Supporting Children, Young People and Families from a refugee background Update 3

Burma/Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Bicultural Educators/Multicultural Education Aids

Dear colleagues,

You might be wondering what you can do to support children and families who are impacted by devastating news from other countries. Foundation House offers strategies, resources, and professional learning to support the Early Years, Education, Community and Health sectors working with families of a refugee background.

Strategies
Given the unfolding events in Afghanistan and Burma, you will be aware of Afghan Australian and/or Burmese Australian families with young children across Victoria who may be experiencing high levels of distress.

You can help by:

1. From a service-wide perspective and in your work, acknowledge and express solidarity with refugee background families with young children.
2. Reach out to the refugee background families with whom you work to express solidarity and offer support. Contact families now and regularly over the coming months using the family’s preferred communication method. Call with a bilingual educator or interpreter.
3. Early learning centres, childcare and family day care should inform refugee background families that children can attend during current Covid-19 restrictions (open to vulnerable children as at 22/09/2021 across Victoria).        
4. Support families to access other services as required.
5. Acknowledge the impact and support Bicultural Educators and Multicultural Education Aids who may be experiencing high levels of distress within their family, community, and work.

Resources

1. Tipsheet: Building partnerships with families from refugee backgrounds (2 pages)
2. Tipsheet: Working effectively with interpreters to support families from refugee backgrounds (2 pages)

3. Webinar: Supporting Children, Young People and Families from Burma/Myanmar in the Education Sector (44 minutes)
4. Tipsheet: Supporting Children, Young People and Families from Burma/Myanmar in the Education Sector (6 pages)

5. Online Forum for Afghan Multicultural Education Aides in Victorian Schools – Recorded 31 August 2021 (58 minutes)
6. Guidelines for school staff working with Multicultural Education Aides (4 pages)

7. Video: Q&A with Zabi Mazoori on supporting Afghan Students and Families (5 minutes)
8. Tipsheet: Supporting students and families of Afghan background (3 pages)

9. Scripts to express solidarity and support for families in Dari and Pashto: 
10. Video: Schools briefing: Supporting students and families of Afghan background (24 minutes)
11. Briefing Sheet for Educators on supporting students and families with links to Afghanistan (from STARTTS in NSW)
12. Podcast in Dari with Senior Clinician/Clinical Trainer, Nooria Mehraby on support for families (from STARTTS in NSW) and also how parents can promote the wellbeing of their children and themselves available via Hints for Healing or Podbean
13. Referral to Foundation House including counselling, family support and complementary therapies. Information in Dari and English

Professional Learning

Supporting Transitions from Early Years to School for Children and Families of Refugee Backgrounds Please register as places are limited.

This workshop focuses on how services can support families of refugee background in early years transitioning between services, especially from kindergarten to school using the Foundation House Trauma Recovery Framework including:

• Practical strategies and communication ideas for kindergartens and schools to support transition
• Local partnerships between Schools, kindergartens, and early years services to support transition
• Support and resources
• Impact of COVID in supporting transition

Further support
Contact educationandearlyyears@foundationhouse.org.au

Please share this email across your networks. Apologies for any cross posting.

Beth Maplestone (she/her)
Early Years Support Officer
Practice and Sector Development
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday  | Thursday

The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc.
4 Gardiner Street, Brunswick, VIC 3056
E: maplestoneb@foundationhouse.org.au| W: www.foundationhouse.org.au
T: 03 9389 8917 | M: 0409 916 145 | Reception: 03 9389 8900 | F: 03 9277 7871