| Type | Non-profit NGO |
|---|---|
| Founded | British Council for Aid to Refugees (BCAR) 1951 by Dame Anne May Curwen, DBE |
| Location | Head Office in Brixton, London |
| Key people | Douglas Board (Chair) Donna Covey (Chief Executive) |
| Mission | We give advice, support and information to asylum seekers and refugees. We campaign and lobby for the rights of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK and abroad. We work with refugee community organisations and other bodies to ensure that the voices of asylum seekers and refugees are heard and their needs are met |
| Members | 70 member organisations |
| Website | http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk |
The Refugee Council is the United Kingdom's leading organisation working with refugees and asylum seekers. The organisation provides support and advice to refugees and asylum seekers, as well as support for other refugee and asylum seeker organisations. The Refugee Council also produces a large number of reports and educational material relating to refugee issues, and lobbies politicians and the media on these issues. The Council works in partnership with many other refugee organisations, including the British Red Cross, Scottish Refugee Council and the Welsh Refugee Council.[1]
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The Refugee Council originates from two independent organisations, British Council for Aid to Refugees (BCAR) and the Standing Conference on Refugees (SCOR), which were both founded in 1951 following the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. In 1981 these two organisations merged to form the British Refugee Council which was later renamed the Refugee Council due to the establishment of various other regional refugee councils.[2]
The Refugee Council's main activities are providing support and advice to asylum seekers and refugees themselves as well as to other organisations, and campaigning on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers. The Refugee Council is also a member organisation of the Asylum Support Partnership and European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE).
The Refugee Council's head office is in London. There are regional offices for London, the East of England, the West Midlands, and Yorkshire & Humberside areas which provide services to asylum seekers and refugees such as:
These services are available either in the Refugee Council offices or on the phone.[3]
In addition, the Refugee Council offers special advice to unaccompanied children, including children who are under 18 when they arrive in the UK and young people aged 18–21 who are caring for younger siblings. This specialist support includes
A drop in service at the Brixton office provides hot meals, clothes and relative tracing services, as well as advice and support.[4]
In 2005, the 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.[5]
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.[6]