Annex 7: Addressing availability, quality and accessibility gaps in existing services

In cases where mainstream structures are available, comprehensive and easily accessible to returnees, no urgent interventions are necessary

• Sensitize local non-migrant populations that returnees do not diminish resources available to them;
• Ensure returnees have comprehensive knowledge of mainstream structure service portfolios.

Returnees lack required documentation.

• Assess barriers to services which are linked to a lack of civil documentation;
• Facilitate issuance of documentation for returnees.

Returnees lack information on accessing mainstream services.

• Design mechanisms to inform returnees about the presence of mainstream services and the full range of their service portfolios;
• Design mechanisms to inform returnees about their rights to access mainstream services, on required administrative steps, and any other relevant procedures.

Staff are not adequately trained to address the specific reintegration needs of returnees.

• Implement short-term capacity-building for staff of the mainstream structure to sensitize them for the specific needs and challenges of returnees and for best practices to integrate them in the service provision workflow;
• Appoint designated focal points (for instance, “returnee desks”) in critical institutions in areas of high return.

Service is sufficient in quality for non-migrant population but fails to address specific needs of returnees.

• Consider options for the expansion or (co-)development of specific structures (such as integrating returnees into the workflows of already existing migration resource and response centres).
• Engage with management staff of the mainstream structure to address inadequacy of identified service streams for returnees’ needs;
• Implement a service development strategy and capacity-building activities to improve service portfolios for returnees. Attention needs to be paid to not giving the impression of providing preferential treatment to returning migrants when compared to the local non-migrant population;
• Implement partnerships for service provision (operational, cost-sharing, and so on).

Service is inadequate both for non-migrant population and returnees.

• Engage with management staff of the mainstream structure to develop strategies aimed at addressing inadequacy of identified service streams;
• Implement a service development strategy and capacity-building activities to improve service portfolios for returnees and non-migrants alike;
• Implement partnerships for service provision (operational, cost-sharing, and so on), to the degree feasible in the reintegration budget. Many reintegration projects have a limited duration, meaning that cost-sharing agreements will generally need to be phased out after a certain time. Therefore, it is essential to define sustainable long-term funding strategies from the very outset.

Entire mainstream services (health care, education, social protection) are not available in the local territory.

• Engage with national-level counterparts and other international development partners to explore options to make the deficient mainstream structures available in the given local territory;
• Explore options for collaboration with other international development partners to provide technical expertise, organizational support and funding for the creation of necessary mainstream structures;
• Integrate reintegration services for returnees into the workflow of the new local structures.