Refugee resettlement guidance for local authorities

Greater London Authority
Published June 2023

Published by
Greater London Authority
City Hall
Kamal Chunchie Way
London E16 1ZE

www.london.gov.uk
enquiries 020 7983 4000
minicom 020 7983 4458

Photographs ©

The production of this guidance would not have been possible without the valuable contributions from the many people who have been involved in making refugee resettlement a reality and who shared their experiences and perspectives.

We would like to thank local authority staff in the London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Brent, London Borough of Bromley, London Borough of Camden, City of London, London Borough of Ealing, London Borough of Enfield, London Borough of Hackney, London Borough of Haringey, London Borough of Hounslow, London Borough of Islington, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London Borough of Merton, London Borough of Newham, London Borough of Sutton, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Borough of Waltham Forest and City of Westminster. 

Additionally, we would like to thank staff from Beam, Department for Levelling up Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Migration Yorkshire, Refugee Council, RESET and South East Strategic Migration Partnership (SESPM).

Lastly, we would like to acknowledge the excellent resources that we have drawn upon that have been produced by a range of organisations who have decades of experience of refugee resettlement.

The guidance was made possible through funding provided by the Local Government Association (LGA).

ARAP: Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy 

ACRS: Afghanistan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme 

CCG: Clinical Commissioning Group 

DWP: Department for Work and Pensions 

DLUHC: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 

EAL: English as an Additional Language  

ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages (this term covers both formal and informal or accredited and non-accredited ESOL teaching) 

GLA: Greater London Authority 

Hong Kong BN(O): Hong Kong British National Overseas visa 

ILR: Indefinite Leave to Remain 

IOM: International Organisation for Migration 

LGA: Local Government Association 

Local authority, council or borough: the terms are used interchangeably to cover local authority areas 

LSMP: London Strategic Migration Partnership 

Multilingual: the term is used to describe the use of several languages, and the use of two languages (bilingual) 

PRS: Private Rented Sector 

PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 

Refugee: Not everyone who comes to the UK on a resettlement scheme is granted refugee status and may have another immigration status. However, for ease of use, the term ‘refugee’ is used in the broadest sense to cover anyone who arrives in the UK seeking sanctuary under the resettlement schemes listed in the guidance 

REN: Refugee Employment Network 

SEND: Special Educational Needs and Disability 

SESMP: South East Migration Partnership 

UASC: Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children 

UKRS: UK Resettlement Scheme 

UNHCR: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 

VCSE: Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector organisations 

This guidance is for London local authorities involved in or considering becoming involved in supporting the resettlement of refugees through UK government refugee resettlement schemes. The guidance is based on the experiences shared by 18 London local authorities and partners who are implementing resettlement schemes, and the learning that has been identified from their work.

The guidance provides the background to refugee resettlement, what local authorities should consider when deciding to become involved in resettlement schemes and the practical aspects of implementation. It provides examples of different approaches to resettlement work, some of the challenges involved and suggests possible ways to overcome these.

In each section, there are questions and checklists along with links to other resources and information, many of which will be updated with the latest resettlement developments in that topic. Also included are some anonymised quotes from people who have been involved in delivering resettlement support in London.

The guidance is not definitive — all resettlement schemes are different, as is each local context. What is best or possible in one area will not be possible in another. Similarly, every refugee family will have common but also specific resettlement needs. Partnership opportunities with other organisations and providers will vary from area to area.

Furthermore, resettlement schemes evolve as government policy and local contexts change. However, some core principles remain constant, many of which will be familiar to local authorities in their broader work, such as inclusion, enabling the lived experience of the client group to inform the support provided, empowering independence and increasing the agency the person has over their life.

The circumstances in which UK government refugee resettlement schemes have been established have varied historically. There may be an urgent humanitarian need and political pressure on local authorities to make fast decisions, with minimal or incomplete information. At this point, there are many things that the local authority needs to consider.

Initially, you may find it useful to think about the timeline of the resettlement process as this will help you to plan and consider what you need to do.

The typical timeline of the resettlement process is:

1. Government invites local authorities to be involved in resettlement scheme.
2. Local authority considers participating in resettlement.
3. Local authority decides to participate.
4. Planning before refugees arrive, including financial planning, housing arrangements, deciding support model, coordination, etc.
5. Day of arrival and first weeks of support.
6. Support in the first year.
7. Longer-term support after the first year including ending support and developing links to promote the integration process.

Resettlement schemes will be funded by central government (usually the Home Office) and the local authority can claim this support for their participation in the resettlement scheme. The funding amounts and the arrangements for claiming differ with each resettlement scheme.

There are usually common features in the funding arrangements, such as: 

