Refugee integration - role of local authorities: key findings summary

Looking ahead and future policy recommendations:

In the online survey, people who responded were asked about the greatest challenges facing local authorities in supporting refugee integration. The top challenges mentioned were:

• The cost of living increasing
• A lack of housing availability
• Not enough staff to support refugee integration

The research also explored lessons learned that could help with future improvements and changes to refugee integration work. The key lessons for future work in this area are that:

• Partnering and cooperation between councils and community groups is essential with COSLA helping share best practices.
• A community-focused approach works well, with strong connections to local organizations.
• Importance of language learning and job support to help overcome qualification and language barriers is essential.
• Encouragement of teamwork within local authorities, so that all departments support work with refugees, is necessary.

There were also lessons for the next version of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy. People who responded felt that the next New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy should:

• Be more ambitious with clear targets.
• Involve local governments in planning, considering local challenges.
• Ensure consistent funding, rights and services for all refugees.
• Include new funding as part of the strategy, to support local authorities and others in achieving the strategy goals.