New framework published to support refugee integration

The Indicators of Integration framework is a resource for local authorities, charities and those working with groups in society at risk of poor integration.

The framework has been produced by the Home Office in collaboration with a group of leading academics and with input from local authorities, charities and from refugees themselves. It provides practical ways to understand and measure the integration of refugees and migrants.

Local authorities, charities and academics will come together today at a launch event in London to explore how best to use the framework and accompanying toolkit.

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said:

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.

This important report will help organisations across the UK meet the vital needs of refugees and migrants as they make this country their home.

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.

Professionals will be able to use the framework to develop strategies and assess the effectiveness of integration based on fourteen 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.

Further information on the framework

• the team of academics includes Alison Strang (Queen Margaret University), Linda Morrice (University of Sussex), Jenny Phillimore (University of Birmingham) and Lucy Michael (Ulster University)
• 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’

The 14 key domains of integration are:

1. work
2. education
3. housing
4. health and social care
5. leisure
6. social bonds – with those you share a sense of identity
7. social bridges – with people from different backgrounds
8. social links – with institutions
9. language and communication
10. culture
11. digital skills
12. safety
13. stability
14. rights and responsibilities