Facts and figures
- Scottish Refugee Council was formed in 1985. We are an independent national charity dedicated to providing advice, information and assistance to asylum seekers and refugees living in Scotland.
- We provide advice and specialist services in areas such as housing and welfare, integration, community development, and identify how to access legal advice, medical care and apply for asylum support.
- We are a membership organisation; our members are individuals or organisations with a personal or professional interest in refugee issues.
- We provide advice from our headquarters in Glasgow and conduct outreach work in Edinburgh. However, our remit is Scotland-wide.
- On average our caseworkers see approximately 20,733 clients per year.
- Our Scottish Induction Service (SIS) welcomes newly-arrived asylum seekers in Scotland. SIS provides important information about the asylum system, life in the UK and assists clients in applying for asylum support.
- Our Scottish Induction Service helped 1332 main applicants and 517 dependents during 2008.
- Last year our community development officers worked with 11 Refugee Community Organisations (RCO), 8 Framework for Dialogue Groups and 11 integration networks.
- We also delivered 22 training courses to a range of audiences including NHS staff, Social Services, and Central Scotland Police.
- Training we've offered has included an introductory course on working with asylum seekers and refugees, working with interpreters and a course exploring the needs and experiences of refugee women as well as training on UKBA Asylum Support.
- A large number of voluntary sector agencies have also accessed our training sessions, including the Red Cross, Scottish Youth Parliament, and YMCA.
- Our new Refugee Integration and Employment Service (RIES) launched on 1 October 2008. Over a six month period, the integration service helps new refugees find work and offers practical advice on things like education, housing and volunteering opportunities.
Other useful websites
COSLA Refugee and Asylum Seekers Consortium
COSLA Strategic Migration Partnership (CSMP) supports the delivery of accommodation and support services to asylum seekers, refugees and, more recently, migrant workers in Scotland. Their website provides Glasgow and Scotland-wide statistics, including asylum seekers numbers, distribution and means of support.
Click to find out more on the COSLA Refugee and Asylum Seekers Consortium website
Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR)
The Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR) is an independent information and research organisation based in the School of Social Sciences at City University in London. Their website provides UK-wide statistics, including news and analysis for Scotland.
Click to find out more on the Information Centre for about Asylum and Refugees website