Helping Refugee children in Children’s services

Currently there are about 9.7 million refugees around the world, more than 80% of which are children. Approximately 13 000 refugees come to Australia each year and Early Childhood services should implement strategies to support them.

A refugee, Asylum seeker and Migrant are not all the same:
REFUGEE: Flee their country for their own safety and cannot return unless the situation that forced them to leave improves.

MIGRANT: Migrants choose when to leave their country where they go and when they return.

ASYLUM SEEKER: Is someone who has fled their own country and applies to the government of another country for protection as refugee.

Many of the refugees and asylum seekers that arrive in Australia have been exposed to traumatic experiences including escaping war, torture, trauma, death of family members and spending time in under resourced refugee camps.

Supporting refugee children and families in early childhood settings
It is important that childcare facilities are aware of the special issues affecting refugee children and their families, and that their services are sensitive to these issues and needs.
Children may also experience problems with:

• Nutrition
• Intellect;
• Social skills;
• Emotional health: i.e. anxiety; depression; fear; grief

Issues affecting refugee children:
Things you need to know about refugee children:
1)most refugee children have had no education;
2) school environments are unfamiliar to them;
3)Most children have minimal information and support;
4)Many children have had little opportunity to develop social skills;
5)Some children experience problems in interactive play.

How do these conditions impact on the well being and development of children?
The combination of malnutrition, inadequate clothing and shelter, lack of medical attention, and social deprivation may affect the development of children and increase physical and emotional problems.

Ways to help children:

• Gain a broad understanding of the refugee experiences
• Maintain a safe, predictable environment in the classroom
• Consider new activities related to child’s experiences
• Offer creative ways to assist children’s feelings and anxieties
• Offer relaxing experiences- eg music; water play
• Group work interaction
• Ensure no racism occurs in the setting (ensure anti-racism policies are in place)

Ways to help parents:

• Provision of suitable interpreters who speak their preferred language.
• Maintain confidentiality of families and their children
• Provide parents with information about education, income, parenting, available services and how to access these
• Addressing specific needs and issues of each family
• Empathy
• Provision of culturally appropriate/sensitive childcare
• Respect their culture, religion
• Treating all children equally
• Develop workshops for parents about education system; appropriate child-rearing practices, etc
• Access programs including the Bicultural Support Pool and Inclusion Support Agencies (for AGACCS) and SCAN for NSW funded services.

Who else can help?
There are services available for refugee families-
BSP- Bicultural Support Pool
Assistance to help settle and support bicultural children in children’s services.
Ph: 1800 157 818

ISA’s- Inclusion Support Agencies- provide extra assistance to children from CALD backgrounds. Ph: 1800 157 818

Migrant Resource Centres provide services that focus on the needs of migrants and refugees. This can include English classes, assistance with migration issues, casework or counselling, social groups information sessions and activities. To find the nearest Migrant Resource Centre go to www.amrc.org.au/Content/links.html
Immigrant Women’s Speakout- www.speakout.org.au ph: 9635 8022 Provides support services to migrant and refugee women in NSW.

Service for the treatment and rehabilitation of torture and trauma survivors (STARTTS)
STARTTS provides a holistic range of services to facilitate the healing process for refugees who have been exposed to torture and trauma.
www.startts.org 02 9794 1900;
NSW Refugee Health Suite 5, Level 2 157-161 George St Liverpool NSW 2170 www.swsahs.nsw.gov.au 02 8778 0770
To learn more about refugees-Refugee Council of Australia
www.refugeecouncil.org.au
Tel: 02 9211 9333 Fax: 02 9211 9288
Email: info@refugeecouncil.org.au

Oxfam Australia
www.oxfam.org.au
Ph: (0)3 9289 9444
Email: enquire@oxfam.org.au

Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission www.hreoc.gov.au

Other useful Websites-
For translated information on early childhood health related issues-
www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/mhcs/topics/Early_Childhood.html

Australians Caring for Refugees (AUSTCARE) www.austcare.org.au

Centre for Refugee Research, University of NSW www.crr.unsw.edu.au

Child Trauma Academy www.childtraumaacademy.com

References: Every child Vol 12 No 4 2006;
Rattler 67 Spring 2003;
Face the Facts publication- Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission 2005
Prepared by Souha Iskander and Amna Diab for
Ethnic Child Care
Family and Community Services Co-operative Ltd 2007