Meeting the Information Needs of Migrants in Vulnerable Situations: A Citizens Information Perspective

Citizens Information Services (CISs) deal with almost 700,000 queries a year from over 350,000 callers. Almost one quarter of callers (where country of origin is recorded) are migrants. This is significantly higher than the proportion of migrants in the total Irish population, which stands at 12%. The Citizens Information Board (CIB) commissioned this policy-focused research to highlight the information needs of migrants who use the national network of Citizens Information Services (CISs) and to investigate the implications of this for the information, advice and advocacy services that we support. The research explores the experiences of migrants who use our services and identifies the barriers that inhibit their access to a range of benefits and supports. It also documents the experiences and perceptions of information providers in assisting migrants and locates these within
the broader policy context.