Gateway Protection Programme

Not all refugees who make it out of their country of persecution will reach safety. Indeed, the majority of the world’s refugees remain in their region of origin; some make it no further than a neighbouring country. Depending on the region, the country of refuge itself may be unsafe for refugees: conflict is not always confined by national borders and persecution can continue even in refugee camps.

In partnership with the UN Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the Home Office has established the Gateway Protection Programme to assist the most vulnerable refugees escape this environment. This programme focuses on the most at risk refugees, including individuals:

who are at risk of forcible return to their country of origin;
whose personal safety is endangered because of attacks from Government or agents of persecution;
who are victims of trauma and violence who are in need of specialist care;
who are dependent children, unaccompanied by their parents;
who are elderly and could be cared for by their children living in another country;
whose basic human rights are threatened;
who are female, isolated and caring for children.

In view of these guidelines, nominated individuals will not always be educated, literate or have a history of employment; but they will be extremely vulnerable and in need of protection. Many will have been living in rudimentary refugee camps for over eight years.

The Gateway Protection Programme was launched in April 2003, creating a legal pathway for such refugees to enter the UK. These individuals will have been identified and assessed by UNHCR as being in need of permanent resettlement and protection. Home Office officials will also assess a number of factors relating to the refugees’ claim: whether they will be persecuted in their home country; whether they will be able to return to their home country at a later date; and whether they are at risk of human rights violation in the country where they sought refuge. In addition, refugees’ health and integration needs will also be assessed. Once a sufficient number of refugees have been identified for re-settlement, arrangements are made for transfer to the UK. These individuals will be granted Indefinite Leave to Remain.

The Gateway Programme is managed in a way that enables both local and central government to work in partnership. The UK aims to resettle 500 refugees a year, although the number of refugees accepted by Local Authorities can vary – groups of at least 60 people are considered suitable to ensure that there is sufficient peer support. The Home Office has ensured that all refugees resettled through the Gateway Programme will be well-supported in the UK. Local Authorities will have the costs of resettlement met for the first 12 months of the refugee’s life in the UK. This includes expenditure on health, housing, and education. In addition, key stakeholders are notified of each refugee’s profile in advance of arrival, enabling local doctors, schools and employment advisors to prepare for resettlement. The Gateway Programme has already been successfully rolled out in Bolton and Sheffield.

Within a Scottish context, North Lanarkshire became the first Local Authority to sign up to the Gateway Programme when it obtained political approval in the autumn of 2006. It is hoped that other Local Authorities will follow in the near future.

The Gateway Programme in the UK

The Gateway programme aims to assist groups from refugee camps to integrate into UK society through the provision of a locally based co-ordinated support package. This support will normally be divided into four separate phases:

Phase	Description
Pre-arrival	The set-up phase brings together key stakeholders to plan for the clients’ arrival and allows time to plan the entire project including the wind-down phase.
Basic Support Needs	The initial period of intensive support is grounded on close cooperation between the main statutory agencies, i.e. Housing; DWP (Job Centre benefits processing); Health (GP registration, physical/mental health assessments); Children’s education (EAL); Adult’s basic educational needs (ESOL).
Longer-term Needs	During the second phase of support, clients are assisted to look at their longer term educational and training aspirations, employment hopes, social and leisure objectives etc.
Programme wind-down	This involves assisting the refugees to become self-sufficient and independent. The initial additional support structures are gradually replaced with mainstream support, as the integration process culminates.

Integration Indicators

The Home Office has published a paper on the ‘Indicators of Integration’, which lays out the areas that integration services should address. The diagram below is taken directly from the report and identifies ten domains.

Social bridges

This is defined as connections between ethnic groupings or ‘mixing’ and is the key to social cohesion. Indicators include participation in youth clubs, childcare facilities, sports clubs and the extent to which these are mixed and the involvement by refugees in voluntary work. Also key is public attitudes to refugees. Gateway clients need considerable help to make these bridges given the obstacles that they need to overcome. On top of the more obvious issues of cultural knowledge and English language, clients may not be literate, may have health problems, and face racial harassment and discrimination. It is rarely enough to provide information and guidance. Clients need more practical assistance through introduction, mentoring, and work with local organisations to enable access.

Social Bonds

This is defined as a sense of belonging to a particular group or community. The Gateway clients often have some sense of group identity when they come to the UK that may be intensified in a strange environment and there may be existing communities from their country of origin living locally.

Gateway groups are rarely homogenous culturally and may have members of several ethnic groupings that may or may not coexist easily together. There may be cultural practices within the group that conflict with those of the host community and tend to create divisions within the refugee community. This is particularly powerful for children attending school and interacting with their peers. The pressure can also lead to the challenging of gender roles. Indicators include: numbers of Refugee Community Organisations; sense of belonging; engagement with cultural festivals; press and other coverage of cultural heritage.

Social Links

This is defined as engagement with local governmental and non-governmental services, civic duties, public processes etc. Given that Gateway clients are only offered intensive support for a year, indicators will include knowledge of local agencies; usage of agencies; engagement with local voluntary and statutory agencies; perceived sense of connection with local community. These form the basis for fuller engagement at a later date.

Language and Cultural Knowledge

As well as acquiring English language skills, refugees need to understand local customs and expectations and gain very practical information for daily living e.g. transport, utilities, benefits. The wider community also needs to acquire knowledge of the cultural background of refugees. The provision of sufficient and appropriate English tuition is often difficult to find given the pressures on local services. Childcare to enable parents to attend ESOL classes often has to be arranged separately. As with members of the host community, cultural knowledge will tend to come from friends, neighbours and local agencies. Indicators include the number of refugees enrolled in English language classes, knowledge of local services and facilities and the knowledge of customs, culture and history of refugee communities within non-refugee local population. It also includes the availability of public sector interpreter and translation services for refugees.

Safety and Stability

Safety is a key concern for refugees and lack of it can lead to significant obstacles to integration. Stability is core to the very idea of settlement. The indicators for this include: reported levels of crime and racial harassment; level of trust in police; feelings of safety and security of refugees; reported levels of bullying and racist abuse in schools; length of residence at current address; and reported satisfaction with local areas as a place to live.

Rights and Citizenship

The Gateway Programmes aims to encourage clients to move along a path towards full and active citizenship. The indicators for this include; access to and utilisation of legal and welfare benefits advice; the extent to which refugees feel a sense of equity in access to services and entitlements; and involvement in voting.