• There will be funding instructions for local authorities that describe what the funding can be used for, how the local authority can claim it and account for the expenditure. 
• The funding instructions will identify items that are not eligible and for which funding cannot be used. 
• Alongside the restrictions there may be a large degree of flexibility in how the local authority can use the funding, for example, using it to subsidise rent payments or to subcontract service provision to other organisations. 
• Funding is usually allocated or calculated on a per person basis, therefore an amount based on the number of refugees who arrive (this is known as the integration tariff). Organising the funding in this way has a straightforwardness to it, but the cost associated with supporting individual refugees may vary depending on their needs. Therefore, the local authority needs to be flexible (where it can) in how it uses the funding. Another aspect of the per person approach is that the funding is dependent on refugees arriving. If people do not arrive at the expected rate, as experienced for example during the Covid pandemic when arrivals were halted, the flow of funding is disrupted.  
• There may be explicit funding for the education elements associated with resettlement. Often the amount provided will be on a per capita basis (like the integration tariff) rather than for the actual cost incurred. The local authority will need an effective process for liaising with their education department about the costs involved and how to allocate expenditures. 
• Similarly, health costs may be identified separately and doing so necessitates that the local authority has a mechanism to effectively liaise with the local CCG and NHS Trust about the costs involved and the process for claiming these.  
• Often the funding is paid in arrears. The local authority must have mechanisms in place that can account for and claim the funding. The mechanisms usually involve having a named member of staff identified as being the lead contact who will have access to an online claim portal. The Home Office will grant the local authority staff member access to the platform, where they can submit claims.
• The funding and claims process is established at the outset of the scheme but may be subject to change and can be amended to reflect changes in policy. To date, integration tariff amounts have remained the same. There has been exceptional additional funding made available to support with housing (as seen on the ARAP and ACRS programmes in 2023).  
• The funding will not necessarily cover all the costs associated with implementing the resettlement scheme. However, even though most of the funding is not ringfenced, the local authority should only cover expenses permitted by the funding instructions.  
• There may be separate funding streams or resources that the resettlement work can draw upon, such as mainstream ESOL funding (see Helping with English Language provision). Resettlement funding could also be pooled to support resettled families with integration outcomes, such as bespoke ESOL classes. 
• Although resettlement funding is aimed at supporting the resettled refugee cohort, the resources can help local authorities to enhance their capacity and capability to work on a range of migration and integration issues. Often, the funding can be used to complement funding and services for other schemes, such as those aimed at people from Ukraine. Many local authorities incorporate the resettlement staff in existing asylum and migration teams to provide a more coordinated and effective delivery of services. 
• VCSE sector organisations may be able to access funding from trusts and funding bodies, which can support their work to complement the funding and resources made available to the local authority.  
• Central and regional government may separately fund national resources that anyone involved in resettlement can access regardless of their location. For example, translated material on access to mental health and wellbeing support. Some useful resources on mental health have been produced by Thrive London.

The local authority will need to consider what it might need to spend the funding on. It will usually include the following: 

• Coordination staff and lead staff.  
• Administrative staff (including finance support). 
• Casework staff for housing and integration support. 
• Housing costs (voids, furnishings, welcome packs, adaptions to property, rent deposits, incentives to landlords). 
• Cash for the family before the first Universal Credit payment has been received.
• Clothing grants where needed. 
• Immediate health needs prior to GP registration, such as medicines or initial screenings. 
• Social care needs (adults and children). 
• ESOL (formal and informal). 
• Education costs (school uniforms, transport, English as an Additional Language (EAL)). 
• Production of information materials on the local area. 
• Interpreting and translation costs. 
• Costs for community development, for example, activities promoting inter-faith relationships and links with British society and culture. 
• Social activities costs, for example, for events with refugees and the community.
• Sub-contracting for specialist health care, for example, mental health support. 

The list is not exhaustive and there may be other things that the local authority might consider spending money on. 

Once you have agreed to participate in the resettlement scheme, the next step is to plan on service delivery, what your role will be and how you will structure the provision of support.  The points below suggest what you should consider. As mentioned elsewhere in this guidance, you may not receive a long period of notice before refugees arrive; however, you need to cover the points below in your pre-arrival planning whether you have days or months of notice. 

• The core elements that you need to have ready include housing (or temporary accommodation if the property is not ready yet), health, casework support, interpreting, ESOL, education and access to food and other items needed to meet basic needs.   
• It is assumed that you will have established the strategic and operational coordination and forums to ensure that the relevant services are engaged and prepared. Similarly, you should have identified the person who will be the lead officer for the scheme, that they are able to have operational control and can be the key link with central government and the LSMP. 
  • “The individual workers only knew one part of the puzzle you needed someone who could put that puzzle together to see the whole picture as it related to the refugee.” (London Local Authority Officer) 
  • “The link between the local authority and central government in implementing the scheme was made effective by having single points of contact at both ends [the local authority and the Home Office/DLUHC].” (London Local Authority Officer) 
• You will have chosen your delivery model (see Different support models and structures). Depending on which model you have chosen, you need to have processes in place and roles and responsibilities clearly defined. This should include details on practical activities, such as who will be at the airport to greet arrivals, who will be able to provide interpretation if needed, how will people be transported to their accommodation, can partner organisations help you with the logistics?  
• You need to have elements in your pre-arrival planning to deal with contingencies, such as flights being delayed, people arriving with mobility issues that you had not been informed about and logistical needs, such as car seats.  
• You need to have the staff in place who will deliver the integration support.  
• You will need interpreters as it is particularly important to be able to communicate effectively with refugees in the initial period following their arrival. This may also be a comfort to those arriving.   
• You should consider the issues involved in working across different languages. One approach might involve including bilingual staff in your resettlement team, although there are pros and cons to this approach (See Interpreting and translation). 
• It would be helpful to organise training for staff on a variety of topics that will help them in their roles supporting the refugees who will be coming. The training would be dependent on your support model, but useful topics include the following: training about resettlement, the cultural aspects of the people who are coming, safeguarding, trauma-informed care and working with interpreters. 
• Establish ways to deal with in-kind donations (such as clothes or furniture) and inappropriate offers, for example, channelling enquiries and suggesting other ways people can support refugees. 
• Have a communications strategy and mechanism in place ready to deal with press interest and public interest (positive and negative). 
• Have local information in accessible formats for the people who are being resettled. These could include information about services, the area they are coming to live in, etc. The information could be made into videos or slide shows. 

