Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP)
As of the 1 March 2025, all Afghan resettlement schemes are now referred to under ARP. Previous to 1 March, Cherwell supported both the Afghan Resettlement Assistance Programme (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Afghan Families and individuals have been assessed by the Home Office to be at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution as a result of their support for the UK Government; this is why they are now in the UK and have settled here
The Home Office provide ringfenced funding which the Council cannot use for other purposes. Council Tax money is not used and activities funded by the integration fund for Afghan Refugees do not detract from the delivery of the Council’s other services.
Integration support for Afghan Refugees
The funding instructions instruct local authorities on how they must use funding to support the eligible persons integration into their communities. As an example-
The Council has provided funding for integration support, including driving lessons, for some of the Afghan Refugees who have legally settled in the district.
The activities funded using the integration fund enables a saving to the taxpayer over the long-term by reducing the future demand from Refugees for support from other public services, enables employment opportunities and well-being by removing barriers.
These activities are not unique to Cherwell: councils across the UK are doing similar integration work, at the request of the UK government, from the same grant funding.