Community groups helping people access services, find work and build a sense of belonging across Scotland and Ireland are being held back by insecure funding, according to new research involving the University of the West of Scotland (UWS).The joint project with Maynooth University found that short-term competitive funding, repeated consultations without visible outcomes and a gap between government policy and communities’ experiences were affecting their work.
The research briefing draws on two workshops involving community organisations, civil servants, public-sector representatives, researchers and frontline practitioners from Scotland and Ireland.
Professor Murray Leith, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Migration, Diaspora, Citizenship and Identity at UWS, said: “Across Scotland and Ireland, grassroots organisations really underpin the day-to-day work that makes integration possible.
“They help people meet basic needs, understand new systems, find opportunities and build relationships within their communities. They also create trusted spaces where people feel safe and able to ask for help.
“But many of these organisations are being asked to deliver long-term change using short-term funding. That makes it difficult to retain experienced staff and plan services around what communities actually need.”
Participants stressed that people cannot be expected to engage fully in community life until basic needs such as secure housing, healthcare, safety and legal certainty have been addressed.
The research found that successful integration often happens through regular, everyday contact rather than occasional festivals or formal initiatives.
Shared meals, sport, arts, crafts and other activities can help people from different backgrounds form relationships and overcome fear or mistrust.
Organisations supporting communities with a shared connection to a homeland also help people feel Scottish or Irish while maintaining a connection to their heritage.
Professor Mary Gilmartin of Maynooth University said: “Belonging is not created by a single policy or one-off event. It grows through everyday contact, stable relationships and places where people feel welcome and secure.
“Our discussions showed the depth of knowledge and experience within diaspora and community organisations. Yet these organisations are too often treated simply as groups to be consulted, rather than as partners with an important role in shaping policy.
“If governments want integration policies to work, communities and frontline practitioners must be involved from the beginning. They should have a meaningful say in how policies are designed, delivered and evaluated.”
Participants in Scotland described “consultation fatigue”, caused by being repeatedly asked for their views without seeing clear evidence of change.
In Ireland, frontline workers reported sometimes learning about policy developments through media coverage or political leaks rather than direct communication from government departments.
The briefing also highlights unequal levels of support for different groups of refugees and people seeking asylum.
In Scotland, participants pointed to tensions caused by immigration and asylum policy being reserved to the UK Government while responsibility for social integration is devolved.
In Ireland, they highlighted the lack of an up-to-date national integration strategy and difficulties caused by temporary accommodation and uncertainty.
Dr Emilia Pietka-Nykaza, Senior Lecturer at UWS, said: “Although immigration laws and policy frameworks differ significantly between Scotland and Ireland, practitioners in both countries conveyed a remarkably consistent message.
“The systems within which third sector organisations operate can make this unnecessarily difficult. We need to move beyond repeatedly asking communities to identify the problems and instead give them a meaningful role in developing the solutions.”
The researchers are calling for longer-term and more flexible funding, clearer communication between governments and frontline organisations, and better coordination between housing, health, employment and legal-status policies.
They also recommend permanent ways for community organisations and local practitioners to contribute to policymaking, with clear feedback showing how their evidence has influenced decisions.
Dr Zoe O’Reilly, researcher at Maynooth University, said: “Supporting these organisations helps strengthen relationships and contributes to the social and economic wellbeing of the places in which they operate.
“We now have an opportunity to learn from each other and develop approaches that recognise community organisations as an essential part of building a more connected society.”