Please see some pre-arrival planning resources below:

• British Red Cross: What do I need to know about life in the UK?
• IOM: Pre-departure and post-arrival support for local authorities 
• Migration Yorkshire: Resettlement Guide

Suitable housing is key to successful refugee resettlement and is one of the main challenges that local authorities face when implementing the schemes. Unless a local authority has their own housing stock, can access social housing or affordable (and appropriate) private rented sector accommodation, preferably for the long term, then resettlement will not be possible.

The approach and models for the accommodation of refugees who come to the UK on resettlement schemes has varied across different schemes and between local authorities. Many factors impact on what is possible or best in relation to the provision of housing and accommodation. The needs of an individual refugee or family also vary greatly depending on ages, structure and health needs.

At the outset, the Home Office usually impose housing conditions on the local authority that it must fulfil to participate in resettlement schemes. Typical requirements include: 

• Local authorities must provide suitably furnished accommodation that meets local authority standards. 
• Tenancies must last for at least one year, although two or more years is highly recommended.

Other requirements include: 

• Providing welcome packs of food that are culturally sensitive, for example, include Halal meat. Also, the food packs need nonperishable items such as tinned tomatoes, chickpeas and rice, along with fruit, vegetables, milk, bread and eggs. 
• Providing items to meet initial hygiene needs, such as towels, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes and sanitary items.
• Casework support to help refugees understand how utilities work, rent is paid, repairs organised, rubbish collected, how to manage relations with the neighbours, etc. 

Refugees who arrive on resettlement schemes may have a wide range of health needs, many of which echo those in any section of the population. However, some common ailments may have been exacerbated by a lack of access to health services prior to arriving and may require specialist treatment (and adaptions to accommodation). One of the criteria by which refugees are selected for resettlement is due to certain health conditions that cannot be treated in the country of first asylum, so some refugees may have to be resettled because of their health situation. The funding instructions for the current resettlement schemes include provision for exceptional costs under which some of the health needs can be addressed.

When considering how to meet the health needs of resettled refugees, it is helpful to consider the stages of resettlement. Some health issues will need to be addressed immediately, such as severe tooth pain or a known chronic condition that requires treatment or medication. Other health needs will be identified and responded to through the usual primary care and secondary care systems. The following points may help you as you consider the health elements of resettlement: 

• Usually, a health assessment will have been conducted by IOM prior to the person’s arrival and the details will be shared with the local authority (via the Home Office) through the referral documentation. 
• The health assessment may not cover everything as there are some issues that a person may not disclose prior to arriving, for example, mental health concerns. Also, there may be different interpretations of health conditions depending on how and where the initial assessment was conducted. It is important therefore that the local authority arranges for the health partners to conduct their own health screening soon after the person arrives. 
• The resettlement team will need to liaise closely with the local health structures such as the CCG, the NHS Trust and Integrated Care Boards, to ensure that GPs have been identified where people can be registered soon after they arrive.
• Initial appointments at GPs, opticians and dentists, should be arranged within the first few days of arrival. It will be helpful to contact GP Practice Managers to avoid delays in registration and screenings, should the family have medical needs that require attention upon arrival.  
• Shortly after arrival, health providers should check which immunisations refugees have had, as some will not have had access to a range of vaccinations that we have become used to, for example measles or tuberculosis. 
• It is unlikely that any refugees arriving through resettlement would have an infectious disease as these are screened for prior to them departing for the UK and they would not be allowed to travel if identified as being infectious.   
• It can be helpful to identify GP practices that have signed up to be a Safe Surgery and committed to the principles this entails. If a Safe Surgery GP is not available in the area, some other GP practices may already have the experience of working with refugees and if possible, it can help to refer new arrivals to them. 
• The HC1 forms for claiming prescriptions and cost exemptions should be completed soon after arrival. It is also beneficial, where applicable, to help set up repeat prescriptions and liaise with the local pharmacy for prescription delivery. 
• In some countries, medicines (such as antibiotics) are available at pharmacies without the need for prescription, however this may differ in the UK. It is useful to make families aware of the differences in healthcare systems: the role of the pharmacy for minor ailments and the role of the GP as first point of contact for concerning health issues and for secondary care referrals. 

Children who arrive on refugee resettlement schemes are entitled to the same educational support that is available to all children in the UK. Prior to children arriving, you should start looking for schools that will potentially have places. However, the application to attend the school needs to be done by the parents or responsible adults with the support of their caseworker after arrival. Colleagues in the school admissions teams should be involved in planning and help you identify suitable schools. Some aspects of education support for refugee children that you may find it helpful to consider are the following: 

• Children may have little or no English and you will need to arrange for English as Additional Language (EAL) support. The resettlement schemes provide additional funding for schools to address the children’s language needs. 
• There may have been gaps in the education that the children received prior to arriving and they might be behind in their learning relative to local children of the same age. Generally, children will be placed in the year group for their age, not their ability.  
• The curriculum that the children might have followed prior to coming will usually be different to that of the school they are coming to.  
• Refugee children may arrive at any time of the school year and it is important that they are able to access a school place quickly rather than having to wait for the next term. Councils may publish weekly lists of the places available in each school in the borough. This can provide an indication of which schools are likely to accept the children, especially if they need to submit an in-year school application (if they arrive during the school year). 
• Families may have different cultural approaches to schooling, for example, not being comfortable with classes that include mixed genders. In such cases you will need to explain to the family how the education system works and the legal requirement for a child to be in school. 
• Children may struggle with their mental health because of the trauma that they and/or their parents have experienced. Children may consequently display challenging behaviour that can be misinterpreted. It is important that you prepare the school for potential issues such as this and explore ways to address them, including the pastoral care the school offers. You could explore developing specific mental health and wellbeing support, such as the model developed in Yorkshire and Humber. 
• Children may have Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) that have not been identified previously. SEND may not be considered the same in other cultural contexts. It is important for children identified with SEND to be provided with additional support.It would be a good idea to conduct some training or awareness-raising sessions for school staff about refugee children and refugee resettlement. The school may want to consider becoming a school of sanctuary. There are many resources available to support schools, including the IRC Healing classrooms programme. 
• Some schools may have pupils who are from asylum-seeking backgrounds. These children will have support structures and living conditions that are different (and often less) than those provided to resettled refugee children. You will need to be mindful of any differences and manage any misunderstandings that may arise.   
• Maintaining good links with the school welfare and liaison officers are crucial to enhancing the educational support to refugee children.
• The funding for resettlement will normally contain amounts to go towards the costs of the children’s education, as seen above with the EAL costs. Amounts may be specified or left to the local authorities to decide how to allocate them. There may also be additional central government funding that can be applied for in relation to educational needs, for example for children who will soon turn eighteen upon arrival and miss out on a college place, or children with SEND. 

Please see some examples of resources and specialist organisations below:

• Kazzum 
• Refugee Council
• Young Roots

Many refugees may not be able to read or speak English, so planning for interpreting is essential. There are a variety of ways in which you may want to approach this element of resettlement and the following points may help you in your planning.

• Interpretation costs are normally part of the funding (the integration tariff) provided for resettlement. It will be important that you factor interpreting and translation costs into your budget planning.  
• Procure translation services through the company that you normally use in your borough.  
• There can be a pressure or presumption to use family members (including children) to interpret for other family members. Although this may seem practical it is often not appropriate to use family members in this way, especially in sensitive contexts, such as health appointments. It is best to use professional interpreters where possible. 
• Use the interpreting services that you normally use in your borough, forewarning them that you will be needing their services and which languages will be required. 
• You may need to set up an account with an interpreting and translating company that your local authority already uses. Using the same company may be easier given the existing relationship of the company with the local authority. 
• Train or employ (use) community interpreters. They may be based in existing VCSE sector organisations and will have experience of working with refugees, often from the same country. However, be aware that refugees do not always feel comfortable speaking about personal issues to a member of their own community. It will be important to check first with the person that they are comfortable with the arrangement and not assume that they want someone from their community to interpret for them. 
• Consider employing multilingual caseworkers, although be aware that the caseworkers need to have a combination of suitable skills, not only language ability. Also, multilingual workers can face additional stresses to those experienced by non-multilingual staff. People may share distressing details with multilingual staff in a way that they would not with other staff. Similarly, clients may make requests to multilingual staff or have unrealistic expectations of what someone from their own country of culture should be able to do for them. None of these potential challenges are unsurmountable, they just need to be considered when setting up the structure and model of your support.  
• Include in your budget amounts for interpreting and for training interpreters in your own and other organisations. The latter helps to build capacity within the community, increase a resource that can be used by others and upskills the individuals who are trained.   
• Subcontract the interpreting to VCSE sector organisations or community organisations have experience in working with migrants. 
• There are advantages to using interpreters (in any setting) who have experience in interpreting for migrant groups as opposed to generalist interpreters who have no direct experience of working with these client groups. There may also be advantages to using the same interpreter where possible, especially when the family first arrive in UK, to help with building trust and rapport.    
• Ensure that where appropriate, women and girls have access to female interpreters. 
• Ensure that however you provide interpreting, that the interpreters receive appropriate support. Like all staff working with people from refugee backgrounds, interpreters can also experience vicarious trauma.  
• Mainstream services should have access to interpreting services facilities, for example, within the NHS systems there are numbers that practitioners can call for phone interpreting. It is important to specific what language and dialect the person speaks (such as Sudanese Arabic differs from Syrian Arabic etc). However, sometimes mainstream providers do not call upon these services and expect the client to provide their own interpreter. You will need to work closely with mainstream providers to check how they envisage accessing interpreting. It may be that in the early stages of resettlement it is appropriate to rely on interpreting provided through the resettlement scheme, but in the long run the mainstream provider should also draw upon what is available to them.  
• It is important to note that there may be many different languages or dialects spoken by refugees arriving from the same country or region. It is also important to check with families about what dialect they understand when using different interpreters. 

Refugees' ability to communicate in English is a key component of successful integration and is often used as an indicator to measure outcomes of the schemes (see Capturing achievements, recording and monitoring your work). Refugees who arrive to the UK on resettlement schemes will have varying levels of ability to communicate in English when they first arrive.

Many will have no, or minimal, English language skills. Others may have studied or used English in their work, education or social contexts (the Afghan resettlement schemes included people who had worked as interpreters for the British military, and many have good levels of English). Making sure that refugees who need support can access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision will be the responsibility of the local authority. The funding provided by central government includes amounts for ESOL, although they may not cover all the costs involved. You should consider the following points when designing and delivering your ESOL support for resettled refugees:

