Duplicaat van REFUFAM: Strengthening the well-being and integration of refugee families
REFUFAM is short for the project 'From policy gaps to policy innovations. Strengthening the well-being and integration pathways of refugee families'. It examines how Belgian migration and integration policy can be reshaped to strengthen the integration process of refugee families.
This interuniversity project also has its own project website: Refufam.be
Publications
Boek 'Refugee families after recognition'
At the closing conference on 23-24 April 2025, the book was presented that will enable the findings to reach a wider audience. This book is published by Acco and is available in Dutch, French and English.
Policy Briefs
On 31 January 2025, the research group presented their findings and recommendations, based on interviews and group discussions with 98 members of refugee families and with 99 practitioners from primary and secondary care. The conclusion is simple: another way of “integrating” is possible!
- Read de policy briefs.
- De Standaard published on 31/01/25 the article 'Hoe moet integratie van nieuwkomers in België écht? Drie lessen uit de wetenschap'
Book 'Refugee families after recognition'
When refugee families finally receive recognition and leave the refugee centre, they must build a new life in Belgium. This proves far more complex than finding a house, enrolling their children in school, or starting a civic integration course. Reception policies are fragmented across different levels and domains. They show numerous gaps and discrepancies that obstruct and delay the inclusion process of recognised refugees.
In this book, we highlight the experiences of the refugee families themselves. How do they cope with the opportunities and obstacles to build a new life in Belgium? How do social workers and volunteers experience the fragmented and often contradictory policies that refugees are confronted with? What happens when policies raise barriers that restrict refugees’ social inclusion?
