Philip Thorpe
Strategic Migration and Protection Specialist
I am an independent consultant with over 20 years of global experience across migration, displacement and protection, gained within government, the UN system, and the I/NGO sector. This gives me unique insight into migration challenges and solutions. I combine senior-level diplomatic influence and institutional leadership experience with deep field credibility, and technical expertise in migration governance, asylum system reform, refugee protection and trauma-informed systems design.
areas of expertise
Refugee protection and asylum system reform
Strategic advisory and program design
Systems review and process optimisation
Institutional capacity development and training
Migration governance and policy mainstreaming
Mixed methods research and evidence-based policies
Strategic advocacy and multistakeholder engagement
Safeguarding and Trauma informed practice
Consulting
My consultancy practice draws on two decades of work across migration systems to help organisations and authorities make sense of complex challenges. Having worked in many contexts and at many levels of responsibility, I bring a mix of operational, political, community and research perspectives that shape practical and grounded support.I assist anyone with responsibility for migrant populations to clarify problems, design workable solutions and strengthen their responses in ways that are ethical and rooted in real experience.To discuss your project, practice or ideas, please get in touch. I offer initial scoping calls free of charge.
key services
Strategic Advisory including institutional reform, migration mainstreaming and programme design
Systems Strengthening including Migration Governance, evidence based policy making, multi country research, systems reviews and data analysis
Capacity Development including needs assessments, technical training and currcuculum design
Funding Acquisition including donor engagement, proposal development and donor reporting
client portfolio
migrant voices collective (MVC)
Research and insight on migration and integration
about the collective
In addition to my independent work I am Principal Consultant for MVC. We are a practitioner‑led consortium dedicated to ensuring migrant experiences shape the decisions that affect them. We support UK organisations facing rising demand and limited resources through co‑created, humane and practical solutions that strengthen local systems and improve outcomes for people and communities.
current commissions
Work with UK local authorities on enhancing sanctuary
Work with UK local authorities on improving No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) response
Participatory research project with a regional migration partnership on developing effective communication and information sharing tools, co-producing solutions with the migrant community
Work with UK local authorities to develop sanctuary city application resulting in successful award
Social research study on the impact of migration on statutory and non statutory service use
Work with UK local authorities to develop sanctuary city application resulting in successful award
Social research study on the impact of migration on statutory and non statutory service use
"This independent research from MVC has strengthened our understanding of the needs of refugees and asylum seekers and provided a valuable evidence base to inform service delivery."
Head of Migration & Partnerships, OCC
work with us
If you are interested to hear more about MVC or would like our support with your own project or operation, please let us know.
cradling hope
A practitioner led academic study of asylum in contemporary Britain
Narratives of home, sanctuary, and belonging in displacement between hostile environments
This study is rooted in twenty years of applied work across global migration, asylum systems, and refugee protection, including recent commissioned UK work on integration, participatory research, and co‑created solutions. Informed by my professional experience, it begins with the realities of how the system functions and how it is experienced by those who work within it and those who move through it. The project constitutes my doctoral research for a PhD in social sciences at Oxford Brookes University, however the intention is for this to deliver far beyond postnominal recognition. The project tells a story which intends to cradle hope.Undertaken in partnership with practitioners and displaced communities, by foregrounding practitioner insight and lived experience, the study aims to build a clearer and more human understanding of how sanctuary is created, constrained, and sustained in practice. It will paint a picture of the experience of displacement and integration, contrasting the hostile environment left behind with the ones which contemporary Britain affords to people fleeing persecution.A particular emphasis of the study is the artistic expression of migrants and how art and literature provide a vehicle for story telling but also a sense of home and belonging. The project will examine the experience of sanctuary seeking in contrasting parts of Britain, and will explore whether sanctuary is really being afforded, and if so where and how it is experienced.
The UK asylum system is frequently described as not fit for purpose. Years of reactive policymaking, rising global displacement, and inconsistent operational capacity have created a system that is overwhelmed and unable to meet the needs of those who depend on it. Communities feel the strain, practitioners face burnout, and people seeking sanctuary are left hopeless in prolonged uncertainty. Meanwhile the system costs billions of pounds a year and fails to deliver effective outcomes.Cradling Hope begins from this reality. It asks what sanctuary looks like when we move beyond crisis‑management and instead listen closely to those who live and work within the system every day. This study seeks to surface grounded insight, practical wisdom, and new possibilities for a more humane and effective approach. The story it will tell will speak louder than statistics and political wrangling and present a new version of who is seeking asylum in the UK, what that experience is like, and why.
funding structure
The research is partly self‑funded, but external support is essential to ensure the work is sustainable, ethically grounded, and able to meet the needs of participants and partners. The project therefore requires £16,000 to complete. Supporters can contribute any amount. Every contribution directly supports research activity, fieldwork, travel, participant support, creative outputs, and the time needed to carry out the work with care and integrity.All funds are held securely in an Oxford Brookes University account and managed through standard university financial controls. This provides a safe and transparent way to contribute, with a clear audit trail for all expenditure.This structure ensures that support for the research is practical, accountable, and aligned with the values of the study. It allows partners to invest in work that is grounded, humane, and focused on real improvement in the asylum and protection system. Funding this project cradles hope.
collaborative funding coalition
This envisages a union of organisations and individuals who want to support evidence based work on sanctuary and protection. It creates a shared space for learning, reflection, and co-creation, shaped by the insight of practitioners and communities. Supporters are invited to contribute at a level that suits their capacity. All contributions help build a clearer and more human understanding of how sanctuary is created and experienced in the UK.
In return supporters receive
Access to tailored content such as training sessions, talks for staff or clients, and practical input on migration and protection work
Invitations to workshops and learning sessions
Early access to findings and creative outputs
Opportunities to shape areas of focus through dialogue and feedback
Recognition within the programme
further information and support
To undertake this study I need connections and support. I plan to partially fund the project myself but in order to deliver it sustainably and maintain my other commitments I need funding support. I am in the process of applying to various funding bodies and intend to stitch fund the project, obtaining small amounts of funding from different sources to make up the balance.If you would like further information about the project including the project prospectus, detailed methodology or annotated budget please get in touch. Please also let me know if you have thoughts, ideas or connections that would assist. If you would simply like to make a donation to support this important work, please use the payment link below. A full receipt will be issued for all funds received.
Contact
Get in touch to discuss how we can work together. You can also connect using the links at the bottom of the page, or set up a free scoping call to discuss your project ideas.
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