• Some refugees on resettlement schemes may have low or basic levels of literacy in their own first language.  
• Motivation and ability to begin learning English in the weeks and months after arriving in the UK often varies from person to person. Many may not have studied or attended classes in any form of educational context, and they may find the prospect of learning a new language daunting. 
• Disorientation, trauma, physical and emotional exhaustion associated with their experiences in war zones, refugee camps or protracted displacement situations, can affect the readiness and ability of some newly arrived refugees to begin learning English.  
• Conversely, some people can be extremely keen to start learning or improving their English. Many refugees feel capable of learning English once they arrive, and they prioritise accessing ESOL.  
• Good command of English is an important skill needed to help someone rebuild their independence and achieve personal integration goals, including employment or study. 
• In different local authority areas, the range, level and amount of ESOL provision may be limited, which presents challenges for newly arrived refugees and support agencies when trying to match learner needs to availability. ESOL provision can vary widely even between neighbouring London boroughs.  
• It is easier to organise the provision of ESOL support for resettled refugees if there is a local authority ESOL single point of contact which can help (such bodies exist in some boroughs and have proved to be enormously helpful in organising the ESOL support).  
• ESOL provision should range from accredited classes to informal conversation clubs (the latter often provide a vehicle for volunteers to help support resettlement). 
• The range and accessibility of ESOL provision within an area can be inconsistent and there may be gaps in provision. What is on offer may not match the needs of resettled refugees who are at different stages of learning. Consequently, you may need to establish something that is bespoke for your resettlement scheme.  
• Whatever ESOL support you provide, it is good to encourage people to access this support at educational settings or community organisations. This will help people to make links with other people outside of their household and promote social connections. 
• It is possible to provide ESOL online, although this will detract from the socialising aspects of learning in other settings. However, it can complement location-based learning, but it will require that people have access to digital equipment and an understanding how to use it.
• Some refugees will have caring responsibilities and it is important that childcare facilities are made available as part of ESOL provision. The resettlement schemes and other migration programmes may provide bespoke funding to support access to ESOL for refugees with childcare responsibilities. 
• It may also be possible to use DWP funding for ESOL support and it would be useful to involve your local Job Centre Plus leads in the planning of your ESOL and employment support.
• In diverse urban areas such as most parts of Greater London, the number of providers, range of courses and better transport links often makes ESOL learning pathways more feasible for resettled refugees. 

Substantial experience and expertise in supporting refugees to learn English has been developed by a range of organisations and projects that support refugee integration both within Greater London and in other areas of the UK. Many have developed and keep updated learning resources and methods that are specifically tailored to the needs of refugees. These resources can form the basis for both formal and informal language classes and language support activities. To stay up to date with the latest information and resources in London, please subscribe to the GLA’s ESOL Newsletter. 

The goal of each of the refugee resettlement schemes in general terms, is to welcome and support individuals and families as they arrive and begin to build new lives and integrate in the UK. The scope and duration of funding made available by the government for resettlement support is specific to each resettlement scheme.

Resettlement schemes offer a support package that tapers down after the first year with the capacity to provide some support for up to 3-5 years (scheme dependent). While there is a need for flexibility in the level and duration of support that you will need to provide to resettled refugees, the general requirement and shared goal of all schemes, is for most refugees to become increasingly self-sufficient through the course of their first two years of living in the UK, after which the level of support is expected to scale down.

Families and individuals with complex needs or vulnerabilities may need to be supported for a longer period through the resources of a resettlement scheme, but there should be a support plan in place that progressively tapers down and eventually transfers longer-term support (if needed) into mainstream provision and services. 

'Integration' and ‘social integration’ are commonly used terms in the context of resettlement schemes, but they often mean something different and involves different goals and challenges from one person to the next. 

The Home Office’s Indicators of Integration framework provide a useful structure to consider what resettlement is trying to achieve. Integration has been demonstrated by families and individuals who have arrived on the various resettlement schemes spanning many years and who have shown a determination and ability to become self-sufficient and to achieve their personal integration goals as active members of their new communities.

The process of beginning to explore and identify resettlement or integration goals for individuals and family members follows on from the completion of the more immediate and necessary 'post arrival' tasks that ensure the family is comfortable, safe and orientated in their new homes and communities. In the immediate post arrival period, a range of assessment, planning and follow up tools have been developed and used by resettlement support organisations for the purposes of helping individuals and family members to set goals and create action plans for achieving them. Whilst the terms of reference and support structures vary between resettlement schemes and boroughs, their overall purpose and content is often very similar.

Many of the tasks listed below are relevant for most refugees who come to the UK on resettlement schemes. As such, they may be included as required deliverables within the scheme’s funding contracts. Consequently, they are often incorporated into locally developed and tailored needs assessments, integration planning tools and checklists (either arranged chronologically or thematically).

Suggested tasks: 

• Provision of information and assistance in finding and accessing ESOL provision. 
• Provision or sourcing of information about the British education system and the ability for parents or carers to engage with their children’s schools and colleges. 
• Help with finding and registering children with new schools. 
• Basic explanation of benefits and support entitlements and the ability to manage Universal Credit accounts. 
• Confidence building. 
• Support to book GP and dentist appointments independently. 
• Further support with budgeting and debt management (if needed). 
• Understanding how to manage the tenancy and requirements to look after the property. 
• Provision of basic information and explanation of the UK employment system. 
• Referral and signposting to employment support providers and resources. 
• Linking into job search, job application skills development. 
• Provision of information about volunteering in the UK and possible opportunities. 
• Provision or sourcing of information and advice on converting qualifications and accessing vocational training. 
• Provision of information and advice on further education options and access. 
• Provision of information and help with contacting migrant community organisations. 
• Provision of information and help with accessing local community groups, activities, sport and leisure facilities. 
• Provision of information and advice on reporting harassment and hate crime. 
• Explanation/understanding of their current immigration status and future steps to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain and/or British Citizenship. 
• Information and support relating to travel and documentation needs. 
• Information and support relating to family reunion rights and applications. 

Resettlement support teams might take the lead in addressing the above tasks and needs directly. Alternatively, their role might be to coordinate and ensure that the identified needs for everyone are met by other partners or subcontracted organisations (depending on the local model of support). 

On all resettlement schemes, people are allowed to work from the day they arrive in the country, unlike people seeking asylum. Many refugees arrive in the UK having previously achieved educational or vocational qualifications, with valuable experience of working or running businesses and of having lived for most of their life without the need for state support or assistance. Finding a job, resuming their career development, starting a business or continuing an interrupted education is often a priority goal; or it quickly becomes one when they (and their families) have started to settle in and adjust to their new lives and environment.

In contrast, there are other refugees who have often experienced extreme hardship, uncertainty, stress and trauma and are showing signs of being overwhelmed when they find safety in the UK. They will need more time to recover before they are ready and able to enter the employment market or study. Using Maslow’s hierarchy of need can be a useful way to understand and approach the prioritisation of which needs to address and how those needs are related.

Employment is very important to integration, but it is also crucial to allow people the time to learn English (where applicable) and settle into their communities. If people are pushed into insecure or unsuitable employment, it may hinder their progression in their careers or in other areas of integration (such as learning English). 

Regardless of energy levels, motivation, prior experience and qualifications, people who arrive on a resettlement scheme are often not immediately or easily able to find secure work or access study in the UK. A few examples of some of the most common employability challenges and barriers that can be experienced by refugees include:

• A need for personal recovery and adjustment time after arriving in the UK having recently survived conflict, persecution, bereavement, separation, upheaval, relocation and hardships. 
• Limited English language needs - making it difficult to find or apply for a job, to study or be able to communicate as needed in most work and study environments. 
• Existing qualifications (gained in another country) not being recognised in the UK (and high costs involved in converting qualifications). 
• Limited experience in the UK compared to other job applicants. 
• Learning and understanding UK employment laws and workplace culture. 
• Limited experience, understanding and skills for successful job search, completion of applications and interviews in the UK context. 
• Loss of confidence due to long-term unemployment or insecure employment. 
• Employer caution, discrimination or confusion about employing refugees, including being unaware of the legal right of refugees to work in the UK. 
• Gender norms that position female family members as caretakers and set expectations on the type of employment they can undertake or discourage their employment and study. 

Several organisations and projects across the UK have substantial experience, expertise and excellent resources that can inform refugees and advisors about obtaining employment and accessing training. These include: 

• ENIC  
• GLA Employment Rights Hub 
• UK Government advice on employing people from Afghanistan and Ukraine 
• Health and Care Professions Council 
• Learning and Work Institute 
• NHS guidance to overseas health professionals 
• Refugee Action: Pathways to work 
• Refugee Council: Employment Support 
• Refugee Council: Guide to Employing Refugees 
• Renaisi 
• South East Migration Partnership: employability for Hongkongers 
• Welcome guidance: Hong Kong BN(O) route

General suggestions on approach and practices for supporting the employability of refugees include: 

• Reviewing the employment support approach and learning of previous resettlement schemes and specialist refugee employability support projects in London and the wider UK. 
• Partner with organisations that provide support to learn English and vocational skills. 
• Identify pathways for the possible comparison and use of professional qualifications, for example, healthcare regulators such as the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and ENIC. Also, be aware that in the medical professions people will have to undertake a IELTS test for most roles. 
• The South East Strategic Migration Partnership (SESMP) has also developed materials around conversions of qualifications specifically to Hongkongers that may be useful for resettled cohorts. 
• Early establishment of lead contact arrangements and dialogue with local DWP and Job Centre Plus managers. This dialogue needs to include the adjustment of benefit commitments to be suitable to an individual’s situation. 
• Find opportunities that include both ‘on the job’ skills development, alongside learning English. 
• Sharing information with local Job Centre Plus teams to raise awareness of the experiences of refugee resettlement and the needs of individual refugees and families. This can help ensure a supportive and realistic approach in relation to job search. 
• Identification of personal work and education goals and pathways with refugees as part of longer-term integration planning and support. This should be completed collaboratively by caseworkers, individuals and Job Centre Plus teams. 
• Encouraging and supporting development of English language to improve employability, including language that is specifically relevant for job search and employment contexts. 
• Provision and explanation of background information to raise awareness of the job market, job search, career development and education provision in the UK. For example, where to find opportunities, how to get help in writing CVs, completing applications, interview techniques, workplace culture and expectations etc. 
• Accessing or jointly organising workshops and opportunities for refugees to practice and develop skills. 
• Provision of information about the possible benefits of volunteering and opportunities to do so locally for example to build experience, English language, confidence, employability, etc. Volunteering can often be a new and unusual concept for people from different countries. 
• Liaison with local employers and businesses to raise awareness of the legal right of refugees to work in the UK, of the motivation, skills and experience that many can offer. 
• Proactive liaison with employers and businesses regarding the possibility of them offering volunteer and work-based placements to refugees to help them build experience of UK workplace culture, develop their CVs and rebuild confidence. 
• Participation in refugee employment networks at regional or national level to keep abreast of relevant services and opportunities that may be of interest to resettled individuals. Examples of this are Central London Employment Integration Network, hosted by the Central London Integration Hub, and the Refugee Employment Network (REN). 

In 2016 the government introduced community sponsorship, for local communities to provide support to people fleeing conflict. Community sponsorship works alongside other resettlement schemes and usually involve fewer numbers of refugees. The support provided to refugees through community sponsorship is organised differently to that provided in other schemes and the community sponsorship group will be expected to source accommodation. There will be some crossover between schemes and refugees who arrive via the community sponsorship route will be entitled to statutory services in the same way as other resettled refugees.

The Home Office establishes that the local authority must consent to an application by a community sponsorship group before they can welcome families in their area. The needs of refugees coming by the community sponsorship route are similar to those who come by other schemes, and it is helpful for the local authority and the community sponsorship group to work in a complementary way. Doing so will avoid duplication of effort and ensure that the refugees are receiving appropriate support.

Please see some useful resources below:

• Citizens UK 
• Community Sponsorship application form 
• Community Sponsorship in the UK : Global Compact on Refugees 
• RESET  
• Salvation Army 
• UNHCR 
• University of Birmingham: Reflections on the UK’s Community Sponsorship Scheme

Local authorities need to be aware of the culture and diversity of people being welcomed to the UK - this understanding will help in the design and delivery of the support provided. It will also make it easier to tackle problems and misunderstandings that may arise in the implementation of the schemes. Initially it should be stressed that, as with other aspects of resettlement, while there are common factors, resettlement schemes are different as are the refugees who come on them. Below there are general points that can help guide your approach and understanding to this aspect of resettlement. 

• The information that you receive (for example, from the Home Office) about people before they arrive may have inaccuracies or omissions. It is not uncommon for there to be variations of the spelling of people’s names or the recording of dates of birth. Also, people understandably do not always disclose everything about themselves before they arrive, for example their sexual orientation, gender identity, or tensions in their family. There can be a perception that disclosing such details to the organisations working with them prior to coming (for example, UNHCR) will jeopardise them being accepted for resettlement. At the same time, those organisations often have limited capacity to conduct more in-depth casework. 
• Not all nationalities or ethnic groups are homogenous. While understanding broad cultural aspects of a group is helpful, you need to be flexible enough to respond to differences within the group and be mindful of any tensions between ethnic groups.  
• Language, religion, food, art, and social norms play an important part in people’s sense of identity, especially when they find themselves living in a culture different to their own. Respecting and responding positively to the differences in cultural approaches will help integration and successful resettlement.  
• People may be able to cope better with living in a different culture when they feel more secure in their own identity. Support to community groups and cultural activities is one way of enhancing people’s sense of identity. 
• Refugees can experience ambiguous loss; they may have fled without adequate closure on aspects of their lives and not know what has happened to loved ones who they have left behind. 
• Although the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) provides resettled refugees with information prior to departure, it is not uncommon for refugees who arrive on resettlement schemes to have unrealistic expectations of what life in the UK will be like, for example, the size of housing. To address these expectations, it will help to have clear information about what life in the UK and in your borough is like, including what people’s rights and responsibilities are. This information needs to be shared with people in a variety of formats (written, verbal, translated, films, through casework, etc.). It is also likely that you will need to share the information multiple times with families as there is often a limit to the amount of information anyone can take in at one time.  
• Employing multilingual staff on your project (see Different support models and structures for the pros and cons) and working in partnership with community organisations from the same culture as the refugees, can be an effective tool in bridging different cultural understandings and approaches.  
• In some cultures, there are different attitudes to roles within a family, marriage, to gender, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), disciplining children, honour-based violence, safeguarding, domestic abuse and gender-based violence. These may be at odds with what would be both culturally and legally acceptable in the UK. It will be important, where appropriate, to discuss these issues with families so that they understand the legal and social implications of infringing the law in these situations. 
• There may be different approaches to what can seem less important matters, such as smoking in public places, spitting, littering or sitting in cafés for long periods without ordering much.   
• Talking about health (including mental health) can be different across cultures which means that people may not disclose aspects of their condition. People may have a different understanding of what mental health is, for example, they may regard symptoms such as headaches as only a physical health issue. Cultural constraints may impact on the willingness of someone to receive mental health support due to community perceptions. In turn, not accessing support can have a detrimental effect on the person’s overall health needs, but people have the dignity to choose what support they receive. 

Resettlement schemes often take place in the context of media and public interest (positive and negative), and it will be important to have a communications plan about your resettlement work. The plan should incorporate the stages of resettlement, mirroring the timeframe you follow when designing your services: pre-arrival, day of arrival and first year, and the longer term. You may find it helpful to consider the points below when devising your communications plan: 

• Share your plan with key stakeholders (for example, other service departments or community groups) and involve them in designing it. 
• Seek to harmonise your communications strategy with other organisations so that you are broadly giving the same messages.  
• Consult with local police as they will be aware of potential community tensions and they will also help you share information with refugees about dealing with hate crime etc. This information should also inform where the accommodation for refugees is located, as they should not be housed in areas with community tensions or right-wing activity.  
• Be aware of the communications strategy of central government as they are sometimes keen to publicise resettlement schemes, although at other times they are more discrete. You will need to work out what the best approach is for your area. 
• Have prepared statements and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to use with the press and public. The local authority may receive Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from journalists, the public or other organisations, and it is important to know how to respond to these. Preparing material in advance can save a lot of effort later.  
• Proactively place positive stories in the local press and in social media about resettlement and share the findings of any evaluations or case studies that illustrate the value of resettlement (see Capturing achievements, recording and monitoring your work). Involve supportive local councillors in sharing these stories. 
• Include in your plan mechanisms for how the local authority will deal with enquiries from the public, for example the offer of donations or people wanting to volunteer to help. It is helpful to create a separate email inbox for resettlement enquiries and to have a dedicated page on the council website. If the local authority does not have the capacity to accept donations or volunteers, there may be a local VCSE sector organisation that you can refer people to. However, this needs to be done in a structured way and ensuring that the organisation has sufficient resources to process donations and manage volunteers.  
• Have designated officers and elected members who will be the spokespeople for the resettlement scheme and who will be available for media interviews, if needed. 
• Identify spokespeople from previous schemes or from the community who can convey key messages about the resettlement scheme, if needed.  
• Hold social and cultural events that bring together refugees who arrive on the schemes with residents from the local community, where appropriate.  
• Invite local, supportive politicians to meet the refugees if clients are happy to do so and if they have been briefed beforehand.

