Meeting the Social Care Needs of Refugees and People Seeking Asylum
The Context
Refugees and people seeking asylum are particularly vulnerable due to the circumstances of forced displacements, such as trauma, violence and persecution. Despite seeking asylum being a human right, evidence shows that refugees and people seeking asylum have limited access to social care services due to entitlements and limited understanding of the UK system. This network will explore the various social care needs of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK and develop solutions to address them.
This picture was taken by young people with migratory backgrounds during an art workshop during the ‘Everyday Bordering in the UK’ project. For more information visit the project website.
Networks are meeting across the UK
What does the evidence say?
Definitions of Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Vulnerability
Refugees
In the UK, a ‘Refugee’ is an individual to whom the UK government has offered protection in accordance with the Refugee Convention 1951 and granted leave to stay. As such, a refugee is legally ‘entitled’ to access services, housing and benefit support.
Asylum Seekers
An ‘Asylum seeker’ is a person who has asked for protection but has not received a decision on their application to become a refugee, or is waiting for the outcome of an appeal. According to the UK policies, people who are still seeking asylum are entitled to a limited access to services.
Vulnerability
People seeking asylum have also been noted in the evidence to have a ‘vulnerability’ which impacts on entitlement to services and support. ‘Vulnerability’ is a legal category that means a group of people requiring specific measures to safeguard their rights. For example, Children and People with Disabilities are considered a ‘vulnerable group’. Therefore, there is an acknowledgement of the need to develop specific measures to accommodate the specific needs of certain groups of refugees and people seeking asylum.
Asylum policies across the 4 UK nations
Seeking asylum is a human right. However, evidence highlights that recent politics in the UK and worldwide are becoming more restrictive and controlling. The UK government has responsibility for asylum and immigration policy for the whole of the UK (including Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales).
The integration of refugees is a ‘devolved matter’. This means that decision-making power has been transferred from the UK Parliament to other institutions across the 4 UK nations: the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Local Authorities (LAs) in England. Each of these institutions is discussing the importance of a Refugee Integration Strategy but these are unevenly developed.
England is following the ‘Integrated communities action plan’ published by the UK Government in 2019. The aim of this plan was to create a more integrated community.
Scotland has to follow the UK government national policies, and the Scottish Parliament has produced the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan 2024-2026 with six main goals, including – “New Scots live in safe, welcoming, inclusive communities, where everyone’s dignity is respected and everyone is able to build diverse relationships and healthy intercultural bonds” and “New Scots are able to access well-coordinated services, which recognise and meet their rights and needs”.
Wales is an important exception, not only in the UK context but in Europe because it is the only country which has declared itself as a “Nation of Sanctuary” in 2019 with the aim to be a welcoming place for refugees and asylum seekers.
The complexity of the Northern Ireland context in terms of racism, asylum policies and the history of the country was also raised by the 2024/2025 IMPACT network on ‘Strengthening Inclusion and Anti-racist practices’ run by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) in NI. The Northern Ireland refugee integration strategy is still new and in development. A consultation started in 2021 and it was promoted by the Executive’s Racial Equality Strategy 2015 – 2025.
Asylum policies across the 4 UK nations
Evidence noted that refugees and asylum seekers have very specific needs due to their forced migration, the risky journeys they face to arrive in the UK, and the challenges of starting a new life in the UK.
The review identified 4 main groups of needs:
Health and Mental Health Support
Refugees and asylum seekers face unique health issues (PTSD, depression, chronic conditions). They can access NHS services, though asylum seekers face limitations. Here is a video about NHS entitlement.
Social Care
Social care includes support with daily living and safeguarding. It’s not a public fund, so asylum seekers may access it under certain conditions.
Housing, Basic Needs and Financial support
Refugees can access benefits. Asylum seekers cannot claim most benefits but receive minimal support:
➔ Basic housing with no choice of location.
➔ Weekly allowance of £49.18 (or £9.95 if meals are provided).
➔ Most cannot work.
Housing, Basic Needs and Financial support
Understanding the system is complex. Language and cultural barriers make access difficult. Timely, translated, culturally appropriate information is essential.
The review identified a number of barriers for refugees and asylum seekers to access social and health care services. In this part of the document, we illustrate these barriers and how these impact on the general wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees.
For example, reduced access to ESOL classes increased the risk of isolation on people seeking asylum and refugees. As a consequence, evidence highlights the negative effects on mental health and also how reduced English proficiencies stops refugees and people seeking asylum to seek for health support when needed.
The last part of the document focused on what can be done to provide good quality care to asylum seekers and refugees. This includes:
- Working in partnership with multiple organisations and professionals to provide integrated services.
- The importance of developing a local strategy to support refugees and people asylum
- Involving refugees and asylum seekers in the development of their services.
Three positive examples of service provision have been identified: