Dutch Council for Refugees

We assessed the impact of the Dutch Council for Refugees

The Dutch Council for Refugees (VluchtelingenWerk Nederland) is unique in the sense that it supports refugees during their entire stay in the Netherlands. It offers refugees practical support during their asylum procedure as well as with integrating into the Dutch society. It runs various projects to promote the integration of refugees in the Netherlands from language curses to labour market preparation. Moreover, refugees that are not granted an asylum-status and have to return to their country of origin can count on the Council to support them in this process. What is however the societal impact of the work of VluchtelingenWerk Nederland? Steward Redqueen had been asked to find a first answer to this question and to map the intended and unintended effects of the organisation’s efforts.

Our project resulted in quantitative and qualitative results. Supporting refugees and assisting them in various procedures first and foremost has a qualitative positive impact on the lives of the many individuals. Refugees feel more welcome and experience notable support in integrating in Dutch society and in their personal development (steps on the so-called “participation ladder”). Parts of the work of VluchtelingenWerk can be expressed in quantitative terms. For example: interventions and guidance towards more education and work result in societal gains. Furthermore, financial education provided by VluchtelingenWerk is an example for how the organisation realises societal savings