Why people can be reluctant to seek reconnection

People may be initially reluctant to seek reconnection simply because  they lack the money to make the journey home. However, there are a number of other reasons which may make people anxious about returning home. These include:

• People’s personal circumstances before they arrived in the UK: they may have been unemployed and/or homeless and estranged from their family. In this situation, people may feel that there is little to return to back home.

• Some people have a criminal record and are fearful about facing the consequences with criminal justice services in their home country.

• Differing cultural attitudes to work and rough sleeping also play a part: EU nationals often feel a sense of shame because they perceive they have failed to live up to the goals and expectations they set themselves when they arrived in the UK. Especially for clients who have health problems, these feelingscan be linked to anxiety about becoming a burden on their family.

Understanding that these hopes and fears exist for clients is a very important part of good reconnection work. It is the starting point for staff to engage effectively with clients and link them with appropriate support.

Staff in outreach services and day centres can help the reconnection process by encouraging EU nationals to consider reconnection as an option.

More information about how to address clients’ anxieties about

reconnections can be found in the section 'Strike while the iron’s hot'.