Strengthening Family Wellbeing
A Strategy to Support Families from Refugee Backgrounds
In co-operation with mainstream family services agencies and representatives from a number of refugee communities, Foundation House has formed a partnership aimed at strengthening the wellbeing of families from refugee backgrounds. Families from refugee backgrounds are often under-represented in the use of mainstream family support or crisis services.
The strategy aims to enhance the response to the complex mental health needs of refugee background families by mainstream family service agencies and in doing so, to increase the use of these services by families from refugee backgrounds. Partner agencies have also indicated their willingness to continue to develop their own capacity for effective provision of services to families from refugee backgrounds.
The strategy includes four major components:
- Development of a sustainable network of family services
- Formation of direct partnerships with refugee background associations and community groups
- Establishment of sustainable employment pathways for refugee background professionals within the family services sector
- The development of a training and professional development program for practitioners working in family service organisations
Since the commencement of the strategy, three regional networks have been established comprised of senior representatives of key family services and an advisory group of representatives from Sudanese backgrounds (Northern region), Burmese-Karen backgrounds (Western region) and Afghan backgrounds (South Eastern region). Information sharing across regions and evaluation of strategy developments are key features of this new and exciting project.