Working with Parents, Carers and Families with Refugee Experiences

The task of navigating an unfamiliar school system in a new country may feel daunting and frightening for many newly-arrived families. They may experience difficulty in understanding the school system as it may be very different to their own experiences of education. Together with the myriad of settlement needs and trauma, this can impact upon parents’ and carers’ capacity to support young people’s wellbeing and educational development.

It follows that family members are best able to support young people’s recovery, if their own social, emotional, health and practical needs are met in an inclusive and welcoming school community. After being caught up in the survival mode of seeking safety for themselves and their family and coping in a new society, parents and carers may not have focused on their own wellbeing needs. They may also not yet be aware of the free and confidential support that is available to them in Australia.

Many school communities have excelled at becoming natural and supportive places for information, social events and support for families with a refugee experience. At Hints for Healing, we endeavour to bring you stories, interviews, case studies and tips from schools who are all at different points in their journey of whole-school community engagement.

In addition to the resources you find here at Hints for Healing, there are several aspects of STARTTS’ work with school communities, that support parents, carers and families:

The Families in Cultural Transition (FICT) program can be run in schools and, during COVID-19 restrictions, is now successfully being run remotely via online platforms. FICT is a ten-week series of workshops designed to help newly-arrived people with refugee experience, learn about Australia and settle successfully in their new country. The group is run by a Bicultural FICT facilitator who has a similar cultural and linguistic background to the participants. This enables participants to obtain information and support in a relaxed environment while providing opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and friendship with others in similar situations.

Whole of School Approach The STARTTS School Liaison Program Team can assist schools as they work through the Schools In for Refugees Audit (created by our sister organisation in Victoria, Foundation House) or, for NSW Department of Education Schools, the Refugee Readiness Survey. Both of these audits contain a series of items in relation to parents, carers and families and are useful in helping schools identify where to focus their time and resources. A STARTTS School Liaison Officer can support schools through regular meetings and consultation as they work through the audit and implement or update protocols, programs, learning plans and the environment.

Professional Learning STARTTS offers professional learning to schools across NSW on raising awareness of the challenges that newly-arrived families face, how schools can identify family needs and on engaging parents and carers in supporting their children’s learning. The training also assists schools to create a culturally safe and welcoming school environment for families, and advises on how schools can become a hub of information, referral and community engagement.

In this special edition podcast in Dari, STARTTS Senior Clinician/Clinical Trainer, Nooria Mehraby, MD, addresses Afghan parents across NSW. In this podcast, Nooria provides: 

• An introduction to STARTTS services
• An outline of some common symptoms of acute stress and retraumatisation
• Advice on how parents can get some relief from their symptoms while adhering to COVID-19 restrictions in NSW
• Tips on how parents can support the wellbeing of their children and adolescents during the crisis in Afghanistan and COVID-19 restrictions
• Suggestions on how to avoid exposure to graphic content amongst children and young people
• Guidance to parents who are concerned about their children falling behind with their schoolwork
• Warning signs to look out for in themselves and in their children that indicate the need to seek professional support
• Contact details for STARTTS, RACS (Refugee Advice & Casework Service), TIS, Kids Helpline, Lifeline and 000.

Nooria is a senior clinician and clinical trainer at STARTTS.  Herself a former refugee, Nooria has more than 30 years experience working with refugees both overseas and here in Australia. This includes over 25 years experience at STARTTS. Nooria first trained as a medical doctor in her native Afghanistan and later obtained a Master of Counselling with Distinction in Australia. Her particular interest is in developing cross-cultural therapeutic interventions with refugees, especially with Muslim clients. In 2015 she was the recipient of Australian Muslim Professional of the Year Award.