Asylum Seeker & Refugee Support

Free webinar presented by Dr Tina Rae. She highlights specific strategies to use to support refugee children as they transition, to ensure that they feel safe and welcomed. Includes a number of evidence-based strategies that can easily be adopted and shared. Dr Rae identifies ways in which we can prepare the children who are in our school communities to welcome their refugee friends and identifies the best and safest ways to discuss the war with our children and young people.

Tina discusses the following:

• How to talk to children and young people about war
• How we recognise trauma -related behaviours make use of ‘watchful waiting’ to identify vulnerability factors.
• The need to recognise that all refugee children are different, many will be resilient and not require a bespoke therapeutic intervention – (this may be needed later).
• The importance of treating every child individually and listening to their voice – as one refugee child said ‘I wish they’d asked me about the football team I supported rather than my journey to this country. It just re-traumatised me.’
• How we build and reinforce resilience factors recognise the strengths of individual children and young people.
• Using writing, physical, and calming approaches.
• How we create safe spaces and make use of anxiety reducing easy wins.
• How we ensure schools as sanctuaries in which we build connection, safety, and opportunities for regulation.