Refugee integration - role of local authorities: research

Appendix A

Survey: Refugee and Asylum Seeker Integration in Scottish Local Authorities

Delivering humanitarian protection programmes and facilitating refugee integration in Scottish Local Authorities

Thank you for agreeing to take part in this survey on how local authorities deliver humanitarian protection programmes and support the integration of refugees and asylum seekers.

We are the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Scotland, a registered charity and progressive think tank dedicated to supporting and improving public policy. We are working in collaboration with the Scottish Government and COSLA to investigate the role of local authorities in delivering humanitarian protection programmes and facilitating the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland. Through fieldwork with stakeholders across Scotland we hope to:

Gain an understanding of the current picture on the ground of how local authorities deliver humanitarian protection programmes and facilitate refugee integration

Uncover where local authorities have found successes and faced challenges

Examine how different experiences compare across Scotland’s 32 local authorities

Determine the impact of policy and legislation (both devolved and reserved) on local authorities’ refugee integration strategies

Explore how local authorities might change and adapt their approach in the future

Data generated in this research will be used for the purpose of evaluating refugee integration work in Scotland and to inform the next New Scots strategy.

Data will be anonymised, analysed, and held securely by IPPR researchers. At the end of the research project, a final report will be made publicly available by Scottish Government and COSLA. Please follow the link to access a legal statement relating to the research here.

Below we ask for your name and email in case it would be helpful to follow up with further questions on your survey responses. This is optional and you do not have to provide these details if you would prefer not to. If you choose to share your name and contact details with us, we will keep them on our records until the end of the project (December 2022), when we will securely destroy them.

Participation is voluntary and if you do decide to participate you can withdraw your consent without giving any reason for your withdrawal.

Please let us know by September 2022 if you would like to do this, and we will delete your data.

As part of the survey we will ask a range of questions across 5 topic areas: ‘Understanding the current picture’; ‘Identifying success and challenges’; ‘Comparing experiences across Scotland’; ‘Exploring the impact of policy and legislation’; and ‘Looking ahead’.

Please note that that this survey refers to refugees and asylum seekers who have arrived in your local authority area via humanitarian protection programmes, including all UK resettlement and relocation schemes (e.g. the UK Resettlement Scheme, Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy, Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme, Mandate Scheme, Gateway Protection Programme, Community Sponsorship Scheme, and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine), including the Scottish Government Super Sponsor Scheme), placements for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and asylum dispersal and emergency asylum accommodation.

While we ask you to complete the survey to the best of your ability, if you feel you cannot answer a question please select ‘Don’t know’ on the multiple choice, or leave open-ended questions blank. The survey has been designed so that many different people can contribute (within and outside the council).

To fully complete the survey will take around 30 minutes. You do not have to complete the survey in one sitting.

The deadline for completing the survey is the end of August 2022.

Do you give your consent to complete the survey on this basis?

I consent

I do not consent

Please tell us the name of your organisation / institution. (You don’t need to tell us this, but it is helpful for us if you do.)

What is your job title / role? (You don’t need to tell us this, but it is helpful if you do.)

What best describes the type of organisation / institution that you work for?

Local government

Third sector organisation

Local community organisation

Private sector organisation

Other please specify

What is your local authority area? (You can select more than one if your work goes beyond one local authority or a ‘Scotland-wide’ option if you operate at a national-level)

Aberdeen

Aberdeenshire

Angus

Argyll & Bute

Clackmannanshire

Dumfries & Galloway

Dundee

East Ayrshire

East Dunbartonshire

East Lothian

East Renfrewshire

Edinburgh

Falkirk

Fife

Glasgow

Highland

Inverclyde

Midlothian

Moray

Na h-Eileanan Siar

North Ayrshire

North Lanarkshire

Orkney & Kinross

Perth

Renfrewshire

Scottish Borders

Shetland

South Ayshire

South Lanarkshire

Stirling

West Dumbartonshire

West Lothian

Scotland-wide

Section 1: Understanding the current picture

In this section we aim to understand the current context in which your local authority delivers humanitarian protection programmes and refugee integration work.

1) Does your local authority have a dedicated refugee resettlement team?

Yes

No

Don’t know

2) Does your local authority have a defined refugee integration strategy?

Yes

No

Don’t know

3) Please provide a numerical answer to the following questions on refugees, asylum seekers, and unaccompanied asylum seeking children in your local authority.

Please enter only numbers in the ‘Number of persons’ column. If you do not know the answer to these questions, please skip.

How many refugees have been resettled within your local authority area under any relocation or resettlement schemes in the last 12 months (e.g. the UK Resettlement Scheme, Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy, Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme, Mandate Scheme, Gateway Protection Programme, Community Sponsorship Scheme, and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine))?

How many asylum seekers (not including unaccompanied asylum seeking children) have been dispersed to your local authority in the last 12 months?

How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been transferred to your local authority in the last 12 months?

Looking back over the last 12 months, approximately what number of refugees and asylum seekers have presented as homeless to the local authority?

