Resources for Schools

The Refugee Student Support Kit for teachers, school counsellors and school communities is a list of 27 National resources to assist schools to support students from refugee backgrounds.

The Kit includes resources on the backgrounds of refugees, resources on how to support students in schools, practical resources for teachers to use,  resources for school counsellors and school health nurses to use and resources to assist school based social justice groups, volunteers and neighbourhoods.  This project was funded by Education Queensland and was a joint partnership with Communify Qld.  Hard copies of this kit can be obtained by contacting the Education Queensland ESL Coordinator in your region. 

QPASTT Handbooks to assist school staff with supporting students from refugee and displaced backgrounds. Click below for free downloads of these booklets.

QPASTT youth workers and Children’s Program staff offer training and support to primary and secondary school staff to enhance the wellbeing of students from refugee backgrounds.  Please contact QPASTT for more information about training that is offered or see the training page. 

QPASTT is particularly interested in working with School Management, to assist with implementing a ‘Whole of School approach to supporting students from refugee backgrounds’. More information here.

More resources here.

Resources for Families

The ‘Inspirational Stories’ Package

The project was coordinated by QPASTT and funded by Brisbane City Council and was designed to assist newly arrived parents from refugees backgrounds who would like to hear stories from other parents in their own language, about what they have experienced whilst raising children in Australia.  Eight transcripts are written in English and accompany the ‘Inspirational Stories’ CD with stories recorded in English, Kirundi, Dari, Karen and Arabic. Download the transcripts here.

It is hoped that by listening to the stories of others about their struggles, inspirations and ideas, parents can feel comfortable to share their own stories and discuss issues that are affecting them.  It is hoped that the stories will encourage parents to learn from each other and feel more confident about being a parent in Australia. Contact QPASTT for a copy of the CD.

Raising Children in Australia - A resource kit for early childhood services working with parents from African Backgrounds (2007) comprises a guide for early childhood services working with parents from African backgrounds; and a DVD for parents from African backgrounds with young children (in 10 languages). Call FACSIA on 1800 050 009 to order your free copy.

Safe Communities for Children

Multicultural Development Association have developed a range of resources for migrants and refugees about child safety in Australia.  The resources are in five languages, and provide information to parents about the range of issues that arise from the interface between culture and child safety.

The resources are available as fact sheets on MDA’s website, as well as in booklet form and on DVD. 

Hints and Tips; 'Looking After Yourself' – A Multi-Lingual Resource CD contains 14 information sheets which are the result of practical coping strategies that QPASTT clients have indicated are useful and also suggestions that we have noted in our work with survivors of torture and trauma. This Multi-Lingual Resource CD (available in 5 languages including English, Arabic, Bosnian, Dari and Farsi) is an important resource for service providers and clients and is available in 5 languages. The material was collated by Lois Whiteman in collaboration with the Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre and Queensland Health.

'Hints and Tips' Information sheets:

  • What is trauma?
  • Anxiety, fear and panic
  • Headaches and Pains in the body with no apparent cause
  • Flashbacks, intrusive distressing thoughts and memories
  • Anger, revenge and other strong emotions
  • Depression and feelings of hopelessness or meaningless about life
  • Grief, loss and mourning
  • Feelings of self blame, guilt and shame
  • Yoga
  • Post traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Natural Therapies
  • Creative Therapies in counselling at QPASTT
  • Counselling

CDs cost $44 for QPASTT members and $55 for non-members and can be ordered by completing the QPASTT Order Form.

Reading Resources

The following is a list of useful reading resources, both books and websites, that provide information on issues and themes relating to refugee experiences.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers:

Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org/en/counter-terror-with-justice)
Austcare http://www.austcare.org.au/

Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture  http://www.ccvt.org/
Department of Immigration and Citizenships – fact sheets on government processes regarding refugees.   www.immi.gov.au

International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) http://www.irct.org/
Multicultural Mental Health Australia -  http://www.mmha.org.au/

Refugee Council of Australia - analysis of Australia’s management of refugees. http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/index.html

United Nations High Commission for Refugees - statistics & online access to ‘The State of the Worlds Refugees’ www.unhcr.org.au/basicdef.shtml

US Committee for Refugees – detailed background information on refugee producing countries at bottom of World Refugee Survey Page.  www.refugees.org

World Organisation against Torture (www.omct.org)

 

Recovery from Torture & Trauma:

Assessment & Treatment of Complex Trauma @ http://www.traumacenter.org/products/pdf_files/DESNOS.pdf

Trauma & Recovery – From domestic abuse to political terror – Judith Herman, Basic Books 2001


Trauma Stress – Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body & Society – ed Bessel A van der Kolk, Alexander C McFarlane & Lars Wisaeth, The Guildford Press 1996

David Baldwin’s Trauma Pages www.trauma-pages.com – Comprehensive resource with original articles, links and background material.

Multicultural Mental Health Australia www.mmha.org.au – ‘Cultural Awareness Tool’ Translated health information.

Multicultural Health Qld www.health.qld.gov.au/multicultural - Resource directory and cultural awareness guidelines including Islamic Handbook.

Health Translations Directory www.healthtranslations.vic.gov.au – Searchable links to various health resources in many community languages.

The Body Remembers – The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment   - Babette Rothschild, W & W Norton & Company Inc 2000.

YOUTH Resources- The Refugee Mental Health interagency group compiled this  Table of Youth Services 2009, a resource directory for youth with a recent refugee background.