Evaluation of the German Program “New Start in a Team (NesT) – a joint government and civil society sponsorship programme for especially vulnerable refugees”

This formative evaluation focuses on the implementation of the federal Pilot Programme NesT. It provides findings on the admission process of particularly vulnerable refugees in the context of the first German Community-based Sponsorship Programme.

Since May 2019, the German Federal Government has been testing a Community Sponsorship of Refugees Programme called "NesT – New Start in a Team" to support the resettlement of up to 500 vulnerable refugees in Germany. The program offers the opportunity to local volunteer groups to sponsor a family of refugees. Different actors of the government and the civil society work closely together on NesT. The goal is not only to offer additional resettlement opportunities for vulnerable refugees, but also to provide them with financial and social support after their arrival in Germany, thanks to the contribution of the sponsors. In fact, sponsoring teams finance the refugees' accommodation for two years. Additionally, they help the refugees to exercise their rights, to get access to central services of the daily-life as well as to become a part of local community.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community, the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees are responsible for implementing the NesT programme, while a Civil Society Contact Point – especially set up for NesT – provides information and offers training for interested parties and sponsors.

The Research Centre carries out a formative evaluation of NesT. The focus lies on the recruitment and schooling of sponsors, the matching between the refugees and the sponsoring teams and the first year after arrival in Germany. The study contributes to scientific discussions on the role of the refugee admission programs and aids in producing policy advice as well.

Qualitative interviews and administrative data form the core material of the evaluation. The researchers conduct semi-structured interviews with sponsors, refugees and actors responsible for NesT. Additionally, they analyse administrative data documenting the sponsors' recruitment process as well as the refugees' admission process, especially the matching procedure.