Nursery World - An essential guide to... Refugee families

Immigration will be a key issue in the run up to the General
Election, but how do refugees fit into the picture and what is the
reality of their situation? Ruth Stokes reports

In just over a fortnight's time (7 May) we will be able to cast our votes in the General Election. Party allegiance, education policies, the future of the NHS will be among the key issues influencing our decision about who to vote for. So too will immigration.

Immigration to the UK has raised the political heat on all the major political parties in recent years, but it also raises important - and basic - questions. What is an immigrant, or a refugee? How do refugees fit in to the overall picture of immigration? And how many of them are there?

Political debates, particularly ahead of elections, often provide little clarity about definitions or numbers, as Natalie Williams, policy adviser at The Children's Society, explains: 'A lot of election campaigning is targeted at reducing numbers of new migrants coming to this country. But these campaigns often wrongly combine the issues of immigration and refugees as one. This makes it hard for the public to understand that they are different - that refugees are people coming to this country seeking safety from war, violence and persecution.'

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