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Voluntary Return Counselors Forum Research

Voluntary Return Counselors Forum Research. DATA INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS. First survey: May – June 2002 16 Project profiles Counselor visits: September - November 2002 18 visitor questionnaires 10 host questionnaires

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Voluntary Return Counselors Forum Research

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  1. Voluntary Return Counselors Forum Research

  2. DATA INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS • First survey:May – June 2002 • 16 Project profiles • Counselor visits: September - November 2002 • 18 visitor questionnaires • 10 host questionnaires • 10 comprehensive surveys (incl. profile, visitor and host questionnaires) • 6 partial surveys (either without visitor or without host questionnaire)

  3. Structure of the presentation • Introduction of participant projects. • Impact of policy and legislative contexts. • Selected findings on assistance and services provided in the projects. • Transferables, evaluation, conclusion.

  4. Participant projects • 16 participant projects in the exchange • 13 NGOs • 1 governmental organisation (local) • 1 non-profit company • 1 organisation funded by churches Source: project profiles

  5. Participant projects > Is the project complementary to other projects and/or organizational efforts .. ? < • 6 projects are complementaryat local level. • 5 projects …………….. at regional level. • 10 projects ……………. at national level. • 6 projects ………… at international level. Source: project profiles

  6. Project resources. • Financial resources • Staff • Contacts • contacts in host country • contacts in COR

  7. Project resourcesStaff qualifications • Legal advisors were indicated by7 of the projects, • Social workers by 5 projects and • Translators by 4 projects. Source: project profiles

  8. Project resourcesContacts to COR 13 org.s: with international organisations 12 org.s: with NGOs in the COR 10 org.s with official authorities in the COR 7 org.s with self-help organisations in COR 6 org.swith communities in the COR. 5 org.s have a representation in the COR. Source: project profiles

  9. Client groups • rejected asylum seekers (11 projects) • asylum seekers prior to a decision (9 projects) • recognized refugees (9 projects) • migrants (8 projects) • non-accompanied minors (7 projects) • illegal immigrants (5 projects) • students (5 projects) Source: project profiles

  10. Client groups > How many of your clients do have a legal alternative to returning? < • MOST (DRC, INDE, Initiativet, NRC, NMI, PsEau) • SOME (AGEF, ACCEM, Cire, Caritas Austria, Caritas Switzerland, Solwodi, Wereldhuis) • MOST clients do NOT. (Coming Home) Source: project profiles

  11. Client groups 12 projects have clients who they cannot assist. Depending on the project mandate, these are partly rejected asylum seekers and/ or illegal immigrants, partly persons with a residency status, partly citizens from certain COR. 7 of them would like to assist these clients. Source: project profiles

  12. Policy & legislative frameworks > Differences in decision power > Different understandings of voluntariness > Different understandings of project ‘success’ > Differences in time pressures

  13. Policy & legislative frameworks • Different understandings of voluntariness ‘avoiding deportation’ versus ‘making well-informed decisions’ • Different understandings of (project) ‘success’ ‘Counting departures’ versus ‘happy endings’

  14. Assistance and Services Main objectives of the participant projects according to their profiles: • Counselling: 14 projects • Assistance in return: 13 projects • Reintegration measures: 13 projects • Reconstruction: 3 projects

  15. Counselling practices How and why do counselling practices differ? > External factors: - related to policy and regulatory contexts > Internal factors: - related to remit and politics of the project - related to organizational factors

  16. Counselling. External Factors Reception conditions Legislative Framework Kind of services provided? …Time pressures? Definitions of voluntariness? Client groups? ...

  17. Counselling. Internal Factors I. Provisions for specific groups Scale of assistance Project politics & remit Continuity in counselling relationship Role of family and individual Consideration of psychological aspects

  18. Counselling. Internal Factors II. Recording of client data Systematization of information on COR Organizational aspects Evaluation/ monitoring of the counselling Specialization versus multi-tasking Composition of staff (language skills, migrant groups, ..) Level of standardization

  19. Assistance in return Differences between projects regard • how transport is organized (by IOM, through the project, by the client) • arrangements regarding physical company to the point of departure

  20. Assistance in return A financial contributionto travel and transport is offered by the following projects: Caritas Austria, Cire, DRC, PsEau, Coming Home, Solwodi, INDE, ENTER, Caritas Switzerland, NMI and Choices. Source: project profiles

  21. Re-integration seminars Pre departure-seminars: DRC Caritas Switzerland Coming Home Choices NRC Pre departure and Post-arrival seminars: AGEF NMI Gothenburg Initiativet Source: project profiles

  22. Re-integration education and training Pre departure: DRC Coming Home INDE Caritas Switzerland Wereldhuis Post arrival: AGEF Pre departure + Post-arrival: Solwodi ENTER Gothenburg Initiativet Source: project profiles

  23. Re-integration assistance A financial contributionto the initial period after return is offered by the following projects: Caritas Austria, Coming Home, Solwodi, INDE, ENTER, Gothenburg Initiativet, Caritas Switzerland and NMI. Average amount: 200-300 € Source: project profiles

  24. Follow up of individual refugees Based on the visitor questionnaires, 3 projects NEVER follow up on the refugees, 5 projects SOMETIMES do. 5 projects ALWAYS follow up. (CIRE, DRC, Coming Home, Solwodi and Initiativet)

  25. Reconstruction measures Were described by the visitors of DRC, PsEau, Coming Home, INDE, Solwodi, INITIATIVET. Partly focusing on individual returnees, Partly working with the community.

  26. Activities during visit. > Which aspects of the host project did the counselors get to know during their visit? < • contacts with other organisations (13) • counselling (11) • contacts with authorities(8) • re-integration measures(7) • general administrative work(7)

  27. Feedback and evaluation of the visits > Do you think that you have gained some useful input / ideas for your work from the visit? < 12 visitors ticked YES, 1 NO, 1 not sure. >Has the visit met your overall expectations? < 8visitorsYES, 2‘it has exceeded my expectations’. 5hostsYES, 2 NO.

  28. Transferables / 1 • Courses in the COR rather than in the host country as it is cheaper and more related to the country and situation. • More efficiency through bureaucratisation/ professionalisation of the administration. • Employment counselling service, a data base which provides easy access to information about available jobs in the return countries.

  29. Transferables / 2 • formalisation of counselling • More contact with local NGO’s which can help them in their reintegration process • network system with local NGO’s in the COR • stress on a multicultural and multilingual staff • …. Source: visitor questionnaires

  30. > Particularly interesting? < Existence of a legal framework for VR Pension schemes for for elderly returnees (DK) ….. ‘The working atmosphere!’ (NRC) ….. ‘Combination of integration, re-integration and development projects.’ (INDE) Source: visitor questionnaires

  31. Innovative project aspectsaccording to project profiles • Return and employment in COR (AGEF) • Development of individual repatriation plans including counselling, educational & training measures, financial help for initial period, delivery of goods (COMING HOME) • Support for reintegration of single migrant women without means, mostly without education (Solwodi) • Free hotline with counselors speaking refugee languages (INDE)

  32. Innovative project aspects according to visitors • Services that extend beyond just repatriation related assistance (e.g. housing) (Choices) • Search for private funding (ENTER) • Possibility to return to another country than country of origin (Caritas Austria) • Follow up of refugees during a long period of time (Gothenburg Initiativet) • Voluntary engagement of so many people (Wereldhuis)

  33. Different roles / functions of voluntary return assistance projects. • Counselling agency for refugees and/ or immigrants with a legal status in the country who consider return as a voluntary option. • Development agency whose focus is on supporting the returnee’s professional and social re-integration in the COR, mostly through training and education. • Port of call for rejected asylum seekers and/ or illegal immigrants, who have no legal alternatives to return. • Assistant or partner of immigration authorities in the host country, helping to secure a smooth return.

  34. WORKSHOP QUESTIONS • What is a successful and sustainable return? • What are the conditions for it? • What are possible obstacles?

  35. Main client groups The following slides show the largest actual client groupsaccording to the project profiles. The suggested categories were: • Recognized refugees, • Asylum seekers prior to a decision, • Rejected asylum seekers, • Illegal immigrants, • Migrants (incl. ‘guestworkers’), • Students, • Non-accompanied minors, • Specific employment groups, • Others.

  36. NRC Residents on humanitarian grounds (80%) Rejected asylum seekers (10%) DRC Recognized refugees (90%) Migrants (incl. ‘guestworkers’ (10%) INDE Recognized refugees (90%) Initiativet Recognized refugees (migrants) NMI Migrants ‘with status’ (80%)

  37. CaritasSwitzer-land Rejected asylum seekers Asylum seekers prior to a decision Caritas Austria Asylum seekers prior to a decision Illegal immigrants ACCEM Asylum seekers prior to a decision (51%) Rejected asylum seekers (37%) Refugee Action Asylum seekers prior to a decision (56%) Rejected asylum seekers (30%) AGEF Rejected asylum seekers, migrants, students Coming Home Displaced persons (70%)

  38. CIRE Illegal immigrants (61%) Migrants (incl. ‘guestworkers’) (18%) PsEau Illegal immigrants (60%) Wereldhuis Illegal immigrants and rejected asylum seekers Solwodi Illegal immigrants (33%) Migrants (incl. ‘guestworkers’) (30%)

  39. Assistance and Servicesaccording to project profiles 16 - Information on return 15 - Information on situation in countries of return 14 - Information on integration perspectives in host country 14 pre departure / 6 post arrival 14 - counselling 12 - Financial contribution to travel & transport costs 12 - Legal advice 12 pre departure / 6 post arrival

  40. Assistance and Servicesaccording to project profiles 9 - Financial contribution to initial period after return 9 - Seminars / information events 9 pre departure / 3 post arrival 9 - Education and/or further training measures 8 pre departure / 4 post arrival 8 - Follow up care / post arrival-mentoring in COR 7- 8 - Enterprise grants 4 - Facilitation of ‘look and see’-trips 4 - Salary subsidies 3 - Support of housing / shelter projects 2-3 - Employment placementin COR

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