Supporting people in Dungavel and influencing policy on detention

About us

Scottish Detainee Visitors is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) that supports people detained by the immigration service in Scotland and influences policy on detention.

Since 2002, we have visited over a thousand people offering non-judgemental support, understanding and a life-line to the outside world when people feel the most isolated, distressed and hopeless.

We are the only organisation in Scotland that focuses on immigration detention and the people affected by it and our core areas of work include:

• Visiting/befriending: friendly, open-minded support through regular visits.
• Life After Detention project: providing peer support to people who have been in detention and supporting them to share their experiences through creative projects.
• Visitor recruitment/training: peer-to-peer support and regular training for our volunteers and staff to ensure we are competent and effective visitors.
• Partnerships: working with a wider network of organisations in Scotland and the UK supporting asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants to ensure people in detention are treated fairly.
• Raising awareness about detention and advocating for change in the system.

Find out why we help.