Refugee integration - role of local authorities: research

Appendix B

Research on the role of local authorities in delivering humanitarian protection and refugee integration in Scotland: Overview for interview and focus group participants

Who is doing this research?

This research project is being conducted by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Scotland. IPPR Scotland is an independent charity which carries out research and policy analysis in Scotland. The research team are Marley Morris, Lucy Mort and Casey Smith.

What is this research about?

This research will investigate the role of Scottish local authorities in delivering humanitarian protection programmes and supporting the integration of refugees and asylum seekers. The findings will inform the next New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy.

Through fieldwork with stakeholders across Scotland we hope to:

• Gain an understanding of the current picture on the ground of how local authorities 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

How can I participate in this research?

You have been invited to take part in this research as someone who has experience supporting refugee integration in Scotland. Your knowledge and experience of delivery on the ground can offer crucial insights into our research and therefore your participation will be vital to the success of this study. You will be invited to take part in either a focus group or 1-1 interview.

Interviews with stakeholders

You will be asked a range of questions which draw upon your professional experience working within or alongside the local council on the topic of refugee integration. This will help us determine the successes and challenges facing local authorities and what is particular to the local authorities across Scotland chosen to reflect the three case study areas. Your contribution will help give depth to and highlight the experiences of local authorities on the matter of humanitarian protection programmes and refugee integration work.

Focus groups with stakeholders

You will take part in a focus group comprised of several people who are on the ground helping to deliver humanitarian protection programmes and refugee integration work within their local authority. We hope that by facilitating a discussion between stakeholders we will be able to delve deeper into the reality of integrating refugees and asylum seekers and explore some of the successes and challenges in your work.

Who is funding this research?

This research project is commissioned by the Scottish Government and COSLA, and is funded by the EU Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). The research project will be conducted by independent researchers at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Scotland.

Do I have to take part in the research?

No, it is completely voluntary. If you agree to participate, you will be asked to show your agreement by completing a consent form. You can withdraw your consent at any stage of the study without giving any reason for your withdrawal. Please let us know by September 2022 if you would like to do this, and we will endeavour to delete your data.

What will happen to my personal information?

All personal details such as names, email addresses and phone numbers will not be shared with people outside this project. Your contribution will remain anonymous, and all personal data will be kept separate from the research data.

How will the data be used in this research?

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

Anonymised data will be analysed by IPPR researchers.

At the end of the research, a final report will be made publicly available by Scottish Government and COSLA.

More information

If any questions or concerns arise during or after your participation, please contact:

• Lucy Mort at l.mort@ippr.org
• Marley Morris on 020 7470 6112 or at m.morris@ippr.org

IPPR is an independent charity that carries out research and policy analysis. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.ippr.org/

COSLA is a representative body which works on behalf of Scotland’s local authorities to focus on the challenges and opportunities they face and engage positively with the Scottish and UK governments. For more information, please visit their website: https://www.cosla.gov.uk/

Privacy notice

Our purposes for collecting your personal information are:

• to assist with research
• to maintain a record that you have consented to this research

The data controller for this project is Scottish Government which means that they decide what personal data is collected from you as part of this research. The data processor for this project is IPPR, which means that IPPR will be responsible for collecting information from you via this survey, securely storing data and using the data to write a report on behalf of the Scottish Government and COSLA.

The legal basis we rely on for collecting and processing your personal data is ‘public task’. This means that your data is being collected in the public interest and will aid the functioning of government. In this case your data will be processed to conduct social research into the delivery of humanitarian protection programmes and refugee integration in Scotland.

Where you provide personal data, we will keep your name, contact details and consent form on our records until the end of the project (March 2023) when we will securely destroy them.

We won’t share any personal information that could identify you, unless for safeguarding reasons we are required by law to do so.

We will keep your information safe and only use it in the ways you agree to.

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time - if you do that, we’ll delete the personal data we hold about you. To withdraw your consent, contact the researchers listed below.

The personal data you have contributed to the research will be stored securely by IPPR and only the IPPR research team and third party transcribers will have access to your personal data. Staff within the research teams at COSLA and the Scottish Government, who have commissioned this project, will only have access to anonymised data.

The information IPPR collect from the research will be used to write a report for the Scottish Government and COSLA; however, no personal information will be published which can reveal your identity. The information will be used for research purposes only and all handling of data will adhere to the relevant data protection legislation. At the end of this research project, IPPR will delete all personal data. Anonymised transcripts and final outputs will be transferred to the Scottish Government and COSLA.

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

• access and obtain a copy of your data on request;
• require us to change incorrect or incomplete data;
• require us to erase or restrict processing your data under certain conditions;
• object to the processing of your data under certain conditions;
• request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organisation, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding how your personal data is collected or used, or if you believe we have not complied with your data protection rights you can contact IPPR’s data protection lead by email at: r.geffen@ippr.org or alternatively you can contact the Scottish Government’s Data Protection Officer by email at: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.scot.

Details of your rights under the Data Protection Act 2018, your rights as a Data Subject, and your right to complain over how your personal data is being processed to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) are available at the following link: https://ico.org.uk/concerns or by calling the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113.

More information

If any questions or concerns arise during or after your participation, please contact:

• Lucy Mort at l.mort@ippr.org
• Marley Morris on 020 7470 6112 or at m.morris@ippr.org

IPPR is an independent charity that carries out research and policy analysis. For more information please visit our website: https://www.ippr.org/

COSLA is a representative body which works on behalf of Scotland’s local authorities to focus on the challenges and opportunities they face, and engage positively with the Scottish and UK governments. For more information please visit our website: https://www.cosla.gov.uk/

Research on the role of local authorities in delivering humanitarian protection and refugee integration in Scotland: Informed consent to participate in research and to share your contact details with us

Please tick if you agree:

I have read the information sheet, or it was read to me, and I understand the contents.

I voluntarily agree to participate in this study.

I agree that the interview or focus group can be audio recorded.

I agree that IPPR can record my name and a copy of my consent form, so that they know what I have consented to.

I understand that audio recordings, transcripts and relevant personal data will be stored securely and destroyed by the end of the project.

Name of Participant (printed):

Signature of Participant:

Date: