Refugees and asylum seekers

Basic Skills and Refugees
The Basic Skills Agency, 2002

This booklet, produced with the Refugee Council, is aimed at organisations that wish to help refugees and asylum seekers learn English. It gives a broad overview of the factors such organisations will need to consider when referring refugees to existing provision or starting up tuition themselves.

Problems faced by refugees
The booklet highlights the main problems faced by refugees and asylum seekers in addition to the challenges which generally face the poorest and most marginalised people in society, such as their insecurity about their status; public misconceptions and ignorance about their status and reasons for leaving their countries; lack of recognition of their qualifications and experience; their lack of knowledge about UK systems; post traumatic stress; and isolation, as well as the inability to speak and/or understand English.

Considerations for providers
The need to treat the learners as individuals rather than as a homogenous group is stressed, as are the needs to build their confidence and to focus English language teaching on the real situations refugees face in the UK, such as dealing with solicitors, benefits, health, shopping, giving personal details, health and safety signs and language for job seeking.

Tips for setting up and recruiting for an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programme are provided. This section mentions written publicity, liaising with other agencies, providing taster and induction sessions and linking language learning to the learners' interests, but does not specifically mention the need to allow for development time to get the programme started.

There are brief case studies of learners and of a learning provider, Praxis Community Projects Ltd, which runs courses such as "English with Dressmaking for Latin American and Somali Women", "English for Catering Co-operative Workers" and "English Language, Training and Presentation Skills for Community Development Leaders".

The booklet also highlights some useful organisations and publications, covering funding, interpreting, entitlements and general support.

• This booklet is available free of charge, apart from p&p, by visiting www.basic-skills.co.uk or calling 0870 600 2400.
• For the Refugee Council visit www.refugeecouncil.org.uk or call 020 7737 1155.
  Information line - 020 7820 3085 (weekdays except Thursdays, 10.00am-1.00pm) or email info@refugeecouncil.org.uk