Background:  

In Belgium, reception centres managed by Fedasil, the Belgian reception agency, organise “neighbourhood initiatives” to connect applicants for international protection with the local community. These initiatives aim to foster positive relationships between reception centres and local inhabitants by providing a clear and nuanced understanding of the reception system, promoting positive perceptions of life in reception centres, and supporting the centres' integration into the wider community. At the centre level, a dedicated community integration worker (approximately 1 full-time equivalent per centre) implements and coordinates these initiatives and external contacts.

The ad hoc query was launched to gather information on good practices from other EMN Member and Observer Countries regarding initiatives that strengthen ties between reception centres and local communities.

Respondents:

24 EMN Member and Observer Countries (including BE) provided a public answer to this ad hoc query. 

Findings:

A preliminary analysis of the results of the ad hoc query shows that: 

• In a few countries (including BE), the national framework requires or encourages reception centres to organise initiatives to foster interaction with the local community once they are operational. Even if the national framework does not require it, in most responding countries, reception centres organise activities to foster the inclusion of the reception centres and their residents in the local community. However, this is organised voluntarily. 
   
• A large variety of activities are organised, such as guided tours and open days (e.g. LT, PL, HR), socio-cultural events and exchanges (e.g. BG, RS), meetings with local actors such as schools (e.g., CZ, BE) and sport activities (e.g., FR, IT).
   
• Most responding countries organising neighbourhood initiatives do not assign these tasks to specific staff. However, three responding countries (BE, CZ, SE) employ dedicated staff to coordinate these activities. In BE, a community integration collaborator is an officially recognised function within the reception system, with, in principle, one such worker in every reception centre.  
   
• Regarding the monitoring of these activities, a few countries (e.g. BE, ES, SE) have a specific mechanism in place for neighbourhood initiatives. BE and ES use a combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators to monitor these activities. Spanish indicators aim to assess participation levels in the activities, relationships with the local community, and results in terms of integration and coexistence. SE is currently developing a national methodology with shared indicators and assessment methods to monitor neighbourhood activities and collaboration at the local level. In other countries (e.g., IT, RS), monitoring and evaluation of these activities form part of activity reports or broader monitoring of reception structures.
   
• When no monitoring mechanisms are in place, responding countries assess local inhabitants’ perceptions of reception centres through ad hoc consultations with local communities (e.g. BG, LT) or through regular communication and feedback after the activities (e.g. CZ, GR).

For further details, please read the compilation of answers attached above.