Afghan resettlement in England: Outcomes and experiences

This research project will explore how the Afghan resettlement schemes affect the early embedding of resettled Afghans as they now move on into labour markets, housing, social and educational spheres.

This project runs from January 2024 to June 2025 and is funded by The Nuffield Foundation.

Background

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, thousands of Afghan evacuees (of whom half are children) arrived under two official resettlement schemes operated by the UK Home Office and its contractors:

  • the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), and
  • the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

There are indications of widespread challenges in the schemes’ functioning, including safeguarding issues for women and children, as well as risks from gendered and generational power dynamics. Initially, evacuees were placed in ‘bridging hotels,’ but this persisted beyond a short-term measure, and families were quickly expected to be housed by local authorities (LAs). Local authority resettlement teams have quickly taken on responsibilities for meeting needs and supporting families in respect to issues including housing, health, education, employment support and safeguarding.

Methodology

The team's priority is to gather a robust evidence base on outcomes and experiences of the resettlement schemes. This will enable national government, strategic migration partnerships, LAs and NGOs to assess immediately how far they are working and how schemes are experienced variably regionally and by different populations.

The research operates a mixed methods approach that includes:

  • A scoping study that synthesises disparate existing data,
  • A survey in English regions with resettled persons from Afghanistan, and
  • Participatory research using innovative, creative methods, including walking interviews and photovoice research to explore experiences of those most at risk: women, young people and minority groups.

Research aims

The project will address the following questions:

  • How effective are the Afghan resettlement schemes in England?
  • What are newly arriving resettled people’s experiences and outcomes?

  • How can this knowledge be used to inform the implementation of the schemes across the country?

A team of researchers from UCL, London Metropolitan University and Middlesex University will work with resettled families from Afghanistan, local authorities, regional strategic migration partnerships and civil society stakeholders to generate insights on experiences and identify improvements in the schemes in mid-implementation. This is a vital endeavour given their cost and the implications of failure for individuals, wider social cohesion, and public support.

Team

Project lead

Members

Additional information

The project seeks to generate new conceptual understandings in how resettled people ‘embed’ into receiving environments, with attention to heterogeneity in Afghan populations and differences according to different localities. The research is significant since reception experiences have major long-term effects for affected populations across a range of outcomes (labour market, housing, education, health and civic engagement).

The project will produce a range of academic and non-technical outputs including academic papers, policy briefings, presentations and a report, which will be made available here.

Funding

The project is funded by The Nuffield Foundation, an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance social well-being. It funds research that informs social policy, primarily in Education, Welfare, and Justice. It also funds student programmes that provide opportunities for young people to develop skills in quantitative and scientific methods. The project was awarded £269,000.

The Nuffield Foundation is the founder and co-funder of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Ada Lovelace Institute and the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. The Foundation has funded this project, but the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily the Foundation.

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Contact us

Centre for Sociology of Education and Equity (CSEE)
Department of Education, Practice and Society
IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society
University College London
20 Bedford Way
London WC1H 0AL

email: ioe.csee@ucl.ac.uk