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Watch the video below from people currently in Our Group. Find out what they get up to and how to join!
Have you recently arrived in Suffolk?
You might be wondering who can help you and you may have questions about how to get settled in your new home. Have you visited the Suffolk Refugee Support webpage?
On this page we have tried to gather this information to help you:
- Support – Leaving Care Local Offer, housing, money, banking
- Education and skills – Learning English (ESOL), volunteering
- Local places – gyms, mosques, halal shops, discount stores, libraries
- Travel – getting around by bus and train, discount travel
- Activities – local groups to join
- Join Our Group? – Meet other asylum seeker and refugee young people
- Useful websites and contacts
Asylum seekers are people who come to the UK because they are unsafe in their home country. Refugees are people who have had their asylum claims accepted by the UK government. They have the right to stay in the UK for up to 5 years. After that they can apply to stay in the UK indefinitely.
Famous refugees include Rita Ora, Bob Marley and Albert Einstein.
Housing, Support and Money
The Leaving Care Service
The Leaving Care Service works with young people in local authority care to help them prepare for independent living from the age of 16 up to the age of 25.
Most young people leave the care of the local authority (Suffolk County Council) at the time of their 18th birthday, but will continue to receive support with education, employment and housing beyond this age.
You can read more about the leaving care offer on our Source page
The YMCA offers supportive housing for young people, including those leaving care and separated migrant children.
They have supported housing available in Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge and Peterborough.
Each type of accommodation provides essential support services, tailored to their needs, with access to different facilities on site and in the surrounding areas with lots of helpful staff on site.
To find out more visit the YMCA Website
Citizens Advice help people with legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice.
There are also offices around the county, visit Citizens Advice Suffolk or call on 0808 278 7867
How do I open a bank account?
Furniture
Ipswich Furniture Project keeps second hand furniture and homeware and offer discounts to customers who are on certain benefits. They also offer a delivery service on their items.
Education and skills
Learning English – ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
You will learn to read, write, and speak English, find out about life in the UK, improve digital skills, and share experiences with people from other cultures.
Click on the tiles below to visit some of the colleges in Suffolk offering ESOL courses.
Experts by Experience: Mohammed’s 5 tips for learning English quickly
Visit the Reset UK website to read Mohammed’s top tips for learning English, who was resettled to the UK in 2019, and how he became fluent in English in one year!
Homework club
Ipswich School hosts a Homework Club for young refugees every Tuesday, 4:30 – 6:30pm. Ipswich School, Henley Road, IP13SG. Email [email protected]
These fun and friendly weekly two hour Homework Club is for young people aged 11-18, attending local schools and colleges, who are assisted by Suffolk Refugee Support.
Staff volunteers tutor and support in various GCSE and A Level subjects. Their Sixth Form students also attend and support the young refugees in their learning.
Volunteering
Before you have the legal right to work you could gain experience volunteering. Find out more about volunteering and finding a placement on our page or speak to your PA.
Local places
Here are a list of saved searches in google maps.
Travel
When you are not familiar with an area, it can feel confusing, especially when there are different ways to travel around Suffolk.
The Suffolk on Board website is here to help and is a great tool for planning your journey. You can plan routes and find time tables for local bus and trains services and cycle routes.
Google maps can tell you bus and train times. Have you tried it yet?
If you are aged between 16 and 19 years old you can apply for an Endeavour Card, enabling you to receive a minimum of 25% discount off full price adult bus fares.
For more information please visit 16-19 Card – Endeavour Card
Plan your train journey’s and check local train times on the Greater Anglia Website.
It is also a good idea to check for delays and other service disruptions/engineering works before you travel.
You may also be entitled to sign up for a Railcard, this is a membership card that gives you discounts on train tickets.
Most railcards cost £30 for a year’s membership and give you 1/3 off the cost of travel. They’re a great investment because if you use your discount a few times, you can easily make your money back in savings.
To find out more please visit Using Railcards On Greater Anglia Trains | Greater Anglia
Local Activities
Funded by Sport England, Refugee Football offers free, structured football sessions to refugees and asylum seekers from a range of countries.
To find out more please visit ITFC Refugee Football – Tuesdays or Premier League Kicks – Fridays.
The Gaming lounge offers a wide range of the latest video games for you to play on our PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch consoles and high spec gaming PC’s, solo or with friends.
To find out more please visit Press Start Gaming Lounge Ipswich
Ipswich and East Suffolk Cricket Club are a friendly and diverse club situated in the beautiful setting of Chantry park in Ipswich.
Aspire Basketball Club, Ipswich – “Join Aspire Basketball Club today and be part of a thriving basketball community. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player, we are committed to meeting your needs and goals.”
Joining the library – A library card gives you free access to hundreds of thousands of physical titles and our eLibrary, as well as research resources and access to our PCs in libraries.
Join Our Group
Our group is a safe and empowered space for unaccompanied asylum seeking children
and young people (UASC) who have been in care, experienced the care system, or are a care leaver.
Read more about Our Group and how to join.
Useful Websites & Contacts
Right to Remain Toolkit – What to do if you receive a refusal from the Home Office.
Support for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) – Links to find support and claim asylum
Mental health information for non-English speakers – Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging service for anyone who is struggling to cope.
Reset – Communities for Refugees – Reset empowers volunteers to welcome refugees into communities across the UK.
Talking Tactics – ITFC – Mental health and well-being support that links the football community with the NHS
British Red Cross – UK’s largest independent provider of services and support for refugees and people seeking asylum.
Suffolk Refugee Support – Supporting Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Suffolk
Hate Crime, Bullying and Cyberbullying – If you have been a victim of bullying or a hate crime please see our section on The Source.
GYROS – Migrant – Providing FREE information, advice, guidance and advocacy on a range of topics
Page updated on June 5th, 2026 at 01:24pm