Community Integration, Quality of Life, Thriving, and Mental Health Among Refugees and Asylum Seekers. A London Service Provider Perspective, 2020-2021

The dataset consists of qualitative interview data. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 19 service providers working for non-governmental organizations in London. Participants occupied a range of professional roles, including senior leadership, management, advisory, and frontline therapeutic and advocacy positions. The interviews were conducted online due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, lasted approximately one hour each, and were audio recorded with participants’ informed consent. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim to produce textual data. The primary data comprise anonymised interview transcripts. Identifying information relating to individuals and organisations was removed or pseudonymised to protect participant confidentiality. No personal data relating directly to asylum seekers or refugees are included in the dataset; all data reflect service providers’ professional experiences and observations. The interviews followed a topic guide covering service provision, mental health needs of beneficiaries, community inclusion and exclusion, social support, integration, and thriving, with particular attention to perceived mental health impacts. The dataset was analysed using thematic analysis, combining inductive and deductive coding. Deductive coding was informed by the domains of the Indicators of Integration Framework

This project explored, from a service provider perspective, how systemic injustices and social inequalities affect refugee and asylum seeker integration, thriving, and mental health in London. This is pertinent as the United Kingdom currently operates a ‘broken’ asylum system with unfair policies and a ‘tough’ immigration rhetoric which makes it extraordinarily difficult for asylum seekers and refugees to achieve community integration, have a good quality of life, be able to thrive, and have good health including mental health. Paradoxically, the United Kingdom Home Office also features an Indicators for Integration Framework to provide practical ways to design more effective strategies, monitor services and evaluated integration interventions. This study employed a qualitative research design including semi-structured interviews with 19 mental health and psychosocial support service providers working in third-sector organizations in London. The study results show that the current asylum system severely undermines efforts to support asylum seekers and refugees with their integration. All participants highlighted that asylum seekers and refugees lacked experienced poor quality of life and faced structural challenges to build meaningful social connections; to have access education, fair employment and good work; to achieve good mental health and wellbeing; and to be able to thrive. To improve community integration, quality of life, thriving, and mental health for asylum seekers and refugees in London and, beyond, the United Kingdom, four recommendations are made on structural and service-levels: (1) reform of the current asylum system by centering human rights; (2) implement and carry out needs assessments among asylum seekers and refugees focussing on key social determinants; (3) ensure asylum seekers and refugees benefit from the NHS Inclusion Health framework; and (4) extend the NHS Patient and Carer Race Equality framework beyond England. To be effective, all four initiatives need to be grounded in a participatory approach that meaningfully involves diverse groups of stakeholders including asylum seekers and refugees.