Last week, the UK government announced the closure of the Refugee Employability Programme, which supports refugees to find work and settle into their local communities.
Responding to the announcement Alexa Knight, our Director of England, said:
“It seems counterproductive that the UK government would choose to end a programme which can help settled refugees find jobs, learn English, and better integrate with the communities around them. Finding quality work and feeling integrated is one of the essential ways refugees build links with their community as well as improve their mental health, by making it less likely they experience issues such as loneliness, financial distress, and low self-esteem. At a time when many people seeking asylum and refugees are experiencing poor mental health, this move makes little sense.
“This follows a very positive decision to extend the time limit for asylum seekers to find accommodation when granted settled status. Instead of giving with one hand and taking away with another, the UK government should be creating a clear cross-departmental strategy for refugee and asylum seeker integration, working with the devolved administrations, local authorities, the voluntary sector, and people with lived experience of seeking refuge.”