Refugee Integration Tool

Summary

The Migration Policy Group has developed a tool to evaluate refugee integration policies in collaboration with UNHCR Budapest

Description

Building on its experience designing the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) and participating in international debates on integration indicators, MPG has researched and designed a tool to evaluate integration policies according to the needs and situation of beneficiaries of international protection.

MPG has led consultations with stakeholders, provided a Guide on how to use the tool to plug into EU support, and advised on how to implement a the current pilot project with governments and civil society in Central Europe.

Informing and improving policy

Through a set of over 200 indicators, authorities and stakeholders will collaborate to gather the evidence needed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of integration policies for beneficiaries of international protection.

The tool will investigate how to:

• Set priorities to improve the state of refugee integration
• Build national capacity to gather data and evaluate policies 
• Build relationships to mainstream refugees into the relevant public policies and services  
• Plug into greater national and EU support for mutual learning and policy improvement

Covering all areas of a refugee’s life

The integration evaluation tool comprises four sets of indicators on:

1. General considerations
2. Legal integration
3. Socio-economic integration 
4. Socio-cultural integration

It covers every aspect of the daily life of recognised and resettled refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, and asylum seekers. It captures their particular needs, vulnerabilities, but also their unique opportunities for integration.

It asks questions like:

• Do their jobs meet their skills and qualifications?
• What can refugees do if they can’t travel home to get documents?
• Are they placed in housing and towns that helps them participate in society?
• Do education authorities know about the special needs of vulnerable pupils like unaccompanied minors?
• Do all beneficiaries of international protection have access to an effective nationality?

It links up the different types of indicators needed to evaluate the implementation and impact of policy, while highlighting the special needs and opportunities for beneficiaries of international protection.

Using the data: the current pilot project

The Integration Evaluation Tool pilot was launched in November 2012 in four countries – Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – and is expected to continue until the end of 2013.  Four domains are being evaluated in this phase:  refugees’ access to education, to employment, to housing and to family reunification.  

The pilot is part of UNHCR’s Refugee Integration: Capacity and Evaluation project, co-financed by the European Refugee Fund. The project aims to develop effective, reliable and sustainable data collection methods and internal review mechanisms, identifying gaps and good practices as well as building the capacity of the various actors involved in refugee integration. The project also seeks to help develop effective refugee integration programmes, improve the quality and level of refugee integration and rally more support by fostering partnerships between governments, civil society, business, academia and other actors.

At the end of the project, the findings, gaps and good practices will be made available in thematic reports and regional roundtable discussions.

The User’s Guide

The User’s Guide, entitled 'EU support for integration: what about beneficiaries of international protection? A User's Guide to EU Standards, Funds and Cooperation' is a 53-page guide, written by MPG Policy Analyst, Thomas Huddleston, critically analysing EU standards, financial instruments and methods of cooperation in the field of integration. It gives 30 recommendations to all levels, from the European Commission, national governments and municipalities down to refugee organisations themselves.