4) To the best of your knowledge, in terms of staffing, how many ‘full-time equivalent staff are working directly for your local council on refugee and asylum seeker resettlement and integration? Enter a numeric value or if you do not know, leave the text box blank.

Full-time equivalent (FTE) = one full time staff member (35hrs and above) counts as 1.0 FTE. A part-time employee who works half of ‘full-time hours’ would be a 0.5 FTE, while someone who works a quarter of full-time hours would be a 0.25 FTE. For example, three full-time employees plus one employee who works half of full-time hours would equal 3.5 FTE)

5) Reflecting on the history of your local authority, how long has your local authority been supporting refugees and / or asylum seekers?

Up to five years

Six to ten years

Eleven to fifteen years

Sixteen to twenty years

More than twenty years

Don’t know

Section 2: Identifying successes and challenges

In this section we explore where local authorities are facing particular success and challenges in the integration of refugees and asylum seekers.

Education and Employment

6) To what extent is your local authority providing support for the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the area of education and employment?

Please indicate how much support your local authority is able to provide in the area of education and employment, where 0 is ‘no support’ and 4 is ‘a great deal of support’.

Access to ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) education

Help with recognition of any qualifications acquired prior to arrival in the UK

Access to training opportunities (help individuals attain a skill or trade)

Access to employment opportunities

7) How does your local authority deliver ESOL services? Does this include working with any external partners?

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

8) How does your local authority deliver employability services? Does this include working with external partners?

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

9) Can you provide examples of where your local authority has achieved success and developed expertise in the integration of refugees and asylum seekers with respect to education and employment?

Leave the text box blank if you cannot answer.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

10) Please tell us about the current challenges and pressures regarding education and employment for refugees and asylum seekers in your local authority.

Leave the text box blank if you cannot answer.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

11) What would you say are the priorities for improving the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the areas of education and employment during the current Covid-19 recovery period, in your local authority area?

Leave the text box blank if you cannot answer.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

Housing and Social Security

12) To what extent is your local authority providing support to help with the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the area of housing and social security?

Please indicate how much support your local authority is able to provide in the area of housing and social security, where 0 is ‘no support’ and 4 is ‘a great deal of support’.

Access to benefits and other financial support

Access to suitable and safe housing options

Help to set up a home within the local authority area

Help tackling homelessness

13) How does your local authority deliver housing services for refugees and asylum seekers? Does this include working with external partners?

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

14) Approximately how many refugees are currently in bridging accommodation in your local authority at the time of responding to this survey?

0

1 to 30

31 to 60

61 to 90

91 to 120

121 to 150

151 to 180

More than 180

Don’t know

15) Approximately how many asylum seekers are currently in emergency initial asylum accommodation in your local authority at the time of responding to this survey?

0

1 to 30

31 to 60

61 to 90

91 to 120

121 to 150

151 to 180

More than 180

Don’t know

16) Can you provide examples of where your local authority has achieved success and developed expertise in the integration of refugees and asylum seekers with respect to housing and social security?

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

17) Please tell us about the current challenges and pressures regarding housing and social security for refugees and asylums seekers in your local authority.

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

18) What would you say are the priorities for improving the integration of refugees and asylum seekers with respect to housing and social security during the current Covid-19 recovery period within your local authority area?

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

Health and General Wellbeing

19) To what extent is your local authority providing support to help with the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the area of health and general wellbeing (including social connections, for example)?

Please indicate how much support your local authority is able to provide in the area of health and general wellbeing, where 0 is ‘no support’ and 4 is ‘a great deal of support’.

Access to healthcare

Help with meeting general health and wellbeing needs (physical and mental)

Help with tackling social isolation and loneliness

Access to cultural, heritage, and sporting activities and opportunities

20) How does your local authority deliver services relating to health and general wellbeing for refugees and asylum seekers? Does this include working with external partners?

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

21) Can you provide examples of where your local authority has achieved success and developed expertise in the integration of refugees and asylum seekers with respect to health and general wellbeing?

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

22) Please tell us about the current challenges and pressures regarding health and general wellbeing for refugees and asylum seekers in your local authority.

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

23) What would you say are the priorities for improving the integration of refugees and asylum seekers with respect to health and general wellbeing during the current Covid-19 recovery period, in your local authority area?

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

Local Authority Coordination

24) Thinking across all of your work, how closely does your local authority coordinate with the following institutions and organisations to deliver humanitarian protection programmes and support refugee and asylum seeker integration?

Please indicate the extent to which your local authority coordinates with each.

[Options: No coordination, Limited coordination, Fairly coordinated, Highly coordinated, Don’t know]

COSLA’s Strategic Migration Partnership

Scottish Government

UK Government

Local third sector organisations

Other local public service providers (e.g. health boards, education providers, the police, etc)

Other local authorities

25) To what extent does your local authority incorporate the views and experiences of refugees and asylum seekers when deciding policy and strategic planning?

Please indicate the extent to which the lived experiences of refugees and asylum seekers are incorporated into decisions made within your local authority, where 0 is ‘not incorporated at all’ and 4 is ‘highly incorporated’.

26) Thinking about your answer to question 25, can you describe how your local authority facilitates participation of refugees and asylum seekers in policy and strategic planning?

Leave the text box blank if you do not know.

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

Section 3: Comparing experiences across Scotland

In this section we are looking to understand how local authorities’ experiences of integrating refugees and asylum seekers vary across Scotland.

27) How extensive is the community infrastructure (local community groups and civil society activists) dedicated to meeting the needs of refugees and asylum seekers within your local authority?

Please indicate how extensive the community infrastructure is in your local authority, where 0 is ‘no community infrastructure’ and 4 is ‘there is a wide range of organisations providing comprehensive support’.

28) Can you provide examples of how the geography of your local authority has presented opportunities and/or challenges in how it approaches the integration of refugees and asylum seekers?

Leave the text box blank if you cannot answer.

For example, access to local services, employment opportunities, local transport, networks and linkages, etc.)

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

Section 4: Exploring the impact of policy and legislation

The following questions seek to explore the impact of both devolved and reserved policy on your local authority’s experience of delivering humanitarian protection and integrating refugees and asylum seekers.

29) How effective has the design and implementation of the following UK Government schemes and policies been for the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in your local authority?

Please indicate the effectiveness of design and implementation (from ‘Not effective at all’ to ‘Very effective’ according to each individual scheme and policy).

[Options: Not effective at all, Limited effectiveness, Fairly effective, Very effective, Don’t know]

UK Resettlement Scheme

Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme

Afghan resettlement and relocation schemes

Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine)

UK Government policy on asylum dispersal

National transfer scheme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children

30) Thinking about how you answered the previous question, please explain the reasons for your answers?

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

31) Please tell us more about how current UK Government policies relating to refugees and asylum seekers are having an impact on integration at the individual level, in communities, and in the wider local authority.

Leave the text box blank if you cannot answer

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

32) How would you rate the level of financial support provided by the UK and Scottish governments for the following groups of people?

Please indicate how much financial support the UK and Scottish governments provide, where 0 is ‘no support’ and 4 is ‘a great deal of support’ according to each group of people.

People on Afghan resettlement and relocation schemes

People on the UK Resettlement Scheme

People on the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

People on the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme

People on the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine)

Asylum seekers

Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)

33) How would you describe the impact of the following Scottish Government schemes and policies on the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in your local authority?

Please indicate how you would describe the impact (from ‘Very negative impact’ to ‘Very positive impact’ according to each individual scheme and policy).

Ending Destitution Together Strategy

No One Left Behind Strategy

Young Person’s Guarantee

Scottish Government health and social care reforms

ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) strategy

34) Thinking about how you answered the previous question, please explain the reasons for your answers?

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

35) Please tell us more about how current Scottish Government policies relating to refugees and asylum seekers are having an impact on integration at an individual level, in communities, and the wider local authority.

Leave the text box blank if you cannot answer

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

36) How would you describe the impact of the New Scots Strategy on the integration of refugees and asylum seekers within your local authority?

Very negative

Somewhat negative

Neither positive nor negative

Somewhat positive

Very positive

Don’t know

Section 5: Looking ahead

This section focuses on the future of refugee integration in your local authority.

37) How would you rate the below issues (current or emerging) facing your local authority in terms of how challenging they are for delivering humanitarian protection programmes and facilitating refugee integration?

Please indicate which of the issues listed will prove to be most challenging for integrating refugees and asylum seekers in your local authority, where 0 is ‘not challenging at all’ and 4 is ‘extremely challenging’.

Afghan resettlement and relocation schemes

Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine)

UK Resettlement Scheme

National Transfer Scheme for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

Asylum dispersal policy

Cost of living crisis

Insufficient funding of local councils

Insufficient staffing

Insufficient housing

Covid-19

38) If we missed any particularly pressing challenges facing your local authority, please write them here. Otherwise, leave blank.

(500 characters limit - around 100 words)

39) How are organisations in your local authority area (including local government, 3rd sector organisations, etc.) drawing on the successes and challenges faced in recent years to inform improvements and changes in how they work with refugees and asylum seekers?

Leave the text box blank if you cannot answer

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

40) Looking at the next three years, from your perspective, what should be the key priorities within your local authority area to help support refugees and asylum seekers?

Leave the text box blank if you cannot answer

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

41) Reflecting on the challenges that your organisation has faced since the publication of the last New Scots refugee integration strategy, what are the most important gaps or needs which you would like to see addressed in the next New Scots strategy?

Leave the text box blank if you cannot answer

(2000 characters limit - around 400 words)

If you are willing for us to contact you with any follow-up questions regarding this research, or to let you know when this research is published, please share your contact details here. This is optional.

What is your name?

What is your email address?

I agree that the research team may contact me with follow up questions.

Yes / No

End

Thank you for completing our survey