Refugee child and family experiences of resettlement

Investigators

Emeritus Professor Morag McArthur, Dr Vicky Saunders, Bronwyn Thomson (Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University)

Funding

ACU Faculty Linkage Grant, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Aims

• Define the scope and methodologies for future research into refugee children's and families' resettlement experiences in Australia
• Identify areas of vulnerability and resilience during resettlement
• Explore formal and informal support processes for transforming risk into adaptive pathways

Background

The global challenge of protecting refugees displaced by conflict or human rights abuses underscores the importance of understanding their resettlement needs. This scoping project aimed to pinpoint critical points of risk and resilience during the resettlement journey, focusing on how families and children experience and navigate new communities in Australia.

The study examined the lived experiences of families in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to identify effective support strategies and to better understand how their identities as refugees shaped their resettlement experiences.

Project details

This project aimed to identify critical areas of vulnerability and resilience and the formal and informal processes that can transform risk trajectories into adaptive pathways. This was achieved by exploring refugee families' and children's lived experiences and by analysing how they were constructed and responded to as refugees.

The project identified challenges and resilience in refugee resettlement, and developed a framework for engaging refugee families in research on resettlement.

Method

• Qualitative analysis of refugee family and child experiences
• Identification of critical factors for resilience and areas needing support
• Recommendations for research methodologies for future studies

Publications

Saunders, V., & McArthur, M. (2013). Getting it Right: Research with Refugee Background Children. In K. De Gioia & P. Whiteman (Eds.), Immigrant and Refugee Families, pp. 23-40. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Saunders, V., McArthur, M., Moore, T., Inglis, A., & Golic, V. (2012). Getting it Right: How Best to Engage Refugee Children and Their Parents in Research about their Resettlement in Australia. Canberra: Institute of Child Protection Studies, ACU

Project timeline

Completed 2013

Contact

For more information contact: icps@acu.edu.au