Hints for Healing Podcast S2, Ep 1: Resettlement of Recent Afghan Evacuees in Victorian Schools

Image source: School’s In for Refugees, Victoria Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc.

Welcome to Season 2 of the Hints for Healing Podcast! In this season we welcome guests to share their experiences and insights into supporting the resettlement and mental health of Afghan members of the community at a time of enormous upheaval, uncertainty and worry for Afghan people all around the world.

My first guest this season is Greg Gow. Greg leads the Melbourne-based Foundation House Education and Early Years Program, which is a Victorian statewide service supporting schools and early years service providers to respond to children and families with refugee experiences. Since August 2021, Greg has been coordinating Foundation House’s response to supporting school-age resettled Afghans in Victoria in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis that has followed.

Show notes: 

• Foundation House’s Integrated Trauma Service Recovery Model
• School’s In for Refugees: Supporting Students and Families of Afghan Background
• Supporting students and families of Afghan background is a tip-sheet which provides details of how school staff can provide assistance to students and families by prioritising their wellbeing and connection.
• The Over/Under Involvement Continuum is a useful resource to support school staff to reflect upon their levels of involvement with students and families of refugee backgrounds. It illustrates the healthy dimensions of ‘ideal range’ involvement, the excesses of ‘over involvement’ and the dangers of overly detached ‘under involvement’