being regularly incomplete or erroneous.

“The project has over delivered in reaching many more families than anticipated, however it has been so difficult to respond as grant payments have not been received as planned. Without this expected funding support in place there has been continued pressure on our finances and subsequently on staff. The significant volume of paperwork and reporting has impacted staff well-being negatively. It would be beneficial if possible to limit the expected reporting or to streamline the process for future delivery, and to ensure grant payments are made on time.” (Scrap Antics C.I.C)

“And for a relatively modest amount of money - in fact less than the total grant provided by Scottish Government. I would ask that Scottish Government provide the outstanding amount of the grant based on our expenditure. MOOL laid out this amount to fund the food festival and will otherwise be out of pocket for this.” (Massive Outpouring of Love (MOOL) SCIO)

“At the point of writing this report- our funding is 6 months overdue from the previous quarter with little communication or clarity on when we are to receive the final amount despite all financial reports being amended and submitted according to what was asked of us.” (Outside the Box Development Support)

Many organisations reported concerns around the foreseeable future once the project ended as they could no longer support refugees due to the end of funding. The feedback from participants emphasised that while they had been happy with the service they would like more events and activities to continue, this highlights how organisations are dealing with an increased service demand as the projects wound down.

“The main feedback we have had is that the whole group would like to do more. I received a text from one young person the night of our screening to say when can we do another. They wanted to keep planning straight away. We have put another plan in place because everyone is so keen and we want to build on the momentum.” (Media Education CIC)

“In essence, our learners are disappointed that the additional services we were able to offer as a result of the AMIF funding have come to an end, but they recognise the personal growth and confidence that their involvement has generated. Without a doubt, our project has been a success.” (East Lothian Works)

3. Support

Another theme made evident in the feedback from participants was the support organisations provided beyond service delivery. This included providing participants with travel expenses, refreshments during activities, and an overall supportive environment for people within the refugee community. Projects reported that providing refugees with a space to share experiences and support each other was seen particularly positively amongst the participants they supported.

“Music Broth is an amazing organisation. I first came across them at an event for refugees a few years ago. To see these young people having so much fun learning to beatbox, and succeeding, was exhilarating!” (Music Broth)

“I arrived not knowing anything about the work being done here - It has been incredible to see the support, joy and love on show and a beautiful insight into the different cultures uniting together. - Inspiring, heartwarming, joyful, Incredible work. - Beautiful. It’s so great to see the creations of women coming together and sharing their unique experiences.” – (Govanhill Baths Community Trust)

“71% of respondents agreed they would recommend the service to other People seeking asylum and friends or had already done so Here are some of the comments the researchers received during the research: They are caring. I feel like I am home. When I came to the UK, they told me about stuff I didn’t know, they helped us with a clothes voucher. They are really helpful. They were friendly when I met them at the shop, and they explained what they do very well. The only thing I can say I will just thank them; I appreciate what they did. Yes, they can be trusted. For them to give us the voucher it means they can be trusted. Based on my experience they are very reliable and they take people’s concerns seriously…We are all human beings, when they are telling you something, it is from the heart.” (Community Infosource)

“A relocation request was made to Mears, the housing provider, because they were inappropriately housed in a hotel room with their children, causing overcrowding. Following our advocacy, the family were moved from the hotel and housed in the north of Glasgow. We briefed Mr D on his housing rights and responsibilities, so that he was clear about this and confident in maintaining their tenancy. He is now aware of how to report repairs, and confident in, reporting any housing issues and repairs with their flat. We have had very positive feedback from him that the project has been very helpful. As a result, Mr D has been in contact with the project again, when he was not sure about information that he would have been given by his friends and family. We supported him to get clothing from Maslow’s, a Charity Shop, a one-off data top-up has given him access to further online services and we are supporting him with bus vouchers through Refugee Survival Trust. The family are now much more aware of their rights, more confident in pursuing them and more aware of the services and support they can access in the local community.” (Community Infosource)