When considering your communications, it is important to respect the confidentiality of the refugees and treat them with dignity and respect. This may involve fending off positive as well as negative press interest. Not everyone wants to share their story and they should not be expected to do so.

Please see below some short films on resettlement:

• City of London: Bridging – The Experience of Afghan Children  
• Refugee Council: 10 years of protecting refugees (Hull)

Resettlement schemes often occur alongside work that is being undertaken with other migrant groups.  Currently, there are people who come to the UK, including many who have come to London boroughs, through the following schemes and routes, such as:

• ACRS, ARAP, UKRS, VPRS, VCRS and Mandate resettlement schemes 
• Family Reunion 
• Ukraine Family Sponsorship scheme and Homes for Ukraine scheme 
• Hong Kong BN(O) visa route 
• Community Sponsorship (see Community Sponsorship) 
• The asylum system 
• Work or study visas

Additionally, in many areas there are migrant communities who have come in previous years on a variety of schemes or by different routes. This will mean that many local authorities will have relevant experience of providing services to migrants that can be applied to new resettlement schemes. This experience should be drawn upon and used to influence the design of your resettlement scheme.

Below are points that can help guide your approach and understanding to this aspect of resettlement: 

• It can be effective to make the resettlement team part of an existing migration team, whichever section of the local authority it is based in.  
• It is possible to use funding from one scheme to develop capacity and expertise that can be used indirectly for other migrant groups. 
• Resources developed by other migration initiatives can be drawn upon or adapted to support the resettlement work. For example, the employment guides produced for people who have come by the Hong Kong BN(O) visa route, or the support material developed for people from Ukraine.   
• A joined-up approach at a local authority level to working with different migrant cohorts will ensure the most effective use of resources and increase the positive outcomes for resettled refugees. 

It will be important to establish what must be recorded for monitoring purposes (usually decided by central government) and additionally, what is needed from a casework and safeguarding perspective. As with any project or service, you will need to have mechanisms for capturing details about the work that has been undertaken, including ascertaining what the outcomes and impact has been of your resettlement work. The types of information you will need to capture will include the following: 

• Information relating to the families that you have worked with, including secure systems for recording casework interventions. 
• Depending on the scheme, the Home Office may ask for information to be recorded about specific elements of the refugee’s situation and progress, such as their employment status or ESOL level. To date, this has been a data capturing exercise a few months after a family has arrived, but there is always scope for reporting requirements to change. 
• Overview statistical information on the numbers of refugees, locations, etc. 
• Records of expenditure (see Finances: what you need to know and how to access funding). 

You may have targets or performance indicators that provide a way to measure the outputs and outcomes of your work. In the case of quantitative elements, for example, the target may be the number of people registered with a GP within a set time from when they have arrived in the country. For qualitative outcomes, such as the engagement of a person with the community, the indicators and the methods you use to measure them will be more complex. Some local authorities have found it useful to adopt the Indicators of Integration developed by the Home Office in this respect.

To capture some of the information, it may be possible to use systems that you already have in place for recording work with other service users, for example personal care plans or housing support plans. Or it may be that you develop something bespoke for the refugee cohort such as an Outcomes Stars (see Suggested approaches to casework support). Whatever method you use it will be helpful if it is integrated into a system, for example a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database, that is able to extract anonymised statistics and overview information that can be used to inform the development of your resettlement scheme. 

Alongside the quantitative information, it is important to be able to find ways to capture the qualitative aspects of your work — the human element beyond the numbers. You need to be able to learn from your work by assessing what is effective in your resettlement services, what the challenges are, how you have overcome these and what you may need to change. It is also important to find ways to identify and to celebrate what you have achieved and share this with others (see Communications).

You should consider the following ways of capturing the qualitative aspects your work: 

• Hold regular forums and workshops where frontline practitioners can share experiences, learning, good practice and provide peer support. Such forums could be with people working on resettlement in other boroughs, such as the Refugee Resettlement Coordinators groups convened by the London Strategic Migration Partnership (LSMP).  
• Establish a lived experience group of refugees who have arrived under the resettlement scheme. Support this group to meet regularly and channel feedback into the scheme. It is also good practice to compensate people for their time and expertise. 
• Set up an advisory group for your scheme that involves local groups and key stakeholders within your borough.  
• Ensure that you have a complaints and feedback mechanism in place that is open to all the refugees who come on the scheme.   
• Collect case studies (which would be anonymised) that can be used to illustrate the resettlement work and used in broader communications about resettlement. 
• Commission methods of capturing the human stories of resettlement, such as films, photographic essays or artistic groups. Find an example from the Scottish Refugee Council.
• Undertake formal evaluations or research into your resettlement work, optimally from the beginning of your resettlement. This can be done by commissioning an outside body or person to conduct the evaluation, such as an academic institution.

Please see some impact tool examples below:

• Indicators of Integration  
• Mayor of London’s Social Integration Measurement Toolkit 
• UK Government: Refugee resettlement analysis collection 
• The Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) University of Oxford research

For a large print, Braille, disc, sign language video or audio-tape version of this document, please contact us at the address below:

Greater London Authority
City Hall
Kamal Chunchie Way
London E16 1ZE

Telephone 020 7983 4000
www.london.gov.uk

You will need to supply your name, your postal address and state the format and title of the publication you require.

If you would like a summary of this document in your language, please phone the number or contact us at the address above.