Service Innovation Program - Foundation House
The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture is a NGO focused
on the provision of psycho-social support to people arriving through
the humanitarian settlement program.
Foundation House provides this support in a number of ways –
Direct service -short and long term support of individuals and
families
Systems change and development projects and processes
Policy development and advocacy
Issues In Education – Young People from Refugee Backgrounds
Foundation House maintains two strategies which work towards
addressing the systemic barriers to young people from refugee
backgrounds successful participation in the education systems.
Refugee Education Partnership Project
Ucan2
Both strategies have been developed with a targeted sub population
approach
Place based or sub population approach
Place based approaches to the design and implementation of
interventions targeting new and emerging communities can be
problematic in the early settlement period for a number of reasons –
New arrivals have strong identification with ethnic community and
relatively low identification with the local geographic community
This is reinforced to a degree by the necessity for new arrivals to
access specialist infrastructure that is increasingly not located in the
local geographic community
The analysis that shaped the program
Young people from refugee backgrounds arrive in Australia with
significant disadvantage in relation to mainstream education and
training as a result of –
Exposure to war related trauma
Long term disruptions to education or no formal education prior to
arrival
Parents with limited formal educations
Average years of education for young people arriving under the
resettlement program from Africa and Middle East – 4.
45% of new arrivals reported having lived in a refugee camp with
32% having resided in a camp for 10 years or more.
The analysis of the issue in post compulsory
TAFE
Primary
School
Secondary
School
University
Work
Work
Issues and analysis continued -
Refugee/Camp
Displacement
Language
Centre
Secondary
School
?
High drop out
rates
Young people from refugee
backgrounds cannot “catch
up” on missed schooling
using conventional education
practice.
Disengagement from
mainstream
Welfare dependency
Social and Personal Development
Refugee/Camp
Displacment
Language
Centre
child to adolescent
Secondary
School
?
adolescent
toadult
Not moving from a dependent to an independent life in
terms of work impacts negatively on many other
important life transitions.
English
Language
Program
13 months
12 months
10 months
On
arrival
7 months
The Intervention
Mainstream education or
training
Social Support
Curriculum
Mentoring
Pt Time Work
Case Management
Transition from on
arrival language
classes
13 months
12 months
10 months
7 months
On
arrival
English
Language
Program
Mainstream education or
training
Social Support
Curriculum
Transition from on
arrival language
classes
The program has developed a specific curriculum and social support program
which have been interwoven to address the psycho-social needs of students in
learning environments.
13 months
12 months
10 months
7 months
On
arrival
English
Language
Program
Mainstream education or
training
Social Support
Curriculum
Mentoring
Transition from on
arrival language
classes
A peer to peer based mentoring program has been developed to strengthen the
support base and social context
13 months
12 months
10 months
7 months
On
arrival
English
Language
Program
Mainstream education or
training
Social Support
Curriculum
Mentoring
Pt Time Work
Transition from on
arrival language
classes
A relationship has been established with a large corporate employer to allow for
part time work to be made available to the participants as a means of broadening
the classroom and to make education in terms of application real and immediate.
13 months
12 months
10 months
7 months
On
arrival
English
Language
Program
Mainstream education or
training
Social Support
Curriculum
Mentoring
Pt Time Work
Case Management
Transition from on
arrival language
classes
The Ucan2 program creates an environment through which systems of case
management coordination can be developed. Cooperation between support
functions can be increased and better outcomes achieved.
Governance Structure
Foundation
House
AMES
CMYI
DoE
DIAC
DARA
Advisory Group
Foundati
on House
AMES
CMYI
EMC
LLENS
Dept Ed
Youth
Links
Reference Group
Foundation
House
AMES
CMYI
Case Coordination Group
U Can2
Program
English
Language
School
Loc Gov
Mig Res
Centre