Refugee Council x WRKWLL: Centering Lived Experience in Career Development

From Research to Action

Using the recommendations from the research phase, WRKWLL helped the Refugee Council convene a series of workshops which brought together people with lived experience of the refugee protection system (LEX), alongside sector experts, to design pilot workstreams grounded in real, self-identified needs.

WRKWLL:

• Co-designed and facilitated workshops
• Supported and guided the LEX Steering Group
• Helped shape and refine pilot workstreams

WRKWLL stepped back from the selection of delivery partners—ensuring the LEX Steering Group retained decision-making power and ownership of the process. This commitment to equitable collaboration set the tone for the evolving programme.

Delivering Impact Across Multiple Workstreams

WRKWLL was selected to lead key areas of the programme, including:

• UK Workplace Culture
• Inclusive Recruitment
• Mentoring
• Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)

Their role in M&E was particularly critical—running alongside all pilot workstreams to generate longitudinal evidence on effectiveness and impact.

“The longitudinal evidence coming from the WRKWLL-led monitoring and evaluation culminated in some really useful recommendations and findings.”— Abi Long, Refugee Council

Depth of Expertise, Breadth of Capability

A defining strength of WRKWLL was its ability to bring together diverse expertise across a complex, multi-partner programme.

This included:

• Specialist monitoring & evaluation expertise
• Programme management at both strategic and operational levels
• Facilitation and training
• Deep experience in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Contributors with lived experience embedded throughout delivery

Feedback from Refugee Council includes:

“It’s so useful to work with a consultancy which has so many different skills… having M&E expertise laser-focused on collecting lessons learned and meaningful impact data.”

“WRKWLL’s programme manager was a godsend—a pillar of support. She held everything together, from the micro to the macro, and held us to account all the way through the programme”.

Their mentoring workstream was especially impactful:

“The breadth of skills you were able to offer… really helped with the mentoring workstream—it was really changing lives.”

Adapting Through Co-Creation

WRKWLL’s commitment to co-creation meant projects evolved in response to participant needs.

A good example of this is from the Inclusive Language project:

• Initially scoped as a guidance document
• Transformed into an interactive, LEX-led training programme
• Designed through ongoing listening and adaptation

This flexibility ensured outputs were not only relevant—but genuinely implementable and owned by participants. As Abi Long put it:

“Co-creation was one of the most successful aspects of this programme… WRKWLL were a massive part of upholding those principles and holding us to account.”

“They constantly asked: ‘Who haven’t we heard from? How do we get those voices into the room?’”

Tangible Impact

The programme delivered both organisational and sector-wide impact.

Inclusive Recruitment

WRKWLL-led audits with refugee organisations had far-reaching effects:

“WRKWLL carried out recruitment audits with two refugee organisations, and that has been massively impactful.”

One umbrella organisation supporting 16 smaller charities reported:

• Increased confidence in inclusive practices
• Validation of their approach
• Ability to scale learning across their network

Strategic Transformation

Across the Refugee Council:

• Evidence-based insights from WRKWLL’s work are now embedded in their new five-year strategy
• The programme has directly influenced how the organisation approached culture, leadership, and inclusion

Going Beyond the Brief

WRKWLL’s commitment extended beyond contractual expectations. In some cases, they contributed additional time and support on a pro-bono basis to ensure the programme achieved its intended impact.

They also delivered high-quality internal training, including facilitation workshops that strengthened in-house capability.

Why WRKWLL?

The Refugee Council initially chose WRKWLL based on prior collaboration and their reputation for inclusive, values-driven leadership development.

“We were aware of the breadth of experience and skills within the associate pool, including lived experience—so it was an easy choice… and the decision was absolutely vindicated.”

Key Learnings for Other Organisations

This programme offers valuable lessons for others undertaking large-scale, collaborative change:

• Invest early in programme management and communications
• Allow sufficient time—avoid trying to do everything at once
• Be transparent about monitoring and evaluation commitments
• Move beyond surveys—use participatory, relational approaches
• Build in regular feedback loops and conversations
• Share outputs with participants throughout the process

Above all:

Co-creation must be intentional, resourced, and actively upheld.

Values drive work

This programme encapsulated the values at the centre of what WRKWLL aspires to:

• Deep collaboration: Embedding co-creation and shared ownership at every stage
• Breadth of expertise: From strategy to delivery, M&E to facilitation
• Lived experience at the core: Not as an add-on, but as a driving force
• Adaptive delivery: Listening, learning, and evolving in real time
• Commitment to impact: Flexing to what’s needed to achieve meaningful change