Refugee children and asylum seeker children in school 8 October 2011 Bill Bolloten billboll1@mac.com www.refugeeeducation.co.uk
Who are refugees and asylum seekers?
Definition of refugee A refugee is someone who has had to leave his or her country and who is afraid to return there owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. (1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees) A person with refugee status is protected from being returned to their country of origin
Asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who has crossed an international border and is seeking safety or protection (recognition as refugee) in another country An asylum seeker is someone who declares themselves to be a refugee but whose claim has not yet been determined
Asylum applications in Britain Applications have fallen greatly since 2002 Countries accounting for most applicants in 2010 were Iran, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Eritrea and Sudan Over 1,500 unaccompanied asylum seeker children and young people In 2011 marked increase in asylum seekers from Libya and Bahrain
Refugee children in school More than 100,000 school-age refugee children in the UK 65% live in Greater London At least 6% of London schoolchildren are from a refugee background The largest group of children are from Somalia
Refugee children are a diverse group Diversity of languages, cultures and countries of origin They have different experiences of persecution and journeys to safety Their exile experience in the UK are also very varied Like adults, children vary in how they cope with adversity Most refugee children are highly resilient despite their experiences Important to avoid stereotypes and generalisations
Summary of interacting factors, both past and current that affect refugee childrenõswellbeing PAST EXPERIENCES loss and separation HEALTH oppression/violen ce ASYLUM STATUS AGE AND DEVEL OPMENT ISSUES OF IDENTITY FRIEN DS CHILD SCHOOL FAMILY progress in learning past experiences social relation s SOCIAL family tensions support in school housing changes in poverty status and roles work attitudes to safety integration racism generation al community link s issues In the midst of the whirlwind (1998) Naomi Richman
Children and families are affected by events from the past, current stresses and positive aspects in their lives. Support therefore needs to be multifaceted, to promote positive factors that can outweigh negative ones, building on children s strengths, giving them hope for the future. Naomi Richman, In the Midst of the Whirlwind - a manual for helping refugee children, 1998
Resilience Literally, resilience means the capacity to recover one s shape after being stretched or stressed, or more colloquially, the ability to bounce back after difficult experiences. Tolfree, D. (1996) An emphasis on resilience takes as a starting point ability of children to deal with their experiences and acknowledges they may have considerable resources for coping with adversity Children are seen as ACTIVE SURVIVORS rather than PASSIVE VICTIMS
Relationship Web Church Mosque Temple Friends PERSON
Doctors Shops Milk round Post Youth Centre The park Hairdresser Dentis t Library Police Vet Social Services COMMUN ITY P olitical clubs Hobbies Cinema/Theatre Pubs SOCIAL LIFE Club Health Crafts Children s parties Sports Keep-fit Holidays Festivals Celebrations LANGUAG E POLITI CS Health Care Relationship Web National Gender Identity Social Status PERSO N Pets FRIEN DS Gurudw ara Mos que Church Temple Synagogue Religious fes tivals Meeting house TECHNOLOGY FAMILY Support staff Teachers Union Penfriends Phone/fax Car TV Internet Dis tant Close Nuclear Extended Parents NEIGHBOURS From work Acquaintances Faraway friends Partners From childhood Cours es WORK Children and families
A relationship web...for a refugee???? FAMILY? FRIENDS? PERSON??
Help (for refugees) will be, or ought to be, directed towards rebuilding this relationship web in a variety of ways. Refugees: An overview of an international problem in Baker, R. (ed) The Psychosocial Problems of Refugees, The Refugee Council (1983)
The importance of school It is no exaggeration to say that refugee children s wellbeing depends to a major degree on their school experiences, successes and failures...school policies are a powerful tool for helping refugee children feel safe and normal again, and begin to learn. Naomi Richman, In the Midst of the Whirlwind - a manual for helping refugee children, 1998
Starting again (2002) Research undertaken by Save the Children and Glasgow City Council More than 700 young asylum seekers from 27 schools were questioned More than 75% ranked school as the best thing about living in Glasgow Children and young people said that going to school helped the to feel normal, make friends and learn English Children and young people also said it was easier to make friends at school than in the community where they live Save the Children Scotland and Glasgow City Council Education Services (2002) Starting Again - Young Asylum Seekers' Views on Life in Glasgow.
What refugee young people say Young refugees have stressed the importance of: Attending school Having friendships and people to trust Caring, supportive and friendly teachers who are confident and interested in teaching children and young people from diverse backgrounds Being included in all activities Opportunities to do activities with refugee and nonrefugee peers, both in and out of school Being in a school that values and celebrates their cultures The Integration of Refugee Children: A review of research and current practice http://www.sharedfutures.org.uk/about.html
Effective practice in schools Welcome, admission and induction Safety and anti-bullying Peer support and friendship building Culturally inclusive curriculum and valuing diversity Planning for EAL learners Listening and participation Involving parents and the community Teacher CPD