Evaluating ERF and Challenge Fund Services report rdsolr 22/06

The Challenge Fund and European Refugee Fund provide grants to projects that support refugees. This research focuses particularly on projects encouraging social and economic integration. The study was commissioned to develop a detailed understanding of refugees’ experience of these projects and their impact on users’ lives. The research was wholly qualitative, consisting of 50 in-depth interviews with project users. A broad range of refugees were involved, including men and women, people of different ages and from many different countries of origin.

The research found that refugees’ own goals largely matched the indicators of integration developed in previous research commissioned by the Home Office (Ager and Strang, 2004). Their priorities had moved from short-term goals of achieving food, shelter and safety, to obtaining leave to remain in the UK and then to longer-term goals focusing on achieving a good standard of living. The process of learning English was felt to be key in accessing education and employment in order to improve standards of living.
The projects involved in the study included those providing services with a very specific aim, such as finding suitable accommodation or providing English classes, and those giving broader support such as befriending and help with accessing education and employment. Each of the services made a material contribution to refugees’ integration and quality of life. The benefits arose not only from the direct service but also from the opportunity to make social connections with staff and other people at the project, and through education or employment accessed with the help of the project.

The main factors influencing projects’ impact were individual aspects of their service delivery (such as staff or equipment) rather than broader questions of the type of project or the service delivery model. Projects appeared to be meeting refugees’ needs successfully, including their cultural and language needs. Improvements suggested were largely related to a lack of funding and high demand for services, problems that are common in the rest of the voluntary sector.