Introduction
Table of contents
Introduction
Yorkshire and Humber has a long and proud history of offering sanctuary to those fleeing war and persecution. More recently, in the 21st century, the region has played a significant role in welcoming dispersed asylum seekers, unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) and resettled refugees - including those from Syria and Afghanistan.
Statutory and voluntary services and local communities across Yorkshire and Humber have played a key role in welcoming and integrating refugees over the years, leading to the development of a wide-ranging infrastructure of support and services to meet the needs of refugees and asylum seekers, and a strong tradition of collaboration between partners.
Refugees have also been agents of their own integration. From learning the language and adapting to life in the UK, to volunteering, training, studying, and working in their new communities, refugees have brought diverse skills, perspectives and experiences that have benefitted and enriched Yorkshire and Humber, socially, economically and culturally.
On the whole, there was a perception of welcome, and that Yorkshire and Humber residents are broadly supportive of giving refugees and asylum seekers opportunities for integration and inclusion.
Since the last regional refugee integration strategy, Finding Sanctuary, Enriching Yorkshire and Humber, was published 12 years ago, new developments have brought migration and refugee issues increasingly under the spotlight. These have included the high profile European 'refugee crisis' of 2015, the focus on migration as a key message in the campaign for the Brexit referendum vote in 2016, the withdrawal of NATO from Afghanistan, and new legal and policy developments such as the Nationality and Borders Bill in 2021.
The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have created more barriers for refugees to make connections and to settle and thrive in their new communities, especially when face to face support has not been available. This has also highlighted the importance of digital inclusion for successful integration, including reducing social isolation and enabling access to services.
These and other developments have impacted local areas in Yorkshire and Humber in different ways. Our region is diverse, from large urban populations with a long history of migration but often facing local economic and social pressures, to small towns and rural locations with less developed infrastructure to support refugee integration. All have challenges and priorities and demonstrate that integration is, to a large extent, a local process involving local services and communities.
Our region has time and again demonstrated strong leadership in refugee and asylum issues. it is also the home of several examples of best practice in refugee integration. However, there is more to be done. There are still barriers and challenges to refugee integration, may of which will be highlighted in this strategy.
This strategy lays out a vision for refugee integration and identifies key priority areas and themes for the region. It has been designed as a tool to support stakeholders from a wide range of sectors and geographical areas, raise the profile of refugee integration, and help improve the outcomes for refugees living here.