The LGA is working alongside the Government, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) to ensure individual needs are assessed so that the resettlement offers match people's requirements.
Key messages
Local authorities are the primary point of engagement for identifying where refugees are to be resettled. Councils have an excellent track record in supporting refugee children and their families over many years, and they have so far worked hard to ensure Syrian refugees are settled safely in the UK.
Local authorities and the Local Government Association (LGA) will continue to work with central government on the future of the resettlement programme in 2016 and beyond. In the future a regional approach to resettling refugees, rather than a case-by-case model controlled centrally, would be more effective in utilising the funding for local authorities to support resettlement. As well as a more effective use of resources, regional coordination can help facilitate the exchange of good practice both within the UK and internationally, particularly around supporting integration and helping people into employment.
The LGA is working alongside the Government, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) to ensure individual needs are assessed so that the resettlement offers match people's requirements, including for any care and health needs and for school places. Local authorities also work with partner organisations in the health sector to help those who will need ongoing support to cope with injuries, disabilities and any trauma they have experienced; and with local businesses, faith, community and voluntary sector leaders to support access to employment and integration into new communities.