Evaluation of the Family Reintegration Service

“ERS's evaluation was insightful and engaging. They helped evaluate a large and complex European funded refugee support project and their report has helped identify potential improvements to our model of work. They were also able to incorporate the Indicators of Integration evaluation framework, which has been a valuable aspect of the resulting report. They were easy to work with, met their deadlines and adapted to our project's requirements as well as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The Family Reunion Integration Service (FRIS) was the UK’s first national programme of refugee integration support. It was delivered by the British Red Cross in partnership with Barnado’s and Queen Margaret University. Working across eight national hubs, FRIS supported 900 reunited refugee families (around 3,000 individuals) to build new lives together in the UK. FRIS was funded by the European Union Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and administered by the AMIF UK Responsible Authority (UKRA). The FRIS model aimed to support the integration of refugee ‘sponsors’, already in the UK, and their families to reunite. FRIS supported them and their families to meet their housing, medical and financial needs and used groupwork to support reunification and integration.

Funded by the European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the programme was an opportunity to generate robust evidence to inform the national discourse about integration. In February 2020, ERS was commissioned to undertake an independent process and impact evaluation to support this aim. Our research also strove to develop recommendations for improvements to the service and to provide evidence for advocacy at the national level.

The evaluation team undertook a comprehensive scoping and design phase; developed research questions and a Theory of Change; scrutinised programme documents and data; and created tailored research tools. Our research activity involved:

  • Interviews with the project’s steering group, stakeholders and service and operational managers

  • E-survey and focus groups with frontline staff across the eight hubs

  • Review of programme monitoring data

  • Consultations with beneficiaries of the service: refugees and their families

Using a person-centred, trauma-informed approach, our team interviewed 36 beneficiaries across the UK. ERS consultants worked closely with frontline staff to identify suitable individuals, based on criteria such as length of time in the project, type of FRIS services accessed, age, gender, and nationality.

Through open dialogue and effective collaboration with the client, the final report was accessible to a range of audiences and ensured that the voices of refugees and their families were clearly heard. We also delivered a workshop to share findings and prompt discussion with project leaders and key stakeholders.