Ukranian guest – Homes for Ukraine scheme
We commissioned a report by The Research People to evaluate our Homes for Ukraine matching service from April 2022 to March 2023. One year after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, we commissioned the evaluation, to understand what has been learnt by guests, hosts, Reset and our partners about matching and how this can inform our response to future refugee crises.
Download the report as a PDF file here. Reset-Matching-Service-Evaluation
“It isn’t so much who hosts a family,
it’s who the people are around the
host, who are the people in the
community, [those] who are doing
a heck of a lot by just being there
and supporting people and making
people feel welcome. We’ve seen that
in so many different ways.”
- Host
We worked with the University of Birmingham on an evaluation of the Community Sponsorship scheme in its pilot phase. The findings resulted in six policy briefs in areas such as refugee integration, motivating volunteers and the wider impact of the scheme.
Community Sponsorship offers potential for transformation of understanding of refugee issues, to reduce fears about others, to change working practices to make them more inclusive for wider diverse populations and to bring new perspectives into relatively homogeneous communities
Finding from the research
To enhance our understanding of the experiences of those being resettled through Community Sponsorship, in December we brought together a group of women who had arrived in the UK through this scheme. We then facilitated a workshop in January with welcomed refugee men who had arrived in the UK through this scheme.
Read more of this fantastic overview and discussion exploring the experiences of refugee women and men who have arrived in the UK through Community Sponsorship.
Read the results from the women’s focus group. Women’s Focus Group Findings
Read the results from the men’s focus group. Mens Focus Group
In November 2022 Reset saw the opportunity to open up the discussion around community led welcome in the UK. Read the thoughts of the organisation at that moment in time here.
How community-led welcome is transforming refugee welcome how-community-led-welcome-works-in-the-uk.
The case for a single sponsorship scheme. RESET-The-case-for-a-single-sponsorship-scheme
Reset Communities and Refugees launched the first Neighbours for Newcomers (N4N) programme in October 2021 as part of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s programme to recruit refugee nurses. N4N was designed in partnership with Talent Beyond Boundaries and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care to provide a community welcome to 25 refugee nurses arriving to work in the NHS.
This is an evaluation of the programme for the first cohort of people who were supported by Neighbours for Newcomers.
Download Neighbours for Newcomers Evaluation
Neighbours for Newcomers – Evaluation Part 1 – March 22
Neighbours for Newcomers Training Evaluation
In the most recent phase of the Neighbours for Newcomers programme, we delivered training to NHS Hospital Trusts outlining how to best support refugee nurses arriving to the UK. Roughly six months later, we spoke with seven welcomed candidates about their experience of living in the UK, working for the NHS, and the support they have received. This evaluation highlights key findings from interviews with candidates, which will in turn inform our future training and advice.
Neighbours-for-newcomers-training-evaluation
We partnered with the British Red Cross VOICES Network in 2020 to produce research examining the experiences of adult refugees resettled through Community Sponsorship. The aim of the research is to understand how the programme could be improved. The findings of this work inform Reset’s training and support to Community Sponsorship groups.
In 2021 we did research into the impact of Community Sponsorship on volunteers after the first 18 months. Findings demonstrated skills development, a strong sense of fulfilment and a greater sense of community. There was a roughly equal split between the 35–54 age group and the over 65s, although more working age men volunteer than working age women.
Reset worked with independent consultant, Dr Jasna Magić, to create a snapshot of the integration outcomes of 15 refugee families resettled to the UK between July 2021 and December 2022 through the Community Sponsorship programme. The findings centre on four key areas in which integration takes place: health and social care, housing, employment, and social connections. The report details integration outcomes and highlights progress the refugee families have made and the barriers they have faced in the first 12 months of their resettlement.
Reset regularly surveys Community Sponsorship groups when they reach the end of their 2 year sponsor agreement. The aim of the survey is to collect honest reflections from volunteers about their experience of Community Sponsorship so that Reset can find ways to improve the programme.
Read all news and insight from our initiatives
See Coverage of Reset UK in the press and media
Read our research projects and news
Come together locally to welcome a refugee family. Find out how Community Sponsorship helps refugee families in need build a new life in the UK with confidence and dignity.
There are so many ways to show your support. Find out more about how to get involved.
How do I sponsor a refugee family? How does the process work? Reset is here to support you every step of the way.
Wherever you are on the fulfilling and thrilling journey through Community Sponsorship, we have training courses, videos, articles and more, all designed to help your group and the family you support.
From drop-in sessions to UK-wide networking events, we bring together people and professionals involved in all stages of the Community Sponsorship journey.
Our toolkits are designed to make it easy for you to support community-led welcome, including resources for local groups, support for potential lead sponsors, and practical advice for Local Authorities.
Research, monitoring and evaluation are essential for making evidence-based decisions that help community-led welcome to flourish.
Make an extraordinary difference to the lives of people who have lost everything by signing up to our (free) Landlords for Refugees register.
Not everyone can donate their time, so if you are choosing to donate money today instead or as well as, thank you. Your generosity is vital to the work we do support community-led welcome of refugees.
We empower volunteers to welcome refugees into communities across the UK, and we’re inviting you to be part of our movement. Together, let’s shape a better future.
Help others by sharing your account. Why were you attracted to community-led welcome? What worked, what did you learn, what has the experience been like for you?
Community-led welcome isn’t about one organisation. We work with a range of organisations and individuals to deliver our work and to grow the movement.
