Research and analysis

VPRS and VCRS Good Practice Summary

Published 30 March 2023

Introduction

The Home Office commissioned Ipsos to conduct a 3-year qualitative evaluation of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) and the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) to provide evidence of good practice to inform further development and improvement of the schemes.

In this document, Home Office officials have summarised what research participants told Ipsos constitutes good practice in supporting the integration of resettled refugees. The Home Office is sharing this summary, hoping it will inform the work of people supporting the integration of refugees in the UK.

In each of the 3 years of fieldwork Ipsos collected data from:

• interviews with key national and regional stakeholders from central and local government and the third sector
• in-depth qualitative case study research in 5 local authority areas across the UK and with 2 community sponsor groups in England (increased to 4 groups in the final year)

To get an understanding of change over several years, Ipsos interviewed most stakeholder organisations and refugees in all 3 years of fieldwork.

Ipsos have summarised each year of fieldwork in a separate report, with a somewhat different angle.

• the first report (based on 2018 fieldwork) focuses on identifying how local authority and community sponsor groups support refugees, particularly in meeting refugees’ immediate and essential needs in their first year in the UK
• the second report (summarising 2019 fieldwork) describes how refugees are being supported with their integration beyond their first year in the UK, and on how delivery has changed to support new cohorts of refugees
• the final report (summarising 2020 fieldwork) describes further key changes and innovative practice demonstrated by local authorities and community sponsor groups. It also covers refugees’ progress towards the schemes’ intended integration outcomes and describes ongoing barriers to progress and areas that require further development

Year 1

• local authorities establishing strong central coordination and greater clarity around partner responsibilities and communicating these responsibilities clearly to refugees shortly after arrival. This promotes shared objectives between delivery partners and greater satisfaction with support among refugees
• local authorities adopting flexible approaches to support provision which take into account individual refugees’ needs and local variation in available services
• Home Office sharing detailed, up-to-date information about refugees from pre-departure partner organisations (United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM)) with local authorities. This helps with pre-departure planning to ensure support meets the needs of arriving refugees
• local authorities making use of in-house housing expertise and building effective partnerships with housing providers (including private sector landlords and housing associations) to support effective housing provision tailored to the needs of refugees
• caseworkers linking refugees to auxiliary support from community organisations and other services to aid longer-term refugee independence
• supporting children’s progression in school via dedicated English as an Additional Language (EAL) resources and encouraging attendance at after-school and other extra-curricular activities
• providing childcare during English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes to reduce barriers to attendance faced by parents and carers
• developing English language provision around the expectations and priorities of refugees, particularly focusing on language that supports community integration, and language relevant for employment. This helps promote engagement with ESOL
• providing and signposting refugees to informal community-based and volunteer-led language learning initiatives to facilitate conversational practice that supplements formal ESOL provision
• caseworkers or Jobcentre Plus staff facilitating group information sessions on managing finances and the benefits system (with interpreter support provided) to help refugees understand welfare processes and entitlements
• local authorities building relationships with statutory welfare and employment services to support refugees in accessing benefits promptly after arrival
• caseworkers or third-sector delivery partners discussing refugees’ expectations around employment shortly after their arrival in the UK; developing a plan in partnership with them that aligns to their aspirations; and identifying appropriate support to help refugees achieve their goals
• caseworkers attending the first few GP appointments with refugees to increase their confidence in accessing healthcare
• local authorities working with medical professionals to develop healthcare workshops on health-related cultural norms and translated information packs on the UK health system (including information on how to request interpreters) to increase refugees’ understanding of the healthcare system
• local authorities building relationships with Clinical Commissioning Groups and the third sector to commission specialist health services for refugees, such as heath clinics and mental health provision
• caseworkers and local authority staff arranging welcome sessions for newly arrived families, including:
  - facilitating contact with and support from previously resettled families
  - supporting refugees to get involved in local activities in line with their individual needs and interests
  - identifying and signposting refugees to volunteering opportunities and; community activities
• community sponsor groups building relationships with national charities that can help guide or train group members, and working flexibly to draw on expertise from group members and the wider community (including volunteer interpreters, and private/volunteer tutors)
• community sponsor groups providing appropriate support to refugees, depending on time in the UK, to promote independence. For example, providing a period of more intensive in-person support during a family’s first months in the UK, followed by an appropriate gradual reduction in the engagement. It is best practice to communicate these changes clearly to the family

