campaigns > influencing policy
Introduction
Influencing nationally
Successful campaigns
Influencing regionally
Joint campaigning
Responses to Government consultations
Introduction
Refugee Action has a successful track record influencing statutory policy, both nationally and regionally, since it was set up in 1981.
Our direct client work enables us to inform policy makers of the problems facing refugees and asylum seekers in a very practical way. For example we recently carried out a client satisfaction survey to look at how satisfied clients were with our services and also our clients’ experiences of life in the UK. We shared this valuable feedback with policy makers.
Influencing nationally
We work to influence policies relating to refugees and asylum seekers by sitting on governmental working groups and having regular meetings with the Home Office.
woman and child by bus
We are considered as experts in the following areas:
- Emergency programmes
We have been influential in planning policy for a number of refugee emergency programmes. We played a key role in the reception of large-scale arrivals from Kosova, Montserrat, Bosnia and Vietnam. - Voluntary return
Through our Choices project we have a wealth of knowledge and experience on voluntary return. We recommended to the Home Office that working groups on return to Afghanistan and Iraq be set up as well as a general voluntary return working group. We now sit on all of these. - Integration strategy
We have been influential in previous government integration strategies and sit on the Integration Strategy Forum. We also chair the capacity building subgroup of this forum. - Reception and support of asylum seekers
We work very closely with NASS (the National Asylum Support Service) and sit on working groups relating to reception, accommodation, dispersal and asylum process overall.
Successful campaigns
Section 55
Section 55 of the National Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 stated that unless asylum seekers claimed for asylum as soon as reasonably practicable that they were not eligible for any form of government support. In practice many clients were refused any form of support unless they made their asylum claim within 24 hours of arriving.
Since the act was implemented in January 2002 Refugee Action has worked in many ways to challenge this piece of legislation which left many vulnerable asylum seekers totally destitute.
We have worked with 550 cases and have successfully managed to get support reinstate for 75 of these. We have also logged 47 of these cases for judicial review. Alongside other agencies we campaigned vigorously and gave evidence in a 2003 joint report with other agencies.
There have also been several high profile test cases around clients affected by Section 55 and Refugee Action gave evidence and acted as witness in a number of these. These established that aspects of Section 55 could amount to inhumane and degrading treatment under article 3 of the European Convention for Human Rights and the Home Office has modified the policy in a way that substantially reduces the harm it causes.
As a result basic levels of support were reintroduced for newly arrived destitute asylum seekers, irrelevant of when they make their claim.
Size of reception centres
Based on many years experience of working in reception centres with refugees and asylum seekers we know the approach that works best in helping refugees to adapt to life in the UK. We were instrumental in working with the Refugee Council to develop the 'core and cluster' model of accommodation centre. We have lobbied the government to use this model when piloting accommodation and induction centres for asylum seekers. Although the government is still going ahead with its larger scale induction centres it also plans to pilot a smaller scale centre.
Kosovan programme
Refugee action’s Choices programme has been very successful in determining policy around voluntary return. From carrying out the Kosovan programme we knew how important it was for people to have some money for resettlement when they returned.
As a result we advised the government to set up specific policy (Explore and Prepare) around voluntary return which would enable people to take a trip back home initially to see how viable it would be for them to return there permanently. The government also now allows people to receive a small resettlement grant if they do choose to return home.
Influencing regionally
At a regional level we work with key statutory and voluntary agencies to ensure they are able to make their services as accessible as possible to our clients. This has been especially important since the government’s dispersal policy which has meant that asylum seekers are placed in areas where service providers have no experienced of working with refugees and asylum seekers.
We work very closely with social services, police services, schools, local NHS services and government regional offices to influence local policies directly involving refugees and asylum seekers and also to ensure inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in general policy making and decisions. This is especially the case where local services may not be aware of the statutory rights they have towards our clients. We are also heavily involved in local forums and networks around asylum seekers and refugees.
Joint campaigning
We also campaign with partner agencies through the Inter Agency Partnership and the Asylum Rights Campaign.
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