Evaluation of the Refugee Transitions Outcomes Fund

Product Description

The Home Office commissioned Ecorys, leading a consortium including Social Finance and a group of academics, to carry out evaluation and learning activities for the Refugee Transitions Outcomes Fund (RTOF). This executive summary details key information about the RTOF, key findings, conclusions and lessons learned.

The RTOF (from September 2021 to March 2024) was a cross-government initiative that aimed to increase the integration and self-sufficiency of refugees. The RTOF accessed up to £13.99 million (from the Shared Outcomes Fund and the Life Chances Fund) to pilot approaches to improve employment, housing and wider integration outcomes for around 1,800 newly recognised refugees. The Fund also aimed to test innovative delivery partnerships, identify effective practices, improve the evidence base concerning integration, and diversify funding to the refugee support sector.

Four projects in high asylum seeker dispersal areas mobilised in 2022, all adopting Social Impact Bond (SIB) structures (a form of outcomes-based commissioning). Projects comprised social investors, regional migration partnerships, local authorities and service providers (commonly voluntary community and social enterprise organisations (VSCEs)).