The Care, Protection and Adjustment of Refugee Children in Australia

Author and Speaker

Denise Lynch

Organisation

Department of Social Work and Policy Studies, University of Sydney. Sydney

Children who have arrived in Australia as refugees, or who have a refugee-like background, often have issues of trauma, health, (including mental health), language and education. They are cared for within their families, or by government and non government agencies. This paper will discuss a collaborative pilot study conducted between the New South Wales Asylum Seekers Centre in Sydney, Australia, and the School of Social Work and Policy Studies at Sydney University. The focus of the study is to explore the adjustment, social participation, health and educational status of a small number of refugee children over a three year period. A qualitative and quantitative methodology is being utilized which includes interviewing the children with structured questions and uses a narrative component to hear the children and young people's stories. The ethical implications of the research will be outlined. A major concern for the researcher is to ensure that the research does not contribute to more trauma for the child and/or family. There was considerable determination to ensure that the interviews were ethical and that a number of safeguards were put into place for all children and families in this study. The preliminary findings indicate a number of interrelated factors that impact on the adjustment and progress of refugee children in Australia and indicate the need for care and protection policies and practices at all levels of intervention with these children. A particular finding has been the harmful effects of having no legal resolution to the children and their family's citizenship and the need for a clear legal status for these children and their families. Discussion will include pyscho-social, historical and legal perspectives that impinge on the care and protection of the child and an analysis of the impact of national policies on the long term integration of refuge children into Australian life. There is a scarcity of information and research about refugee children as they live in the Australian community. It is anticipated that this debate will contribute to international child protection policies and national policies and practices in migrant/refugee work. The work will also facilitate discussion about the impact of local policies in health, education and childcare on refugee children and act as a catalyst for further work in this area.

Presentation Format

Paper

Biography of Presenter

Denise Lynch (Bachelor of Social Work, M Criminology)
Denise has worked in child protection in the NSW Department of Community Services and has been a private consultant, in the area of child and family welfare, encompassing a practice and management perspective. This has occurred in the government and non-government sectors. As a consultant, she has been involved in a death review and has completed a number of evaluations of child protection practice in Sydney and rural NSW. At the University of Sydney, she teaches in the areas of family violence and skills development and supervises students at the undergraduate and post graduate level. She also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students in education in child protection and neglect. Her research interests include children's justice, child protection and refugee children. She is a Board Member of the NSW Benevolent Society