Name

Scottish Refugee Council

Legal name

Scottish Refugee Council

Website

https://scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee Support Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Refugee support services
• Asylum advice
• Refugee integration
• Community support
• Humanitarian aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization accepts donations from individuals and organizations to fund their services. They run fundraising campaigns, challenge events, and have a charity shop.
2. Government Grants and Contracts: As Scotland's national refugee charity, SRC receives government funding and grants to deliver refugee support services.
3. Membership: People can become members of the organization, which may include membership fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Scottish Refugee Council is Scotland's national refugee charity providing free information, advice, and practical support to refugees, asylum seekers, and people seeking protection. Core services include a free confidential helpline, the Refugee Support Service covering housing, healthcare, benefits, education, employment, and legal rights, alongside specialist programmes for newly granted refugees, Ukrainians, employment integration, and community network coordination.

Product overview

Scottish Refugee Council operates as Scotland's national refugee charity offering a unified suite of support services rather than a technology product. The core offering centres on the Refugee Support Service, which provides a free helpline (0808 196 7274) and direct advisory services. Supporting this are digital information resources including the Asylum Information Guide, Online Guide for New Refugees, and Ukraine Refugee Support pages. The New Scots Connect Map and Forum serve as community connection platforms. Employment support is delivered through partnerships with employers, while downloadable resources in multiple languages extend reach. Annual programming includes the Refugee Festival Scotland and New Scots Leadership Programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Refugee Support Service Free information, advice and ongoing support to refugees, asylum seekers and people seeking protection in Scotland, covering housing, money issues, healthcare, education, employment and social connections.
• Free Helpline (0808 196 7274) Free, confidential telephone helpline providing information and advice on refugee and asylum issues, with interpreter services available in multiple languages.
• Asylum Information Guide Comprehensive online guide for people who want to claim asylum in Scotland or have already applied and are waiting for a decision, covering stages of the asylum application, legal advice, rights and support services.
• Online Guide for New Refugees Online guide helping new refugees in Scotland plan their next steps after getting permission to stay (leave to remain), covering legal status, documents, money, benefits, accommodation, health, education, employment and banking.
• Ukraine Refugee Support Information and advice service for people arriving in Scotland from Ukraine due to the crisis, including guidance on the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, eVisas, and hosting information.
• Refugee Employment Support Programme Employment assistance programme helping refugees build skills and confidence to look for work in Scotland, including job fairs, employer partnerships (IKEA, Barclays, Starbucks, Macphie, Esteem Training, NHS), CV preparation, interview training and placement support.
• New Scots Connect Map Scotland-wide online map connecting refugees and asylum seekers with local groups, support services and opportunities in their communities, with categories covering advice, arts, befriending, employment, ESOL, health, sports and volunteering.
• New Scots Connect Forum Scotland-wide network and online forum connecting refugee-supporting groups, refugee-led organisations, community groups, local authorities and frontline services to share knowledge and access training opportunities.
• Refugee Integration Service Specialist service supporting newly granted refugees, humanitarian protection or discretionary leave holders with expert advice on housing, healthcare, benefits, banking, education, English language classes and employment, delivered via face-to-face and telephone appointments.
• Right to Work Checks Guide Employer-facing guide explaining how to conduct right-to-work checks when hiring refugees and people seeking asylum, including share code verification, manual document checks and Employer Checking Service procedures.
• eVisa and Share Code Guidance Information and video tutorials helping refugees understand eVisas and how to generate share codes to prove immigration status and right to work in the UK.
• Downloadable Resources (multilingual) Collection of downloadable PDF resources for people seeking asylum, available in multiple languages including English, Arabic, Farsi, Sorani Kurdish, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, French, Pashto, Amharic and Mandarin.
• Benefits Support Finder Directory of organisations across Scotland providing advice and support with claiming benefits, including Citizens Advice and local services in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.
• Refugee Festival Scotland Annual cultural festival coordinated by Scottish Refugee Council celebrating refugee communities in Scotland through cultural events delivered throughout the year.
• New Scots Leadership Programme Leadership development programme run in partnership with the Social Enterprise Academy for people with refugee backgrounds to develop leadership skills and create community impact.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped more than 10,700 people from 113 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Social Firms ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRC partners with Social Firms Scotland to run the New Scots Leadership Programme, helping refugees develop leadership skills and opportunities.
• Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with SSSC and NHS Education for Scotland to develop a Pre-Employment and Induction Guide for employers of New Scots in social care roles.
• NHS Education for ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NHS Education for Scotland on social care employer guidance for New Scots.
• IKEAflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerIKEA's UPPNÅ programme helps refugees gain skills and employment. SRC refers clients and provides joint training support. Multiple refugees placed in permanent roles at IKEA through this partnership.
• BarclayscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBarclays runs a mentoring programme for refugees. SRC supports clients to access the programme which helps refugees navigate the UK job market.
• Esteem Training LtdcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSRC worked with Esteem Training to deliver apprenticeships and employment for refugees in the construction industry. Esteem reviews recruitment processes to be more inclusive.
• StarbuckscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing barista training and employment opportunities for refugees referred by SRC.
• MacphieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIngredient manufacturer providing paid work placements for refugees, arranged through SRC employment programme.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Migrant Help: Migrant Help is a UK-wide charity delivering advice, accommodation support, and victim-care services to asylum seekers and migrants, often under contract with the Home Office. Comparable in providing frontline asylum advice and casework at scale.
• Refugee Action: Refugee Action is a national charity delivering one-to-one advice, integration support, and policy advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers in England. Comparable service mix (advice, employment support, policy) but geographically focused on England rather than Scotland.
• British Refugee Council: The British Refugee Council is the closest direct peer — a UK-wide refugee charity providing advice, advocacy, and integration services. It operates across England and Wales (and overlaps with SRC in Scotland), offering asylum support, helplines, and resettlement programmes with a comparable service portfolio.

