Referral Criteria

The following criteria must be met to make a referral to the Children’s Counselling Program:

  • The child is aged 4-12 years old (primary school)
  • The child is from a refugee background
  • Parents/Guardians must have been consulted and given their consent and agreement for the referral to proceed

No acute crisis referrals will be accepted as QPASTT is not a crisis service.  Other services such as Queensland Police, Queensland Ambulance, Department of Child Safety, Hospitals and GP’s should be referred to in the event of a crisis or emergency or see our list of contacts for crises here

When to make a referral for counselling?

Most refugee children will have experienced or witnessed events such as war; removal of physical and emotional safety; destruction of their homes; death, separation or disappearance of friends or family members; physical injury and lack of medical attention; deprivation of essential resources such as food and water; forced conscription; rape or sexual assault and arrest, detention or torture; deprivation of education and opportunity to play.

As well as these experiences the demands of settlement present additional stresses and pressures.  On arrival in Australia children may experience changes in their family and family relationships.  They are required to learn a new language, adapt to a new set of cultural norms, and orient themselves to a new and unfamiliar school system.  Adapting to school may be particularly difficult for those children who have had no or limited prior school experience.

Low to mild levels of anxiety, grief and/or anger can be expected as normal responses to such significant demands.  In relation to schooling these responses can compromise to varying degrees the conditions required for healthy progress and the capacity to learn.  
This will be particularly salient in the earlier stages of settlement. 

The length of time that a child may take to adjust sufficiently will vary.  There are ways that the school environment can support and assist children in the initial settlement period as they attempt to adjust to school routines, expectations and peers.
For more ideas about what the school can do to support the child see the 'Whole of School Approach'.

However, where feelings of anxiety, grief or anger are severe and interfere with everyday functioning over an extended duration a referral for counselling might be indicated.
For some children and their families the refugee and settlement experiences may be associated with the development of psychological (emotional) problems.  The following behavioural or emotional responses that are pervasive and persistent over time could suggest the need for a referral for specialist counselling:

  • Extreme aggression/ persistent anger
  • Out of control behaviour
  • Crying a lot
  • Severe social withdrawal/ apathy
  • Poor school attendance
  • Frequent illness related to stress
  • Sleep problems

Making a referral

In the process of making a referral, filling in the referral form is the last action in a course of events that together make up the referral process. Please follow the steps below to make a referral to the children’s counselling program.

Step 1: Talk to the Child

In some contexts, for example in school settings, it is appropriate to talk to the child first. Tell the child what you are noticing. Ask them what is happening for them. If appropriate, let them know that you will need to speak to their parents about your concerns.
In the school context consider what supports are available within the school. Guidance Officers can often be the first point of referral for children. Do not assume that if children are from a refugee background, they will necessarily require specialist support. The Guidance Officer may be able to provide counselling and if necessary, assist with the referral to QPASTT and be an ongoing point of contact within the school.

2. Consult Parents/Guardians

Use an interpreter where necessary to ensure your concerns and information are conveyed accurately and that any questions you or the family have can be clarified and addressed.

Read more about working with interpreters, if you need more information here. Education Queensland schools click here(pdf - guidelines to working with interpreters EQ schools) and all other schools click here (pdf - Using interpreters in non EQ schools).

During your meeting with the parents/guardians discuss any concerns you have, seek their opinion and perception of how their child is going and listen for information about the child’s history.

Among many non-Western cultures ‘counselling’ is often not a term or concept that is familiar. Therefore, it can be helpful to have some ways of talking to families about how QPASTT might help and what we do.

For example, you could say that “QPASTT is a service which has worked with people from refugee backgrounds who have been in a similar situation to you”.
You might find it useful to start with the issues identified for the child, like worry, sadness or anger or having a hard time at school. Suggesting that QPASTT has people who can talk with their child about their anger and learn what they can do to make it smaller can be more informative for parents than discussing ‘counselling’.

Making the link for parents between the child’s experiences before coming to Australia or the difficulties that children can experience settling into a new country and the child’s current behaviours can also be very useful.

If the family agrees to a referral it is helpful to explain to them what will happen next. Suggest that you can contact QPASTT on their behalf and that someone from QPASTT will then phone them to make an appointment to meet with them and talk some more about how they might be able to help.

When filling in the referral form, be as specific as possible about the reason/s for referral.  For example, rather than say that a child is disruptive or has behavioral problems, please specify the behaviours you identify as disruptive and give some indication of the frequency or severity of the behaviour or distress observed.  Please also include information from your consultation with parents. 

To make a referral to QPASTT fill out the referral form (download referral form) in as much detail as possible and forward to QPASTT by
Fax 07 3391 6388 or
Post to PO Box 6254, Fairfield 4103. 
Alternatively, you can phone QPASTT on 3391 6677 and ask to speak with the on-duty counsellor.

What happens after I make a referral?

  • Once a referral is received a children’s counsellor will contact the referrer to discuss it further.
  • QPASTT Administrative staff will phone to arrange an Intake appointment with the parents/guardians. (Depending on the number of new referrals there can sometimes be a wait for an Intake appointment. Intakes will be prioritised where necessary).
  • After the Intake appointment, if it is appropriate, a consultation block of 3 weekly sessions will be offered to allow for initial assessment with the child.
  • Following this a decision is made in collaboration with the family about the most appropriate intervention. Not all cases will result in ‘one-to-one’ counselling with the child. In some cases it could be that a referral is made to another service, or that the intervention is with the parent/guardian or that the whole family is referred for family therapy.
  • If the Children’s Program at QPASTT is full, children will be placed on a limited, supported waiting list.
  • The referrer will be advised about the outcome of the referral in writing.

This Intake and Initial Assessment phase can take some time depending on the availability of Intake appointments, the availability of the parents/guardians, and the availability of interpreters.

Feel free to contact QPASTT if you are unsure of the progress of a referral you have made.  Be aware that QPASTT is bound by confidentiality in relation to disclosure of personal information about clients and will not be able to discuss personal client information without signed consent release forms.