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Refugee Integration and Employment Service

This page describes the help provided by the Refugee Integration and Employment Service (RIES).

The RIES is available to anyone over the age of 18 who has been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection following a claim handled by one of our asylum teams in the regions. It provides a standard level of service to new refugees across the United Kingdom, wherever they are living when their status is granted.

The RIES builds on the success of Sunrise, our pilot integraton service for newly granted refugees. Set up in 2005, Sunrise offered each refugee a personal caseworker to help achieve integration goals. The RIES was developed as a result of ongoing evaluation of Sunrise, lessons learned from the Time Together mentoring project and responses to a public consultation in 2006 (PDF 32K opens in new window). It aims to combine the best of the earlier programmes while also putting a sharper focus on employment.

The RIES offers a 12-month service to each person granted refugee status or humanitarian protection. This service has three complementary elements:

  • an advice and support service, offering help in addressing initial critical needs such as housing, education and access to benefits;
  • an employment advice service, to help the person enter long-term employment at the earliest opportunity; and
  • a mentoring service, giving the person an opportunity to be matched with a mentor from the receiving community.

Within a few days of receiving refugee status or humanitarian protection, the person is referred to a personal case manager who develops an individual integration plan and helps the person to meet urgent needs. Each person also receives dedicated support to help overcome barriers to employment, so that more refugees can find long-term employment.

We expect that at least 30% of refugees who accept help from the RIES will find work within 12 months of receiving their status. The mentoring service helps to put refugees in touch with mentors who offer them friendship and also work with them on a one-to-one basis, sharing knowledge and experience.

We have awarded contracts to deliver the RIES in 12 regions, as shown below. The service started operating on 1 October 2008.

East of England: British Refugee Council

East Midlands: Metropolitan Support Trust

London: British Refugee Council

North East: North of England Refugee Service

North West: Refugee Action

Northern Ireland: Multi Cultural Resource Centre (Bryson)

Scotland: Scottish Refugee Council

South East: Refugee Action

South West: Refugee Action

Wales: Welsh Refugee Council

West Midlands: British Refugee Council

Yorkshire and Humberside: Leeds City Council

Related documents

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