Today’s major challenges to European Citizenship Accommodation, education and integration of refugees in the UK

Definition – Refugee – “A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” – The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

Refugee facts and figures How many asylum seekers came to the UK in 2014? The UK received 31,400 asylum applications. This was less than Germany (166,800), France (63,100), Italy (56,300) and Sweden (81,300). Just 41 of people applying for an initial decision were granted asylum and allowed to stay. Many are initially refused because it is difficult to provide the evidence needed to meet the strict criteria of a refugee.

Key challenges Difficulty speaking and learning English Raising children and helping them success in school Securing work Securing housing Accessing services Transportation Cultural barriers

Education of refugees at SCC Local authorities (LAs) have a duty to provide full-time education for all children of compulsory school age resident in that LA, as outlined in Section 14 of the Education Act Refugee and asylum seeker children aged 5-16 have the same entitlement to full-time education as other children in the UK. Education is provided free of charge or heavily subsidised for adults (free for yrs old) SCC provides a study programme including softer skills necessary for integration into British culture. ESOL teachers have developed considerable experience in working with refugee teenagers and their families; they have become more aware of their experiences and needs. British citizenship, work experience opportunities, group and individual tutorial time, with compulsory English and Maths lessons.