Our theory of change
There is so much strength, compassion, and perseverance within communities. We see this everyday through Community Sponsorship. When communities step forward to welcome, we know great things happen.
Amina Khanom, Director of Reset
A community-led pathway that works for everyone
Reset’s Theory of Change sets out what needs to happen for community-led welcome to succeed and the role Reset plays in making that happen.
The current asylum system is under severe strain. Many displaced people who reach the UK face long periods of uncertainty, poor integration outcomes, and isolation. At the same time, public trust in refugee protection has been eroded, and communities often feel disconnected from decisions about who arrives and how support is provided.
Reset believes refugee protection can be done differently. A safe, well-managed, community-led welcome pathway can reduce harm and rebuild confidence — improving outcomes for displaced people, strengthening communities, and making refugee protection more visible and trusted.
Our long-term vision
A safe, well-managed, practical and inspiring community-led pathway that strengthens communities by involving them in welcoming, helping, and integrating displaced people who need sanctuary in the UK.
What do we bring to the table?
Reset is the only national organisation solely dedicated to community-led welcome. We are a trusted Home Office partner with a proven track record across multiple pathways from Community Sponsorship to Homes for Ukraine.
We bring:
- Strong cross-sector relationships
- Reusable and proven training and support content
- 10 years of evaluation data
- Data on every community sponsorship group
- A proven ability to scale and adapt
What needs to be in place for community-led welcome to work?
Our Theory of Change identifies nine conditions for a successful pathway:
Control and consistency: A well-designed, well-managed pathway with clear roles and strong feedback loops between frontline delivery and policy.
Attraction: Citizens can easily learn about the pathway and how to get involved in community-led welcome.
Participation: It is as straightforward as possible for community groups to take part in the hard but rewarding work of helping to resettle displaced families.
Naming and matching: Community groups can support those displaced people they are best placed to help integrate well.
Pre-arrival: Displaced people receive clear, consistent, and realistic information about what to expect before they arrive.
Training and support: Groups are properly prepared and strengthened through high-quality training, practical advice, and problem-solving when they need it.
Housing: A housing strategy finds ways to open up spare capacity in communities.
Place-based working: Local authorities and other local services help (and don’t hinder) community groups’ integration work.
Evaluation: Policy and operations improve over time, based on coordinated learning.
How do we support this pathway?
Reset works across the whole system, connecting government, civil society, and community groups, to help every part of the pathway function well.
- We work as the key link between government and civil society to test, learn, and iterate policy as it scales.
- We advise on national communications to inspire people to get involved.
- We support civil society networks to help local groups take part.
- We test and scale the matching service that connects displaced people with the community groups best placed to support them.
- We are the national training, coaching, and support provider for community groups. We prepare them to welcome and standing alongside them at challenging moments.
- We help central and local government open up housing capacity sustainably.
- We coordinate national evaluation, with rapid learning cycles to improve the pathway as it grows.
Why is this needed now?
Pressure on the asylum system is unlikely to ease in the short term. The Home Office’s Restoring Order and Control policy paper positions Community Sponsorship as a central pillar of its wider asylum and protection approach, a recognition of the role communities can play in welcoming and integrating refugees.
What is needed now is a robust community-led welcome pathway treated as core infrastructure: well-managed, properly resourced, and continuously improved. Reset exists to be that trusted intermediary, bridging policy and practice, supporting communities realistically, and ensuring learning drives system change.
Read Reset’s full Theory of Change
Download our Theory of Change report to explore the full framework, including the detailed pathway diagram and our recommendations for implementation and system design.