Scottish Refugee Council works with refugee-led groups, local authorities, and organisations across Scotland to help people connect, collaborate and play active roles in their communities.
One of the charity’s Regional Integration Coordinators, Ruby Seber, helps establish New Scots Integration Networks, bringing charities, community groups and service providers together to share knowledge and ideas and work in partnership to support refugees and people seeking asylum in the local area.
Susan Lyttle is Health Improvement Manager for the health and wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees for NHS Lanarkshire. Charlotte Elsner is a Resettlement and Equality Support Officer for Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire. Here they tell us more about the Lanarkshire New Scots Integration Network and the difference it’s making.
Can you tell us a bit about the Lanarkshire network and how it got started?
Charlotte: It all started with a Supporting New Scots in Lanarkshire conference organised by a group of third sector and public sector organisations. We talked about what services were available, who was doing what and how the sector could best work together to support and welcome people who are resettled in the area.
Susan: That’s where the idea about the New Scots Integration Network was born. We thought it would be a helpful way to share information and ideas.
Ruby: I attended the conference and thought it was a great chance to start a network, so I met with Susan and Charlotte and we kicked it off from there. I gave them advice on setting up and running an Integration Network. Then, in October 2023, I chaired the first meeting.
What are some of the main challenges facing refugees and people seeking asylum in Lanarkshire?
Susan: If English isn’t people’s first language, then language can be a barrier. Not knowing how to navigate our health and social care systems can also be tricky for people. Service provision is different from in their home country and navigating that can be quite difficult.
Charlotte: Transport is also a big challenge, especially within Lanarkshire. A lot of people who have resettled in Lanarkshire know people who are in Glasgow. It’s difficult to keep up those connections when you have to travel that far, and you rely on public transport.
There are waiting lists for ESOL classes and sometimes people need to travel to Glasgow for those too. A lot of people settled in Lanarkshire would like to be in Glasgow where they know where to find communities and resources. That’s one of the reasons we created the network to show people there are communities in Lanarkshire as well.
How is the Integration Network helping to address some of these challenges?
Charlotte: In our sector, we’re often addressing urgent needs. Everyone is so busy and there is a lot of crisis management. It can be hard to find the time to make those connections and reach out.
We set up this network so we can connect with and learn from others working in the sector in Lanarkshire. It has helped organisations to not feel as isolated. Now that those connections are made, people know who to reach out to. They don’t feel alone in supporting New Scots.
Susan: It’s excellent to have a dedicated network and some dedicated time to come together. We all have the same intention – to improve services, improve access and reduce inequalities.
Charlotte: For us it’s been very helpful to work in partnership. Everyone has been so supportive and is very excited to welcome new people. It’s about making sure organisations don’t think they have to provide everything. One organisation can’t do it all. We want to encourage partnership working so we can refer people to other services and providers and make sure we’re not duplicating work.
Susan: The network brings people together to talk about what’s worked well elsewhere. We don’t necessarily have to set up new services. Often, it’s about knowing what services are already out there and tweaking an existing service so it’s welcoming to people for whom English isn’t a first language.
How often do you meet?
Charlotte: We meet roughly every 12 weeks. There are usually between 25 and 30 people at the meetings, but lots more people are on our mailing list to receive minutes and updates. At first, we planned to alternate between online and in-person meetings. We had our first in-person meeting in January and it went so well that we’ve decided to just do that.
Susan: It’s so much easier to make connections when you’re all in a room together. Our network is a real mix of third sector, public sector (like NHS Lanarkshire, and North and South Lanarkshire Council) and community-led groups that support New Scots. We have new organisations joining all the time, which I love.
Ruby: Before each meeting, Charlotte, Susan and I meet to plan the agenda, come up with ideas and discus how to develop and expand the network.
What happens at a typical meeting?
Susan: We might discuss new resources, strategies and policies that support people who have been resettled in the area. It’s also a chance to share good news stories, useful information and let each other know about upcoming events and opportunities.
We try to have a theme or topic for each meeting. For example, one meeting focussed on the rights of refugees. At our next meeting we’re going to focus on mental health because that’s an area people have expressed an interest in.
Charlotte: Scottish Refugee Council shares useful information and learning from other parts of Scotland. Ruby did a session focussing on Refugee Festival Scotland for organisations that were interested in holding an event. She spoke about how to meaningfully involve people with lived experience. She also did a session on the New Scots Integration Strategy action plan, so people can see where their organisations fit in and take action towards supporting the strategy.
Susan: We invite experts from external partners and people from within the network to speak about key topics. We had local representatives from Big Lottery come along to talk about funding opportunities and encourage organisations to apply if they have ideas they’d like to pilot.
Charlotte: At every meeting one of the most important sections is the updates. Anyone who wants to, can share with the group. At first people were hesitant to talk but now that we all know each other better everyone has a lot to say.
What’s coming up?
Charlotte: We’re really keen that people with lived experience inform the network. What’s their feedback and what could we do better to support people and help them thrive in Lanarkshire?
The meetings have been so well attended and it’s been absolutely heartening. You always walk out with a smile on your face. Just being in a room with people who have the same goals and level of motivation is so positive. There is a real willingness to share resources and ideas and a real interest in coming together to support people who have been resettled.
Susan: We’re still quite new. This is just the beginning and there is lots to look forward to. So far, we’ve concentrated on getting to know each other and making good connections. We’re hopeful that as the network gets stronger and organisations get to know each other more they might put in joint funding applications and think about bigger projects.
It’s really quite a vibrant network and I hope it’ll go from strength to strength.
Scottish Refugee Council currently supports five New Scots Refugee Integration Networks across the country. They are Highland, Tayside (covering Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross), Inverclyde, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley (covering Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Stirling and West Lothian)
Find out more about our work connecting communities across Scotland and how you can get involved.
