The importance of social networks amongst refugees participating in Community Sponsorship and other resettlement programmes in the UK

The so-called "European immigration crisis" has increased the attention paid to practices and policies that can support newcomers' integration. In 2016, the British government officially launched the Community Sponsorship Scheme, which allows community groups to support the resettlement of vulnerable refugee families in the UK. This research will critically analyse whether and how Community Sponsorship creates social networks that facilitate refugees' integration compared to the other UK resettlement schemes: Gateway Protection, Mandate and Vulnerable Person Resettlement. It seems that even if the importance of social networks is widely recognised in refugee integration, there is a lack of literature about how such prescribed networks may be useful. The research will fill the gap in knowledge in the field of social networks and refugee's integration and will provide useful information, which can drive the government's policy and practices in integrating refugees and migrants.

In critically exploring the assumption that social networks invariably produce social capital, the project will look at the kind of social networks built by refugees resettled though the Community Sponsorship scheme in comparison with the other three UK resettlement programmes with a view to understanding the extent to which different types of networks lead to social capital. The project will adopt a qualitative and participatory research's methods, based on observations,
social network analysis and narrative interviews. The study will be shaped by the four primary questions: What kind of social networks do refugees resettled through the Community Sponsorship Scheme build? In what ways do refugees' social networks differ according to the resettlement scheme that they are part of? What is the relationship between the different types of network and social capital? How do the different networks and capitals aid refugee integration?