Social Support and Migration in Scotland

1. The Preparatory Phase (2013-14) laid the ground work for the project through expert interviews with 63 representatives of local authorities, migrant associations, employers and service providers across the four research locations. Researchers started to build networks of local contacts in preparation for periods of fieldwork.

2. The Fieldwork Phase (2014-15) incorporated the following methods:

• In-depth interviews: 207 in-depth migrant interviews were conducted across two urban (n63) and 6 rural (n144) field sites. We sought a balance within the study as a whole of gender, class, age, country of origin and sectors of employment.
• Ethnographic observations: Researchers conducted observations of the contexts where migrants live, work and socialise. This built up a picture of migrants’ social security practices, relationships and strategies as part of their daily lives.

3. The Participatory Action Research Phase (2016-2018) involved community consultations followed by several initiatives based on findings from the project, both in key fieldwork locations and beyond. These included language cafes, community engagement events, and museum exhibitions on migration.

4. The final phase of Outputs and Additional Research (2016-18) has involved SSAMIS colleagues securing funding for additional research building upon SSAMIS findings, contributing to policy consultations, and writing reports for policy and practice.