We were really pleased to partner with the University of Southampton to explore the journeys of refugees and people seeking asylum navigating advice services in Southampton.
Hannah, who is studying a Masters in Public Health, completed a survey and in person interviews with people who had been granted refugee status during the government initiative to ‘clear the backlog’ in December/January 2024. In this video produced for Refugee Week by the university, Hannah shares more:
The research concluded that CLEAR’s adaptive and person-centred service model plays a vital role in enabling refugees to access essential services, highlighting CLEAR as a key organisation in improving the quality of life and ability of a refugee to integrate into life in the UK.
The results highlighted the need to expand culturally appropriate and accessible mental health and resettlement support across the region, to assist the third sector in supporting refugees and people seeking asylum.
The value of continued and increased support for CLEAR will further help to sustain refugees’ ability to access wider services in Southampton and build a life in the city, reducing the social inequalities that are present in the community.
Read the executive summary here Learning from refugees – Executive Summary.
We are grateful for the support provided by Advice UK and Public Health Southampton that enabled the research.