Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme
The Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme was launched by the UK Government in 2015. It is designed to provide assistance to Syrians who have fled to neighbouring countries as a result of the conflict in Syria and who are particularly vulnerable.
Oxford City Council announced their participation in the scheme at an early stage and the first two families were resettled in the city in December 2015. Since then the Council has resettled an average of 10 families a year over three phases, bringing the current total to 30 families.
Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Scheme
In 2016 Oxford agreed to take families under the Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Scheme (VCRS). This scheme focuses on the resettlement of vulnerable children and their immediate families from the Middle East and North Africa. This scheme is run in the same way as the Syrian VPR scheme. Four of the 30 families came under the VCRS scheme.
Housing and Support
The SVPRS and VCRS are entirely funded by the Government and families are housed in private sector accommodation in Oxford, rented mostly at market rates. The vast majority of families are from Syria, with a few of them coming from Sudan and Iraq.
A comprehensive support package for the families is commissioned by the City Council and is provided by our partners Connection Support, Aspire, Asylum Welcome and Refugee Resource. The resettlement support enables the refugees to become self-reliant, to be able to access support services and local amenities independently, to find work and to be integrated into the wider community.
Community Sponsorship
The City Council is also one of the first local authorities in the South East to work with a Home Office-approved Community Sponsorship group. This involves the group providing all the resettlement support for a vulnerable refugee family. The City Council works with Braid, a group that comprises people from the congregation of Blackfriars Catholic Church in Oxford who welcomed a refugee family in January 2018.
“Oxford is a welcoming and safe city for refugees. I am delighted that we have successfully resettled 30 families and helped 131 people, including community sponsorship people, rebuild their lives here. Together with our partners Asylum Welcome, Connection Support, Aspire and Refugee Resource, our work with refugees ensures that they are supported to maintain tenancies in the private sector, learn English, move into employment, and access the health and other services that they need.
“We have 65 children on the programme with all those of school age quickly settling into Oxford schools. These families have experienced loss of homes, family members and livelihoods due to the conflict in their countries of origin. We welcome them to Oxford as a place they can rebuild their lives and are grateful to the contributions they make to the diversity and vibrancy of our communities and city.”
Councillor Marie Tidball, Board Member for Supporting Local Communities
Future of Resettlement Schemes
The Government announced on 17June 2019 that from 2020 all existing schemes will be consolidated into a new global resettlement scheme, broadening the geographical focus beyond the Middle East and North Africa region so as to be better placed to swiftly respond to international crises, in coordination with global partners. The new scheme will continue to resettle the most vulnerable refugees, as identified and referred by UNHCR. The scheme aims to resettle 5,000 people within its first year, with subsequent targets renewed on an annual basis.
Oxford will consider their response to this and update this website accordingly.
Controlling Migration Fund (CMF)
Oxford has made two successful bids to the Controlling Migration Fund from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). This money funds a range of projects to:
- Understand and better respond to the needs of vulnerable migrants
- Support migrants to gain the skills and information they need to settle successfully into life in Oxford
- Foster integration
These projects include:
- Funding additional pre-entry English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) with a focus on getting to know and getting involved in the local community
- Funding ESOL classes with a mixture of work experience and employment-related ESOL as well as support with moving into work
- Funding mentoring and volunteering opportunities for refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable migrants
- Developing information resources to inform migrants of access to and availability of support services
- Tackling rogue landlords who let illegal properties or “beds in sheds”
- Supporting EAA migrant rough sleepers to access accommodation and support services
- A research project aimed at improving the community’s capacity to tackle exploitation of migrants and human trafficking.