Year 2

• local authorities and external partners communicating regularly and developing clear strategic plans on funding allocation and partnership roles, to encourage effective programme delivery, minimise duplication of work and increase efficiency. This can be aided by holding multi-agency working groups to discuss both pre-arrival planning and longer-term integration
• local delivery staff receiving IOM training on pre-departure processes to provide refugees with more consistent information on arrival, and to help to manage refugees’ expectations of resettlement
• local authorities sharing area-specific information with refugees, via IOM, before arrival to improve refugees’ understanding and manage expectations
• local authorities standardising housing quality and taking into account the cultural preferences of refugees in housing preparation to increase refugee satisfaction with housing and with the local area. Cultural preferences may include having net curtains and showers (instead of just baths)
• local authorities drawing on the private rental sector in areas experiencing shortages in social housing and working closely with specific landlords to ensure properties are suitable, rather than renting properties from the open market
• caseworkers helping refugees gain the confidence to live independently by clearly explaining the longer-term integration process, such as the step-down of caseworker support, and signposting refugees to other support agencies (such as local charities) early in the resettlement process
• delivery staff facilitating children accessing education by identifying school places before families arrive; schools supporting pupils’ continued progression through EAL support; and initiatives to create a welcoming environment for refugee pupils within schools
• promoting creative and flexible approaches to ESOL provision, including online resources and informal conversation clubs, to increase accessibility for people with caring or work commitments, transport difficulties or other barriers to access
• tailoring ESOL opportunities to refugees’ language needs, including developing provision relevant to employment and/or work experience opportunities
• stakeholders (for example, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Personal Independence Payments assessors) arranging in-person welfare assessments for refugee families besides Jobcentre assessments to ensure refugee families are applying for and receiving the correct benefits from the outset
• local authorities having a staff member dedicated to supporting refugees’ longer-term integration, by coordinating support with Jobcentres and wider provision, to identify bespoke pathways to volunteering, employment or self-employment
• caseworkers attending training on refugee mental health (including how to better recognise, understand and support refugees to address symptoms) to support refugees to understand and access mental healthcare
• local authorities investing in the coordination of community activities, including by having a designated officer, to help families build links with other refugees and the wider community
• resettlement staff working closely with the police to address racism and hate crime towards refugees
• local authorities and community sponsors using networks, including regional networks, national faith networks and national charities, to share learning, information and ideas on integrating refugees

