A new report which looks to improve the integration strategy to better support refugees in the UK has been launched by the Immigration Minister.
The Indicators of Integration framework has been produced by the Home Office in collaboration with a group of leading academics and with input from local authorities, charities and refugees themselves. It provides practical ways to understand and measure the integration of refugees and migrants.
“The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those that need it and we are committed to supporting individuals integrate and rebuild their lives here,” said Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes. “This important report will help organisations across the UK meet the vital needs of refugees and migrants as they make this country their home.”
By using the framework, organisations can design more effective integration strategies, monitor services and better evaluate progress.
Professionals will be able to use the framework to develop strategies and assess the effectiveness of integration based on 14 key areas, such as work, education, housing, health and culture. They will also have access, through the accompanying toolkit, to common questions and tools for measuring impact.
It will allow for a more joined-up approach across local, regional and national programmes to better understand integration outcomes over time and facilitate the understanding of good practice.
The academic team who worked on the report said:
“We welcome this new framework, which builds upon our previous work and the growing evidence of how these factors shape the experience of integration, as a potentially powerful tool to inform those working with refugees and migrants in the UK and, indeed, globally. The indicators represent the most comprehensive approach yet to capturing the multi-dimensionality and multi-directionality of integration.
“By using the framework, organisations can design more effective integration strategies, monitor services and better evaluate progress.”
The government’s integrated communities action plan defined integration as ‘communities where people, whatever their background, live, work, learn and socialise together, based on shared rights, responsibilities and opportunities’
Article published 4th June 2019