Inside Policy: Operation Warm Welcome

13 Jun 2022 12:07 PM

Blog posted by: Rabia Nasimi, Research and Insights Lead, Afghan Resettlement Team, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 13 June 2022 – Categories: A Skilled Civil Service, An Ambitious Civil Service, An Innovative Civil Service, Better policymaking.

Making a difference: Rabia Nasimi and Daniel Steel are policy leads in the Afghan Resettlement Team

When the Afghan government collapsed in 2021, a significant cross-government effort – Operation Warm Welcome – swung into action to support refugees arriving in Britain to rebuild their lives. Two civil servants describe how they help give Afghans a voice.

Think back to August 2021: most of us watched the distressing news emerging from Kabul following the fall of Kabul and the Taliban’s takeover. Civilians clinging to the sides of military planes, desperately trying to escape to a safe haven, only to tragically fall to their deaths. Few could forget the chaos in and around Hamid Karzai International Airport as frantic parents passed tiny children over the walls to soldiers, and the ensuing carnage as suicide bombers targeted innocent civilians fleeing.

Operation PITTING

During Op PITTING, the UK Government helped around 15,000 people to safety including British Nationals and their families, Afghans who loyally served the UK and others identified as particularly at risk, including campaigners for women’s rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community. This was the biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, and we have continued to bring people to the UK by supporting over 4,000 individuals to leave Afghanistan since the end of Op PITTING.

Supporting Afghan Arrivals: Distributing donations to Afghan families in quarantine hotels in 2021

Safety in the UK

The evacuation delivered commitments made by the UK government under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). Earlier this year in January, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) opened, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others deemed at risk with a safe, legal route to resettle in the UK. 

Operation Warm Welcome got underway to support those arriving from Afghanistan through the ARAP and ACRS programmes. Since arriving, Afghan families have received support to freely and safely rebuild their lives in the UK. 

This programme is designed to ensure Afghan families get the vital health, education, support into employment and accommodation they need to fully integrate into UK society.

Building a team

Operation Warm Welcome is a significant cross-government effort. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) set up its Afghan Resettlement Team from the start to play a crucial role within that. A focus from the beginning was working with councils, voluntary sector organisations and stakeholders to develop a clear picture of the ongoing integration needs of Afghan families in order to best meet them.

When we saw the opportunity to join the Afghan Resettlement Team, we both jumped at the chance.

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