"If you could do one thing..." Key Lessons

Britain, like most other highly developed societies, has become increasingly diverse over the last half century, and will become even more so in future. From around 3 per cent in 1950, the proportion of the British population with a migration background rose to nearly 20 per cent in the 2011 census, and among young people the proportion was considerably higher. The origins of these young people have also become increasingly diverse. Migrants coming to Britain today include refugees from a wider range of countries. Increasing diversity brings both opportunities and challenges. A long series of government reports and legislation has sought to tackle some of these challenges – but there has never been an integration policy as such. While there exists a good body of evidence on social integration in the UK, little has been done previously to draw together the evidence from different sources and provide local government, charities and other organisations with practical tools to help them to tackle issues that affect their communities. The British Academy aimed to change that. Through the production of two companion reports 10 Local actions to promote social integration and The integration of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, we present a range of practical, evidence-based interventions which could be implemented at a local level to promote integration, both of long-settled minority communities, as well as newly-arrived migrants including refugees, asylum seekers and children. This document provides a brief summary of the project and presents the key lessons, drawn from both reports.