Supporting refugees to be able to integrate and contribute to society is key for community cohesion. Since September 2023, Maximus has provided specialist support to over 2,500 refugees across the West Midlands and the North West of England through the Refugee Employability Programme (REP), helping people to overcome barriers and build new lives in the UK.
Delivered on behalf of the Home Office, REP is structured through three core pillars of support: English language, integration, and employability. Refugees who have joined the programme work with a dedicated Case Manager to develop a highly personalised plan of support reflecting barriers, needs and aspirations.
This expert support is crucial. It is well recognised that refugees face complex additional barriers to employment, and as a result are more than 20% less likely to be employed than the rest of the UK population.
REP was designed to provide the specialist support refugees need to overcome these barriers and enter work. Delivering this support yields significant rewards for individuals, families, society, and the economy.
5 Key Factors for Successful Refugee Employability Support
Our report published this week, Building New Futures, presents the findings of a 2024 evaluation of our delivery of REP. As well as highlighting the profound and undisputably positive impact of REP, and the continued outstanding work that our dedicated teams do to support refugees, it also revealed some key factors which have been central to the programme’s success.
With REP due to end in June 2025, these lessons should be prioritised in shaping future employment support services for refugees in the UK.
- Delivering specialist support that meets the needs of refugees. Refugees face complex and specific barriers to employment. It is crucial that enhanced and tailored support be available, which effectively addresses these barriers, and reflects the needs and aspirations of each individual.
- Placing the participant at the heart of the approach. It has been important to approach the delivery of REP in the right way, with a focus on quality, consistency, and keeping the participant at the centre of every decision.
- Recruiting and developing specialist Case Managers. It is vital to ensure support is delivered by high-quality practitioners with the skills and expertise required for the role. It is also important to understand the importance of lived experience in developing support for refugees. Having 55% of our Case Managers with lived experience has been incredibly beneficial for everyone working on the programme and for participants themselves.
- Establishing trust with people and communities. It is through the development of real trusted relationships between Case Managers and participants that progress is made. Gaining the trust of the wider community through proactive engagement with trusted local organisations, often charities, is critically important and has established REP as a trusted service which delivers valued support.
- Building integration through partnership working. A key area of success has come from our commitment to enabling holistic support and promoting service integration through cross-sector partnership working. As well as generating new referral pathways and ensuring participants receive the support they need, this also helps foster collaboration, create new local networks, and prevent service duplication. Wherever possible, co-location of services is a priority and is proven to be effective.
REP continues to provide essential support to refugees across the country – support which delivers real transformation for individuals, families, and communities. Harnessing these existing strengths and building on what has been learned in future services will ensure that refugees are supported and empowered to live independent lives, contribute to the economy and society, and flourish within the UK.
You can read more in our newly published report: Building New Futures.
