How Parents and Carers Can Promote the Wellbeing of their Children in Times of Crisis

N.B. THIS IS AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE WRITTEN ARABIC INFORMATION ABOVE.

What can parents/carers do to support their children?

Help your child make sense of the situation and their emotions:

• Take the time to find out what your child knows about the situation and how they feel about it.
• Explain the situation to your child without overwhelming them with too many details. Older children may need more details than younger ones.
• Encourage your child to speak with you about how they feel. Let them know that their feelings are normal.
• Remind your child of all the people who are trying to stop the violence and help those affected.
• If your family practices a faith or spirituality, discuss how your faith makes meaning of loss, grief, hope and recovery.
• Continue to check in with your child as the crisis unfolds.

Help restore your child’s sense of safety and control:

• For younger children, try to spend at least 15 minutes a day focusing entirely on your child and following their lead on how they would like to play with you. This will help them feel safe and strengthen their bond with you.
• For older children, let them know you want to spend more time with them – perhaps going for a walk together, cooking together, reading to them or playing their favourite game with them.
• Together with your child, identify at least four other adults who you and your child trust and who your child can talk to.
• Teach children how to calm anxiety and stress symptoms with belly breathing. Breath into your belly for 5 seconds, hold for a moment and then slowly breathe out for five seconds. Repeat 5 times.
• Talk to your child about safe and respectful relationships and encourage them to let you know if someone is making them feel unsafe or unwelcome.

Support your child to take positive actions:

• Support your child to take positive action for peace or to help those in need, such as fundraising for charity, joining a community relief group, reaching out to support a friend or sending a message for peace to their local MP and Senator.
• Support your child to do things that give them a sense of achievement and joy, e.g. art, craft, building, dancing, making music, reading or writing.
• Support your child to connect with friends, relatives and community organisations to do fun and pleasant activities together.

Why is it important to limit exposure to media related to the crisis?

• People of all ages, including children, can be traumatised from viewing such material. It can also make children feel like they are unsafe and that the world is a scary and unsafe place. This means that seeing something traumatic happen to someone else, can cause nightmares, intrusive thoughts, sleeping problems and fearfulness in your child.
• Viewing graphic material can also trigger previous traumas that your child may have had. This could cause previous trauma responses to return for your child.
• The way the crisis is framed in the media can be a source of great anger and grief for children and adults alike.

What can parents/carers do to limit children’s exposure to graphic material?

• Be aware of what children can overhear and see in the home. Consider what is on the TV and radio and what family members are watching on laptops, tablets and mobile phones.
• Encourage family members not to take devices into their bedrooms, but rather, use them in a public area of the house.
• Engage children in activities that provide a break away from the media.
• As a family, decide how you will remain informed about important information affecting loved ones without being constantly exposed to media.
• Talk to older children about the risks of viewing graphic material. Some older children and young people might feel they need to “bear witness” to what is happening and suffer alongside their loved ones overseas. Let them know you understand their need to help their people. Encourage them to get in touch with community leaders and charities who can help them get involved in positive actions to support people in the affected region.

What are the signs that parents/carers should seek support from a counsellor or other professional for their child/ren?

• Trauma responses are interfering with family/work/school life for more than two weeks
• Trauma responses are interfering with daily activities most of the time
• Loses interest in activities they used to enjoy
• Withdrawing from family and friends or becoming more secretive
• Talking about feeling hopeless, worthless or wanting to die
• Believe they are a burden to others
• Poor diet changes or rapid change in weight
• Giving away sentimental or expensive possessions
• Expressing extreme views, glorifying violence and/or talking about seeking revenge.

Who can parents/carers reach out to for further support for themselves and their family members, free of charge?

• For emergencies 000. Don’t worry if you don’t speak English, just say “I need a (name of language) interpreter” and they will bring in a phone interpreter.
• For someone to talk to about the crisis and to get further support, call Witness to War. The phoneline is staffed by Arabic speakers. Call 1800 845 198
• For individual counselling, call STARTTS on 9646 6800
• For 24/7 telephone counselling for children and young people – Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 – If your child needs an interpreter, tell them to call TIS first on 131 450 and TIS will then call Kids Helpline for your child with an interpreter included in the call.
• For young people aged 12-25, call Headspace for telephone counselling or online webchat support from a counsellor. Visit headspace.org.au or call 1800 650 890
• For 24/7 counselling for people of all ages – Lifeline – 13 11 14. You can select an option for an interpreter when you call this number.
• For assistance with visa applications call:
  • RACS – Refugee Advice and Casework Service. Call 02 8317 6500
  • Legal Aid NSW Refugee Service. Call – 02 8713 6725
  • Salvos Legal Humanitarian. Call – 02 8202 1500
  • Jesuit Refugee Services. Legal Support – Call – 02 9356 3888