Project Update: British Red Cross – Understanding the lessons learned from the UK’s response to the Ukrainian displacement crisis.
Since early 2022, over 215,000 people have been displaced from Ukraine to the UK. We have been privileged to lead a project commissioned by the British Red Cross . With our partners at Opora, the project is aimed at understanding the lessons learned from the UK’s response to this displacement crisis.
Throughout this project, we have worked with peer researchers to carry out immersive interviews with people displaced from Ukraine. We have also interviewed people who have acted as hosts/sponsors as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
We have spoken to several figures influential in the planning and implementation of the Ukraine-specific schemes. By learning from a systems-level approach, we saw how national and local government policy has worked in conjunction with community-led support. We also conducted an online survey co-designed with and disseminated by Opora. The survey received over 1,400 responses, providing a broad overview of the experiences and needs of people displaced from Ukraine in the UK.
As we come to the end of the project, the insights we have gathered will form the foundations for recommendations. These will show how the UK can continue to support people displaced from Ukraine. More widely, these lessons can shape the UK’s response to future displacement crises.
To hear more about this project and other work we’re doing as part of our ‘Accelerating Welcome‘ mission area, please contact: Nick@Neighbourlylab.com
Opora is a registered UK charity supporting Ukrainians in rebuilding their lives sustainably in the UK through Ukrainian language informational support and emergency assistance. Throughout this project, Opora will act as an expert advisory capacity, helping to shape and centre the research process within the lived experience of displaced Ukrainians in the UK.
The British Red Cross is a UK national charity providing support to anyone who is in crisis and a leading independent provider of support to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. Since March 2022, it has supported over 68,000 people displaced from Ukraine across the UK with emergency cash, emotional support, distributing SIM cards and a dedicated helpline, as well as casework.