Funding support services
Refugee support service
Refugees, people seeking asylum and other groups of forcibly displaced people who live in Scotland will be supported to settle into local communities through Scottish Refugee Council's Refugee Support Service.
We support this service with £3.6 million in funding for the financial year 2024 to 2025.
The aim of the service is to:
- provide information and resources to help refugees living in Scotland rebuild their lives and take control of their own future
- ensure people seeking safety can access support that recognises their rights and meets their needs
- build, maintain and strengthen connections between groups, organisations and communities across Scotland that provide support for refugees and people seeking asylum
- help people who are new to Scotland make connections and feel like valued members of their new communities
- connect decision-makers, service-providers and refugee leaders at local, regional and national levels so they can work together to ensure people seeking safety in Scotland are welcomed, included and supported
The service will also work with and support people with lived experience, communities, third sector partners and public bodies to deliver a joint, sustainable, coordinated and responsive support pathway, so refugees are welcomed, have suitable access to resources, services and opportunities needed to exercise their rights.
Further information about the Refugee Support Service can be obtained by calling Scottish Refugee Council’s free and confidential helpline on 0808 196 274.
Other forms of support
We are responsible for devolved matters relating to the integration of refugees and people seeking asylum in our communities.
This includes healthcare, education, care and support of children, social care, legal services (including legal aid) and housing (excluding asylum accommodation). However, there can be restrictions placed on accessing some of these services, because of a person’s immigration status.
To support refugees, people seeking asylum and our communities across Scotland, we fund a variety of organisations including: