Refugee integration - role of local authorities: key findings summary

The results

Education:

Education helps refugees integrate within Scotland by teaching them skills and helping them find work and connect with others. Local authorities have a number of responsibilities for the education of refugees, including school places for children and young people.

Councils think that helping children in school is a top priority. Challenges that councils face include not having enough school places, or not being able to provide support for children whose first language is not English. Some areas have special programmes, like Dundee's 'homework club' for refugee students, which is a partnership between the English as an Additional Language (EAL) team and the adult ESOL team.

The survey and case study research found that many councils are coming up with new and creative ways to teach English to adults because of high demand, and in order to make the best use of limited funds. They often work with local colleges or charities to do this. For example, Aberdeenshire has a system where, in partnership with WEA Scotland (a provider of adult education) and local colleges, the council tests new arrivals' English skills and then direct them to the right classes for them based on their ability.

Overall the research finds that local authorities are generally delivering high quality education for refugees, despite the challenges they face.

Employment:

Getting a job helps refugees to more effectively settle into life in Scotland. Though they have many skills, refugees often face problems such as their qualifications not being recognised in Scotland, or language barriers – that make it difficult to find a good job. As a result they often need targeted support to find work. Efforts are being made to match refugees’ existing skills with jobs, but more can be done in this area.

Councils help refugees get jobs by working with organisations like Jobcentre Plus/Department for Work and Pensions, Skills Development Scotland, Fair Start Scotland as well as further education colleges, and charities. They help with things like making CVs, preparing for interviews, and connecting with employers.

The research highlighted that local authorities are helping refugees find work, with many success stories. Some areas, like Na h-Eileanan Siar, have helped refugees to start their own businesses. Dundee's council had a special course to improve language and job skills for refugees and helps them meet employers.

Housing:

Safe and affordable housing is key for refugees to settle comfortably in Scotland. However, with the significant housing shortage the UK as a whole is currently facing, it's often hard for local authorities to find places for refugees to live. The research showed that councils work with housing teams, local groups, and charities to find homes.

Some housing plans to support refugees worked well because councils had time to prepare for their arrival. However, due to the pressures associated with the need for rapid support for refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine, it was very difficult for local authorities to meet their housing needs due to lack of appropriate housing available. As a result many people stayed in temporary places like hotels for a long time. On top of this some families didn't want to move to certain areas, and finding homes for big families was particularly hard. To solve these problems, councils are trying new things, like buying big houses or helping families live close to each other in more rural areas.

The research found that housing is one of the biggest challenges for refugee integration, and there is a clear need for improvement in this area. While councils are trying their best, the lack of affordable homes is a nationwide problem affecting many people in the UK, and it’s a particularly difficult challenge for councils to fix.

Welfare rights:

Welfare benefits help refugees by supporting their household income. The UK, Scottish and local governments work together to deliver benefits for refugees and people seeking asylum.

Overall, the research found that many councils are helping refugees to access and understand the benefits that are available to them. Some councils even have special officers to give advice on money and help with benefits. For example, in Aberdeenshire, there's an officer who gives money advice to refugees and helps them apply for benefits.

However, with living costs rising, there is a need to think about how to better help refugees with their money in the near future.

Health and wellbeing:

Mental and physical health are important for refugees to successfully integrate into life in Scotland. However many refugees face health problems like stress and depression and can find it hard to get medical help because of language problems.

The research showed that local authorities help refugees with things like registering with a doctor, getting eye and dental check-ups, and finding interpreters. They work with health services, other council teams, and charities to do this.

Refugees and people seeking asylum often need particular support for mental health and the impacts of trauma. Some new programmes are trying to help with this, by providing outdoor activities or community projects to talk about mental health.

The research shows that the partnership between local authorities and health services to support refugees has been good. However, there is still a need to do more, especially with regards to mental health. The researchers suggest focusing on better mental health care and early help for refugees in the future.

Communities, culture and social connections:

Making friends and social connections is a key part of successful integration for refugees. This includes connecting with other refugees and with other people from the local community. Being socially connected can also help to improve refugees’ health and assist them with learning English.

Local authorities support the development of social connections by arranging activities, events, sports, and cultural celebrations. Working with charities and community groups has been vital for this.

In Aberdeenshire the local authority supports a project that helps refugee families with ‘employment cafes’ and cultural trips. Dundee combines language learning with community development, and in Na h-Eileanan Siar, volunteers help with learning English and making new friends.

The research shows that community projects in Scotland are doing well in helping refugees make connections, but more resources are needed for local groups and charities to offer enough activities to meet increasing demand.

Comparing experiences across Scotland:

The study looked at how support for refugees varies in different places. While city, town, and countryside areas offer similar levels of support, more remote and island areas sometimes lack community groups to support refugees.

Cities often have more job opportunities for refugees and better public transport networks. Rural areas tend to have less access to services and job opportunities. However, these areas, where there are fewer refugees and strong community networks already in place, can also be helpful for refugees. For example, the refugee-led group Al-Amal has been highly successful in building relationships and empowering refugees to settle in Aberdeenshire. In places like Na h-Eileanan Siar, smaller refugee numbers also mean that support can be more personal.

Exploring the impact of policy and legislation:

The work of Scottish local authorities in supporting refugee integration sits within a complex network of Scottish and UK laws. The researchers wanted to explore how different UK and Scottish Government policies and schemes impacted on local authorities’ activities.

People who gave their views in the survey felt the UK and Syrian Resettlement Schemes were fairly or very effective. They particularly liked the funding, coordination and advanced planning associated with the Syrian schemes. However, only a third were positive about the Afghan and Ukraine programmes. The Afghan programme was criticised for being very slow and leaving houses offered to Afghan families to remain empty. The Ukraine programme struggled with many new arrivals and didn't consult well with local authorities.

There were also concerns about the National Transfer Scheme for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, such as arrivals with a short amount of time to prepare, limited funding, housing issues, and strict Home Office rules.

Most people who took part in the research welcomed the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy. Some councils reported that it was a very helpful framework and used it directly in their work, though others felt they were already doing good work independent of the strategy and its recommendations.