# Refugee Council

The Refugee Council is the nation’s refugee charity. The charity work alongside community groups, partners and volunteers, to help people who have escaped war and persecution rebuild their lives, integrate into communities, and play their part in Britain.
Refugee Council was established in the aftermath of World War II and its frontline services support refugees to find safety, get to know their neighbours, and enter education, training or work.
The charity share evidence and expertise with policymakers to help build integrated communities where everyone can contribute. It works alongside refugee led and humanitarian organisations such as British Red Cross, Scottish Refugee Council, Welsh Refugee Council, North of England Refugee Service, Northern Refugee Centre and Refugee Action.

## History

The Refugee Council was established in 1981 by merging two independent organisations:
* The British Council for Aid to Refugees (BCAR)
* SCOR (Standing Conference on Refugees)
Both organisations were founded in 1951, the year that the United Nations Refugee Convention was adopted, detailing the rights of refugees and the obligations of countries to protect them.
The Refugee Council has been championing the cause of refugees since the day they were founded. The Refugee Council Archives are managed by the University of East London, Docklands Campus.

## Activities and Services
### Support

Refugee Council’s services include:
* Assistance with asylum applications and appeals.
* Details on the UK’s asylum system and dispersal policies.
* Assistance with accommodation, healthcare, and mental health needs.
* Drop-in centres with hot meals, clothes and English classes.
* Signposting to legal services, and economic, health and education support identifying people with needs, such as unaccompanied children, young people seeking asylum, and connecting them with appropriate legal representation, education and social services.

### Advocacy, research and policy work

Its work focuses on:
* Research, lobbying and media work to challenge misinformation and call for improvements in the UK’s refugee protection system.
* Amplifying the voices of refugees and people seeking asylum ensuring they are heard in the public debate.
* Influencing UK asylum policy with evidence-based recommendations and working with government agencies, NGOs and refugee-led organisations.

### Campaigning

* 2024: “Fair Shot” Campaign. Fair Shot supported by the Refugee Council is a football powered campaign which aims to unite a movement of fans across the country towards a goal of fairness and compassion for everyone, no matter where they come from. Using the power of the game, and partnerships with football clubs up and down the country it aims to inform understanding and ultimately show that within the football community and beyond we have far more in common that what divides us.
* 2023: “A Fair and Humane Asylum System” Campaign A campaign built around a simple but powerful message: every life matters. In response to increasingly hostile asylum policies, this initiative called for a system that is fair, compassionate, and effective, ensuring that people seeking safety are treated with dignity and respect, no matter where they’re from or why they had to flee.
* 2021: “No Dad Jokes Without Dad” Campaign For many refugee children, laughter is missing from their lives, because their families are torn apart. This light hearted but powerful campaign used the universal appeal of dad jokes to highlight the devastating impact of family separation and called for refugee families to be reunited.
* 2020: “Together With Refugees” Coalition A nationwide movement standing for a kinder, fairer, and more effective approach to asylum. This coalition, bringing together charities, businesses, and communities, called for policies that protect people forced to flee their homes, rather than punishing them.
* 2019: “Lift the Ban” Campaign People seeking asylum in the UK want to work, contribute, and rebuild their lives, but outdated laws prevent them from doing so. This campaign pushed for the right of asylum seekers to work while waiting for a decision, highlighting the economic, social, and human benefits of giving people the chance to provide for themselves and their families.
* 2018: “Families Together” Campaign Every child deserves to be with their family. This campaign called for a change in UK law to allow refugee children to sponsor their parents to join them, ensuring they don’t have to face life alone in a new country.
* In 2012 the charity launched the “London♥Refugees” campaign for the London Mayoral elections.
* In 2011 the charity launched the “Proud to Protect” pledge which with the help of celebrity supporters gathered over 10,000 signatures.
* In 2008 Refugee Council formed the “Still Human Still Here” coalition with Amnesty International UK, Medical Foundation and over 40 other organisations, which is dedicated to highlighting the plight of tens of thousands of refused asylum seekers in UK and campaigning to end destitution of asylum seekers.
* In 2005, Refugee Council launched a campaign called “Don't Believe the Type” aimed at combating what they see as hostility and prejudice towards asylum seekers and refugees.

### Headquarters and Affiliations

The Refugee Council's head office is located in Stratford, London. The charity is a member of the Asylum Support Partnership and the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE).

## Key people
### Patrons
#### Current

* Emma Thompson
* Alf Dubs

#### Former

* Hari Kunzru
* Sir Bill Morris

### Chief executives

* Martin Barber, 1982–1988
* Alf Dubs, 1988–1995
* Nick Hardwick, June 1995 – January 2003
* Margaret Lally, (acting) June 2003 – August 2003
* Maeve Sherlock, August 2003 – October 2006
* Anna Reisenberger (acting) October 2006 – May 2007
* Donna Covey, May 2007 – October 2012
* Shān Nicholas, (interim) October 2012 – March 2013
* Maurice Wren, March 2013 – November 2020
* Enver Solomon, December 2020 – present