Supporting Refugee children and families in the Early Years

Australia has a long tradition of assisting some of the world’s most vulnerable people through its refugee resettlement program. Working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, officials from the Department of Immigration seek to identify refugees who are unable to return to their country of origin and who are either at risk or have no future in their home country. The only way of ensuring the protection of these refugees and providing them with a solution to their plight is to relocate them to a country such as Australia. Unlike migrants who make a conscious decision to relocate and, in many instances, have been selected because they have valuable skills to bring to this country, refugees often have little choice in the matter and know little about what they will be coming to. In addition, refugees have typically been exposed to high levels of trauma and significant periods of severe deprivation prior to their selection for resettlement. Transition to life in Australia therefore presents many challenges. It is important that we, as early childhood professionals, are aware of, sensitive to and are better equipped to adapt our programs, our support and inclusive practices around the unique issues and challenges that have affected refugee children and families in our community. The journey of every refugee child and their family is unique. There is great value in spending time reflecting on our own definition and perception of ‘refugees and the refugee experience’. We should also endeavour to understand the unique experiences of those children and families that become part of our early childhood service. We can best do this by reading about these experiences, having conversations with various agencies that support these families. It is also about being prepared and carefully considering what questions and expectations we have of refugee families. For instance, asking for documentation that could have been left behind in their home country. This can create disengagement and also a fear of not being accepted. 

The following is a list of practical strategies for you to consider:

•  Develop inclusive programs for all the children at your service, that structure discussions about refugees, promote empathy, diversity, mutual respect and social justice. 
• Ensure that the voices of refugee children are heard. Design and implement programs that nurture and instil the ‘Being, Belonging and Becoming’ of refugee children in your care. Create a sense of ‘Belonging’ by providing and maintaining a safe, nurturing, familiar and predictable care environment and one where refugee children and their family feel comfortable and safe in their experiences and identity.

• Provide culturally appropriate services for refugee families (Bicultural Support Workers, bilingual staff, interpreters, translated information) and deliver culturally and linguistically relevant activities that promote the child’s home language and cultural self-esteem. Supporting Bilingualism, Multilingualism and Language Learning in the Early Years (vcaa.vic.edu.au) 
• Offer creative ways to assist children’s feelings and anxieties through calm, relaxing experiences and activities such as music, water play, yoga or breathing exercises. 
• Access specialist support services, resources and ongoing professional development opportunities that can assist you to become better equipped in working with refugee children and families. 
• Develop links with staff from local settlement support services, compile a directory of services available for your refugee families and participate in local child, family and community services interagency meetings. 
• Find ways to celebrate, include and encourage your new refugee families to participate at your service. Refugee children and their families are additions to the community and bring strengths, abilities and cultural knowledge.  

 There are many ways we can start preparing ourselves, as early childhood professionals and as inclusive early childhood education and care communities, to receive, welcome, support and better connect with incoming refugee children and families.