Year 3

• Home Office ensuring clear communication with community sponsor groups and local authorities about funding available to support families. This helps community sponsor groups and local authorities less experienced with resettlement to use funding effectively:
  - providing additional guidance on how to support refugee integration, such as, using VPRS/VCRS funding to support a wider group of refugees and migrants through integration projects
• Home Office offering more opportunities for county and municipal authorities to share knowledge and best practice with each other, such as through multi-agency forums.
  This helps improve resettlement programmes at local levels
• local authorities and community sponsor groups, including refugee integration activities in wider strategic planning, actively building and investing in partnerships and celebrating resettlement, enables local authorities to develop more sustainable models.
  These approaches also support more innovative practice and greater buy-in from stakeholders
• community sponsor groups building close working relationships with local authority resettlement teams helps improve support and integration for refugees, such as, facilitating access to government funding for groups and supporting a more consistent approach to resettlement; local authorities benefitting from having links with experienced and committed volunteers, such as, community sponsor volunteers offering virtual ESOL learning for resettled families during lockdown using tablet computers provided by local authorities
• developing community sponsor networks, facilitated by lead sponsor organisations and Reset, enables advice sharing between groups around what had worked for them. This promotes sharing of good practice between more established and newer community sponsor groups
• drawing on detailed local knowledge, advice and support from local delivery partners helps facilitate successful integration that also considers the needs and views of the wider community:
  - some local authorities and community sponsor groups holding open community meetings to engage with and respond openly to questions from the public about resettlement
  - local authorities building relationships with housing associations and private landlords in areas of limited social housing options
  - working with community safety teams helps local authorities ensure that they do not house resettled families in areas where they would be potentially at risk of hostility and hate crime
• service providers ensuring readily available interpreters for refugees accessing services helps encourage refugees’ independence and reduces reliance on caseworker or community sponsor group support:
  - some service providers include the offer of telephone or face-to-face interpreting where available, and gender-matched interpreters and co-ordinated cultural personal preferences where possible
  - greater interpreter provision in remote healthcare during the pandemic increased families’ accessibility to services more than when offered face-to-face
• caseworker supervisors managing team workloads effectively to help minimise staff burnout ensures sufficient capacity to support refugees and avoids shortages. Supervisors implemented measures to support this, such as:
  - giving clear guidelines to resettled families on support available so that they fully understand the caseworker’s remit
  - caseworkers and refugees working together to prioritise support needs and focus on priority issues in contact time
  - signposting refugees to wider support early in the resettlement process
  - mental health and wellbeing training for caseworkers
• local authorities establishing structured volunteering schemes for resettled refuges to meet and welcome new arrivals, helping to build support networks for new families and providing opportunities to volunteer for resettled refugees. It also reduces the burden on caseworkers to some extent:
  - one area developing a volunteer scheme supported by a local charity for refugees to offer peer-support to newly resettled families; volunteers offer support by showing new families around the local area and offering advice on transport and local amenities
• local authorities and caseworkers ensuring access to dedicated mental health support and working to tackle stigma around mental health assist refugees in accessing mental health provision:
  - local authorities employing dedicated refugee mental health practitioners to provide one-to-one therapeutic support and accompanying refugees to GP appointments
  - caseworkers discussing the mental health impact of the pandemic with families, sending them Arabic information packs which include mental health resources
• ensuring refugees have a variety of ESOL support options available to them. This allows learners to progress more easily, such as, having both online and classroom-based learning, conversation practice and formal ESOL support at different levels:
  - ESOL for employability’ classes helping learners to focus on specific goals to work towards finding paid work, while learning the relevant vocabulary needed
  - community sponsor groups routinely combining formal college provision with informal conversation practice support from volunteers
  - signposting refugees to wider online opportunities to practise English and build social connections, such as, using social media or ‘language exchange’ sites
• delivery partners providing tailored refugee-specific employment resources that improve the accessibility of employability support. This helps widen engagement, for example, through refugee employment support officers working closely with individuals and offering a range of refugee-specific employment schemes for different sectors:
  - one employment initiative helping refugees attain relevant qualifications through apprenticeships and facilitating further learning about the construction industries
  - another initiative supporting refugees to gain experience working in large restaurant chains, supporting pathways into employment through work placements and guaranteed job interviews
• initiatives involving mentor and peer-mentor approaches promote positive interactions and relationships with the community:
  - one national charity delivering a programme to prepare refugees for work, engaging and training volunteer mentors from the wider community to help refugees address barriers to employment, navigate the job market and plan their career, while also practising their English
  - considering refugee peer mentors as role models who can motivate and demonstrate to newly resettled refugees how to achieve their goals
• addressing different integration areas through a single support provision. This facilitates more rounded integration experiences for young refugees, such as, bringing together opportunities for English language learning, sustainable volunteering, employability training and social mixing:
  - one community project for young people combining social integration and employment training by teaching job interview techniques and other skills alongside a chance to play football and socialise at the local football club
• tailoring integration support to address the differing and varied needs of refugees – particularly young people and women, as well as those with additional needs or with low levels of literacy – is helpful in supporting paths to integration:
  - some areas offering women’s groups which address a range of integration needs, from building confidence and social bonds, to skills and employability
  - employability programmes for young refugees integrating additional ESOL, helping to facilitate successful routes into employment or further education
• supporting full access to services and integration activities by taking measures to address digital exclusion among refugees. This was particularly important during the pandemic, with measures such as, providing computer hardware, internet access and support with digital literacy skills:
  - local authorities or community sponsor groups providing laptop or tablet computers for refugees, and support with the cost of broadband internet
  - caseworkers and other delivery partners providing digital training and explanations of digital platforms, with one area setting up Gmail accounts for refugees and explaining Google Classroom ahead of online classes
• caseworkers supporting refugees to understand how to report racism and hate crime in communities, helping improve their awareness of the options available to address these issues:
  - local authorities encouraging the reporting of hate crime by working with Victim Support to share innovations on reporting crime anonymously and arranging police visits to resettled families to build trust
• taking steps to involve refugees in decision-making about service delivery to support more efficient and successful longer-term integration support, that is also more relevant to refugee needs:
  - one local authority developing an advisory group of refugees and asylum seekers for charities to consult when developing services for refugee families
  - another local authority conducting a consultation with young refugees to understand their needs, experiences at school, engagement with services and what they require to feel settled in their community, to address their needs