Evaluation of Syrian Vulnerable Persons Programme

The London Borough of Lewisham commissioned CPI to evaluate its Syrian Vulnerable Persons Programme – a national initiative that was launched to respond to the humanitarian crisis created by the civil war in Syria.

Lewisham adopted the programme in 2016, with the first families arriving in 2017, and aimed to settle a significant number more as part of its commitment as a sanctuary borough.

Lewisham asked CPI to understand the effectiveness of the current arrangements in place to work with the families in the borough and to consider the changes that might be necessary to successfully accommodate more families.

From consultation with a range of stakeholders – including the families that had arrived under the scheme – CPI were able to make a number of recommendations about changes to support the scheme. The findings of the report supported commissioning decisions and a partial re-design of the programme.