UK | Access to justice for asylum seekers and refugees: a call for help from IOI members

The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) is delighted to announce the launch of a collaborative research project examining the role of ombudspersons in the protection of refugees and asylum seekers (the OPRAS project). In order to carry out the OPRAS project the University of Glasgow has received funding from the British Academy and is being carried out in collaboration with Professor Chris Gill. 

Asylum seekers and refugees are among the most vulnerable groups in society and face multiple barriers in accessing public services and raising complaints. Ombudspersons can play a key role in helping these groups secure access to justice and the OPRAS project seeks to explore three main areas:

1. Identifying the range of strategies that are currently available to ombudspersons to effectively support asylum seekers and refugees;
2. Developing collaborative relationships with Civil Society Organisation and other key stakeholders to generate innovative and collaborative approaches to supporting asylum seekers and refugees; and
3. Developing approaches to own initiative investigations and drawing on international best practice to support new approaches in Northern Ireland and beyond.

As part of the project, a series of evidence notes and case studies will be prepared
based on a review of existing international literature and a set of workshops will take place in Belfast from June 2024 onwards. We are also hoping to obtain input from International Ombudsman Institute members by conducting a survey of ombudsperson institutions to understand current approaches and international best practice in supporting asylum seekers and refugees. The survey will begin to be circulated in the summer. 

The project will also include an international expert roundtable and a conference (to be held in March 2025). We will provide further updates during the course of the project and would be very happy to hear from anyone currently developing work in this area. You can find out more information about the project and sign up to the project blog here:
https://oprasproject.wordpress.com/. To get in touch, please contact
margaret.kelly@nipso.org.uk or chris.gill@glasgow.ac.uk.

Source: The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman