Good Practice Criteria
Inclusivity & Participation
Does the practice ensure that its services are accessible and responsive to diverse groups?
Inspiring tools:
OECD Education Working Papers
Good practice checklist
✓ Adopt a participatory, gender mainstreaming, age sensitive, inclusive approach and secure equal opportunities for beneficiaries.
✓ Make sure to provide precise and accessible information on how to access services in different languages, formats and through different communication channels
✓ Ensure that equality and diversity are an essential part of how services are delivered, taking into consideration different needs and capacities.
✓ Make reasonable adjustments to service delivery in order to take into account particular needs of the target group.
Does the practice involve the active participation of the receiving society?
The receiving society – particularly companies and collaborative actors – is actively involved in practice delivery. Work experience placements are offered by companies aligned with students’ interests, and advice and support is given by relevant professionals to promote participants’ access to higher education and the labour market.
Good practice checklist
✓ Consider integration as a two-way process, and aim for change on the side of the receiving society.
✓ Foresee an active role for the receiving society in the design and implementation stages of the practice, and involve actions that encourage native communities and beneficiaries to work together.
Does the practice consult its beneficiaries and involve them in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the action?
Beneficiaries are partially involved in the design and implementation of the action, in that feedback is collected from them on an ad-hoc basis.
Good practice checklist
− Organise consultation activities with migrant beneficiaries in order to co-create actions where possible and secure their feedback on the design and evaluation of the action.
✓ Use flexible and interculturally-adapted formats and compensate participants for their contribution.
Relevance & Complementarity
Are the objectives of the practice relevant to the needs of the migrants?
The objectives of the practice are very relevant to the needs of the specific target group (migrant students who have difficulties in following classroom-based teaching methods). A needs assessment was carried out during the initial design of the practice to ensure relevance to existing needs, and a Productive Learning approach is used to give students an improved, inclusive learning experience
Good practice checklist
✓ Identify and analyse the needs of the relevant migrants and prioritise methods which directly ask them about their needs.
✓ Identify and analyse gaps in integration support and design actions to fill these gaps.
− Aim for systemic improvement, satisfying the needs of the majority of target groups in the target area.
Is the practice relevant to the empowerment of migrants, the strengthening of their autonomy and the support of their long-term integration?
Evaluation of the practice shows that it promotes the empowerment, autonomy, and long-term integration of young refugees. It also supports them in developing a sense of direction, defining their personal goals, and improving their German-speaking skills. Participants continue to receive support after they have transitioned into vocational training or other educational institutions.
Good practice checklist
✓ Devise actions with the overarching goal of providing positive feedback and making migrants more confident, autonomous and independent.
✓ Ensure that services contribute to the strengthening of the capacities of migrants/migrant communities.
✓ Address discrimination and information gaps as obstacles to long-term integration.
✓ Include (or create the preconditions for) actions that facilitate long-term integration.
Effectiveness
Is the practice adequately planned and based on a comprehensive design?
The practice is adequately planned and based on a comprehensive design that is continuously adjusted according to evaluation outcomes and emerging needs. Outcomes among the target group, especially the results of individual learning plans, are monitored to ensure that goals are being achieved. The practice also provides qualifications and counselling to the teachers and education assistants that work with the students, to ensure comprehensive support, and relevant stakeholders are regularly consulted.
Good practice checklist
✓ Aim for actions that achieve observable outcomes among the target group or contribute to changes during the implementation of the action.
✓ Make sure that the objectives and planned results of the activity are feasible and clear.
✓ Develop a communications strategy during the design phase of the action and pay attention to communication with host communities and local authorities.
✓ Develop a staff management plan to identify team members with the right skills to work with beneficiaries, and their needs for training and further qualification.
Does the practice regularly monitor implementation and evaluate its results?
Implementation of the practice is monitored and regularly evaluated, and participants’ levels of skill and knowledge are evaluated before and after their involvement in the programme, in order to assess progress. Progress is also monitored and evaluated at the individual level on an ongoing basis, according to participants’ personal learning plans.
Good practice checklist
✓ Ensure regular monitoring of action implementation and compare actual performance to goals set during the design phase.
− Assess whether interventions contribute to long-term sustainable change.
✓ Ensure achievement of intended outputs / outcomes.
✓ Determine whether practice outcomes are considered successful by beneficiaries, the host and practitioner communities, funders, and policymakers.
Partnership & Collaboration
Does the practice establish communication and coordination with other relevant actors to foster the integration of migrants? (e.g., migrants, civil society, public authorities, businesses)
The practice has established strong ties with other actors that foster the integration of refugees. Key stakeholders – such as companies, schools, and NGOs – have been actively involved since implementation began: their inclusion in the practice is a key part of its strategy for the promotion of integration.
Good practice checklist
✓ Ensure the involvement and participation of key stakeholders in the development phase and create strategies to involve them in the action.
✓ Include multi-stakeholder consultation with professionals, institutions, and citizens, in order to promote the meaningful participation of refuges and migrants and support a joint sense of ownership of decisions and actions.
Does the practice contribute to discussion on the improvement of integration support policies?
The practice contributes to discussion at the local level on improvements to integration support policies. It is a key player in local integration strategy, due to its supervision by the Berlin Senate for Education, Youth and Family, and relies on input from its local partners when reviewing operations, practices and outcomes.
Good practice checklist
✓ Seize opportunities to contribute to the development of comprehensive integration strategies involving EU-level/national/regional/local authorities, service providers and civil society.
✓ Work with relevant partners to jointly review operations, practices, services, and integration outcomes.