New Scots refugee integration strategy 2018-2022: evidence of integration

Executive Summary 

Evidence is key to informing good policy and practice. Sources of evidence can vary. It can be from evaluation of the impact of work and projects, academic research or recording of practice and experience within organisations.  

This report aims to provide a base for understanding the existing evidence on refugee integration in Scotland. It identifies available evidence to help inform policy makers and people working to support refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland.  

Evaluation of the quality and content of individual evidence sources was not part of this project. This project provides an overall understanding of the evidence sources identified in terms of their date of publication, geographical scope, research methods and funding.

Key Findings:

• 174 sources of evidence relating to refugee integration have been identified.
• The majority of these evidence sources use mixed research methods (42%) or qualitative research methods (29%).
• A significant amount of research was commissioned by the Refugee Council (25 sources) and the Scottish Refugee Council (19 sources).
• There are some evidence gaps in certain areas. For example, there is very little evidence on the integration of older refugees and asylum seekers (1 piece of evidence identified).
• Some of the most holistic sources of evidence come from long-running integration programmes such as The Holistic Integration Service. These also offer insight over a longer time period, rather than a snapshot at the end of a short term project or through a time-specific survey