Alison B Strang

Refugees’ experiences of integration in Scotland

‘integration is a chaotic concept: a word used by

many but understood differently by most’

(Robinson 1998)

Mixing/Toleration Friendliness Belonging

Safety Time Advice Language

Housing Employment Education Health Leisure

Key domains of integration(Ager & Strang, 2008)

Employment Housing Education Health

BondsBridges Links

Language & Cultural Knowledge

Security &

Stability

Rights &Citizenship

Markers & Means

Social Connection

Facilitators

Foundation

Key domains of integration(Ager & Strang, 2008)

Employment Housing Education Health

BondsBridges Links

Language & Cultural Knowledge

Security &

Stability

Rights &Citizenship

Markers & Means

Social Connection

Facilitators

Foundation

Understanding integration: a conceptual framework.

Alastair Ager & Alison Strang

Journal of Refugee Studies, 21,2., pp1-26. 2008 http://jrs.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/fen016

Data

• Holistic Integration Service• Partnership project• April 2013 to present• Year two – 882 refugees

• Joint Client Database - integrating data gathering into advice giving.

• Learning Project• Learning team• Community of Practice• Learning Network

“Sarah’s financial situation has been much worse since the grant of status due to ongoing problems with child benefit and child tax credit claims…she has run out of money and has no electricity in the flat, she is relying on food banks for assistance…”

Adviser casenotes

Financial stability

Life projects - housing

“Ahmed…wants to take his time [choosing a home] as he views having a good home as the basis to starting a good life.”

Adviser casenotes

Life projects - language

“My family are relying on me – I can’t support them without English”“If you can learn English you can gain money”“If you go to a hospital appointment, you get embarrassed if you can’t explain your own medical problems”“You don’t make Scottish friends if you don’t have English”

Focus Group Participants

Life projects - employment

“I don’t want to feel a foreigner…just a normal citizen. Any job will do, I want to manage for myself like British people do.”

Focus Group Participant

Life projects - employment

“…if I had a job, I would move to get a job in any place… I know I will get a job in Birmingham or Manchester, I am sure. But I will find many problems like flat very expensive … until now I may hope to continue in Scotland…”

Service beneficiary 3