Integration works: The role of organisations in refugee integration in Yorkshire and the Humber

Philip Brown, Claire Walkey, Philip Martin

Research output: Book/ReportCommissioned report

Abstract

Creating an integrated society can be challenging. Integration requires a wide range of people, organisations and institutions to come together and create a shared and inclusive sense of belonging. The concept of integration casts a long shadow in the UK and remains a ‘hot topic’ of political, policy and public concern. Most recently, in 2018, the topic prompted the national Integrated Communities Strategy Green Paper and a related Action Plan, as well as work on the Indicators of Integration framework (HM Government, 2018, 2019; Home Office, 2019).

Such publications, together with earlier contributions, are clear that integration is a complex, multifaceted and multidimensional process involving a combination of factors and actors. It involves actors including those who have migrated and longer-standing communities and a range of organisations and institutions, as well as the socio-legal and policy frameworks within which all these are nested. Whilst there is a body of work that focuses on the experiences of various groups of migrants and their experience of integration, there is a limited range of research that focuses on the role of other actors in this process.

Within the particular context of refugee integration in the UK, this study specifically contributes to helping to understand the role of organisations and institutions in the integration process. In response to the arrival of refugees, various organisations provide crucial support and assistance, both directly and indirectly. There is, however, little research into the work of these organisations with respect to the integration of refugees. This report attempts to fill this knowledge gap: it provides an in-depth analysis of how organisations approach their work, how policy and leadership are shaping refugee integration (and vice versa) and the challenges and successes organisations face. The study starts from the premise that it is essential to understand the motives and actions of organisations in order to ensure refugees receive the support and assistance they need for successful integration to occur. The study focused on one region of the UK, Yorkshire and the Humber, to provide a comprehensive and rich picture of the way in which a range of organisations work within the integration agenda.

The research was co-funded by the European Union Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and undertaken in partnership with Migration Yorkshire (the Regional Strategic Migration Partnership for the Yorkshire and Humber region based within Leeds City Council). The research is an integrated component of the Refugee Integration Yorkshire and Humber project.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherUniversity of Huddersfield
Commissioning bodyEuropean Union
Number of pages54
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2020

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