The Role of Social Services in Immigrant Integration

Anna Platonova Regional Office for EEA and Switzerland, EU and NATO

Nicosia, 20 June 2014

Case study:

You are social policy advisers in the mayoral office in the municipality of Iliria:•5% population growth in the last decade•↑ in number of pupils in public schools, but also in number of dropouts/low attendance•Economic growth followed by recession, unemployment ↑ to 15%, mostly among low-skilled workers; poverty ↑ to 18%•Higher level of occurrence of some contagious diseases•Higher incidence of homelessness

Which social services should be strengthened?Why is it important and what are the risks of inaction?

Additional info:

• 12% of population are migrants, incl. new asylum seekers and undocumented; from at least 25 countries

• 40% unemployed, but mostly ineligible to employment service services and benefits

• Irregular migrant children fear migration controls at schools• Education and healthcare providers complain of being

unable to cope• Hate crime incidents against migrants• Exploitation detected in construction and domestic work• Accommodation for migrants often controlled by criminal

networks

Has anything changed in your analysis?

Framework for today’s discussion

• Try to imagine there are no migrants and natives, just residents

• Focus on the social policy goals and how to achieve them

• Then consider trade-offs with other policies

Video:Dr. Bridget

Anderson (COMPAS) on “us and them”

Definitions I

Social rights: – Work, social security, protection of family, adequate

living standards, physical and mental health, education

– Means by which human beings obtain their livelihood and the ways in which people are enabled to participate in human society

Transformative social protection promotes social justice and social inclusion:

– Addressing symptoms of poverty and vulnerability by enhancing income and capabilities

– Focusing on underlying causes, including power relations

Definitions II

Social inclusion– Removing all barriers to individuals’ opportunities in

the labour market, housing and access to social services.

– Increasing human capital makes people more productive and better able to contribute to the society as a whole

Social cohesionProcess and outcome of social solidarity based on

shared values, common norms and common bonds within a national population of community

What is the link between social cohesion and diversity?

Definitions III

Social integration of immigrants / social functioning (Carlton, 1984)

results from a combination of:• Social expectations and requirements towards

migrants;• The abilities of migrants to understand and

respond to these requirements; • Assistance provided to a migrant by the social

surroundings.

Costs of social exclusion

Whether the source of exclusion is poverty, racism, fear of difference or lack of political clout, the consequences are the same:

a lack of recognition and acceptance; powerlessness and voicelessness; economic vulnerability; and diminished life experiences and limited life prospects.

For society as a whole, the social exclusion of individuals and groups can become a major threat to social cohesion and economic prosperity

(Omidvar and Richmond, 2003)

Migration, integration and poverty

• Vulnerability as a result of mobility• Limited access to social protection• Concentration in sectors with poor work

practices• Spatial concentration and isolation • Norms, values and customs in countries of

origin and destination• Overrepresentation among the poor:

– Eurostat 2009: non-EU born risk of poverty and exclusion is higher by 13 p.p. than for native-born

– Cyprus: 18% total, 29% foreign-born, 38% non-EU-born

• Level of deprivation one of the key determinants of (low) social cohesion

Policy context: national vs local governments

• Possible divergent priorities: immigration control at the national level and dealing with the reality of migration on the ground

• What are the pressures on cities and other local service providers to deliver services? What are implications and costs?

• Local level of integration crucial, migrants often identify more with the neighbourhood than with a country

• Local efforts may be undermined by the negative public attitudes and national discourse

• But need to address legitimate concerns and establish consensus on policy trade-offs

EU framework I

• Common Basic Principle for Integration 6:

Access for immigrants to institutions, as well as to public and private goods and services, on a basis equal to national citizens and in a non-discriminatory way is a critical foundation for better integration

• Europe 2020 targets: – To lift at least 20 million people out of poverty

and social exclusion and – to increase employment of the population aged

20-64 to 75%

EU framework II

• Single Permit Directive provides that TCNs working legally in the EU shall enjoy equal treatment with nationals of the Member States with respect to working conditions, pensions, social security and access to public services

• Similar references in specific Directives on admission of various categories of migrants

• EC encourages cooperation between MS in external dimension of social security

• Treatment of victims of trafficking – residence permits and integration support

• Transposition of Victims of Crime Directive by 2015

Issues faced by migrants

• Social, political and educational factors in the country of origin

• Separation from or even loss of family and friends

• Leaving a familial environment• Long wait prior to departure in a transit

country• Perilous journey• Cultural differences• Opportunity structure in the host country• Discrepancies of expectations and reality• Different levels of acculturation among family

members• Personal safety and protection

Challenges for social services

• Legal status/eligibility to services• Awareness of rights and access to information• Physical and mental health• Housing• Language• Access to education• Recognition of qualifications and skills• Financial security• Protection and legal redress• Social cohesion – meaningful contact with other

residentsParticularly vulnerable groups: trafficked persons,

unaccompanied migrant children, new asylum-seekers, undocumented migrants

Direct assistance I

• Good knowledge of the country of origin and migrant strategies for life and survival in the host countries

• Trust-building• Accessible: free, language, location; consider

hard-to-reach groups as domestic workers• Central: one-stop shop• Specialist: ethnic and gender services• Appropriate: culturally and linguistically; use

of cultural mediators• Safe: for victims of abuse, but also separation

from migration control• Community development

Direct assistance II

• PICUM guidelines for assisting undocumented migrants (excerpts):

– Aims – regularization of residence status; assisting in voluntary return; in case of continued irregular residence and work, minimizing the risk of marginalization, exploitation and discrimination

– Data not relevant should not be collected and information received guaranteed to remain secret

– Addressing cases of trafficking, exploitation and other crimes without doing harm to the client who provided information

Policy issues I

• Eligibility, such as for emergency healthcare, including for pregnant women

• Requirements on documentation preventing irregular migrant children from attending school

• Separation between education and healthcare services and law enforcement/migration control

• Combating institutional and wider discrimination, including through improving intercultural competencies of staff

• The role of NGOs and trade unions should be recognized and supported by the national and local governments + employer involvement

• Indicators for effective service delivery

Policy issues II

• Migrants are also providers of social services – overwhelming reliance on migrant domestic workers and caregivers in many EU countries

Video:EU-MIA documentary on Reggio Emilia

initiative protecting the rights of domestic workers and facilitating access of local residents to (migrant) caregiving

Welfare state is a mechanism by which, in a complex and competitive world, it remains possible for human beings to care for and to give, not just to intimates and neighbours but, through the redistributive mechanisms of the state, to ‘distant strangers’ Richard Titmuss (1970)

Thank you!aplatonova@iom.int