Helping Polish municipalities achieve long-term refugee and migrant inclusion

Ecorys Polska developed practical recommendations for Białystok and Lublin on language access, service coordination and data collection for refugee and migrant children.

Ecorys Polska has completed a research assignment supporting Białystok and Lublin in improving support for refugee and migrant children and their caregivers, carried out under contract for the UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland. This work was part of the cross-country Technical Support Instrument project “Supporting municipalities in improving access to quality and inclusive services for children and caregivers with refugee and migrant backgrounds: moving forward from an emergency approach to long-term inclusion strategies”, implemented also in Romania (Bucharest and Timișoara) and Slovakia (Bratislava and Nitra).

The project aimed to contribute to the improvement of access to quality and inclusive services for children and families with refugee and migrant backgrounds, moving from emergency support towards long-term inclusion. This project was funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, managed by the Reform and Investment Task Force, and implemented by UNICEF.

Since the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, Poland has become one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in the EU. Cities such as Białystok and Lublin have been on the frontline of this response, alongside growing migration from other countries. While Polish authorities reacted swiftly to meet immediate needs, the project was set out to help municipalities shift from short-term measures towards sustainable systems that are capable of serving children and caregivers over the long term.

Ecorys collected evidence through a review of laws and policies, interviews and focus groups with parents, consultations and capacity-building activities with local authorities, workshops with young people, as well as a CATI survey of Białystok residents. This participatory approach helped create practical recommendations and guidelines for each city.

Based on the findings, the project identifies three priority directions for municipalities:

• Strengthen local data systems by building a simple, shared “minimum data package” across education, health and social services;
• Make services easier to understand by providing information in different languages, improving communication in schools, offices and clinics, and reducing the need for children to act as translators;
• Formalise cooperation between municipalities, NGOs and community actors by creating clear coordination processes, shared referral systems, and supporting community spaces that offer easy access to help and support.

Based on workshops with young people, the project developed a short video with the message “Friendly means understandable.” The film shows that true inclusion goes beyond providing services. People also need to know where to find them, understand how they work and feel comfortable using them.

You can watch the video and find information about the project here.  The final recommendations will be published shortly on the DG REFORM TSI webpage.