Emerging players

• City of Sanctuary UK: City of Sanctuary is a UK-wide movement of local groups supporting refugees and asylum seekers through befriending, advocacy, and community building. It overlaps with SRC's New Scots Connect network model and shares the integration-and-advocacy agenda, but operates as a grassroots movement rather than a direct service charity.
• Asylum Welcome: Asylum Welcome is a smaller, regionally focused charity in Oxford providing direct support, advice, and community services to asylum seekers and refugees. It mirrors SRC's core service model at a smaller scale and serves as a useful peer for understanding single-city charity operations.

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice Scotland: Citizens Advice Scotland is a large, established advice network covering welfare rights, housing, and immigration issues — overlapping with SRC's benefits, housing, and rights advisory services, but operating as a much broader generalist advice body rather than a refugee specialist.
• UNHCR UK: UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency, operating globally with a UK office focused on advocacy, public engagement, and fundraising. It is a broader incumbent in the refugee sector — overlapping with SRC on policy advocacy and refugee protection themes but at a vastly different scale and remit.

Regional players

• Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO): SCVO is the membership body for Scotland's voluntary sector, providing funding, training, and policy representation to charities and community groups. It shares SRC's Scottish policy and capacity-building remit (e.g., funding distribution via the Reaching New Scots Fund) and serves a comparable regional funder/coordinator role.
• Refugee Survival Trust: Refugee Survival Trust is a Scottish charity providing financial grants and support to destitute asylum seekers and refugees. It is a regional peer focused on destitution relief, complementing SRC's broader advisory and integration work within the same Scottish beneficiary population.

Others

• Refugee Council (Scotland advocacy coalition): Included as an ecosystem adjacency: a range of refugee-led organisations (e.g., Refuweegee, Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network) operate in Scotland as community-led partners to SRC's New Scots Connect network — comparable in mission, smaller in scale, and acting as referral pathways rather than direct competitors.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scotrefcouncil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish Refugee Council