Thread by @heavencrawley

Final session of @PolStudiesAssoc event on refugee politics at @ScotParl, a roundtable chaired by @alison_phipps on what a ‘better’ refugee system would look like in #Scotland The #newscots strategy is rights-based and refugee-centered. But does it work in practice?

Key principle of #NewScots is integration from Day 1 says Jackie Walter from @scotgov, would be easier to do this with 1. Integrated rather than separate welfare support systems 2. right to work for asylum seekers 3. properly resourced language support #refugeepolitics

We shouldn’t take political leadership on refugee and migration issues in #Scotland for granted says Gary Christie from @scotrefcouncil Need to embed these narratives into law through a Scottish human rights act and devolved migration policies #RefugeePolitics

Nearly ten years after our research on destitution of asylum seekers, people in Scotland remain unable to access their rights, moving themselves and their children from sofa to sofa, attending Home Office reporting sessions with the fear of deportation oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/oxfam/bitstrea…

Andy Morrison @COSLA outlines issues associated with #resettlement in Scotland including issues around funding and privileging of one group of refugees over another. Problems but also reasons for optimism - resettlement now Scottish issue not just Glasgow issue #refugeepolitics

Rama, a refugee and researcher originally from Syria, tells us about her experiences and appeals for us to understand integration as a two-way process. She speaks as the voice for 100 refugees - we need to listen to these voices and HEAR THEM