Two more families set to settle in Borders

Some Syrian refugees have made it to safety in Scotland, but others are being exploited, working illegally in Turkish garment factories, Panorama found.

Local authorities volunteer to take in refugees, and eventually it is expected that the Borders will become home to 10 Syrian families.

Two are already in the region, the children having settled into school and the community welcoming them.

Mid Berwickshire councillor Frances Renton, Scottish Borders Council’s spokesperson for social work, said: “The last two families that we brought across are settling nicely and are getting a lot of support from the community and the children are doing well at school.

“Another two refugee families are coming into the Borders, at Galashiels and Tweedbank, as part of an on-going programme of moving 10 families in.”

She indicated that among the two families about to move into the region, the children are in their late teens rather than primary-school age and the hope is that they are made as welcome as the first families to arrive.

Last year, the UK Government expanded the existing Syrian vulnerable person resettlement scheme and agreed to resettle up to 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament.

By September this year, Scotland had welcomed 1,000 Syrian refugees, more than a third of the UK number.

The Scottish Government established a task force with a £1m budget to co-ordinate a practical response to the crisis.