Risk Factors

Refugee children may have experienced one or more of the following:

loss of close family, especially the main carer
separation from family
bereavement and interruption of mourning rituals
suffering violence
witnessing killing and other atrocities
experiencing fear and uncertainty during flight
prolonged journeys through many countries

Their parents may be anxious, depressed and unable to respond to their children's needs, or may become more protective or authoritarian. This may be due to experiences prior to and/or during flight, or additionally due to stress factors in this country, such as:

unresolved asylum claims
high mobility
inadequate housing
poverty
need to learn English
health issues
lack of knowledge of bureaucratic systems
isolation and loss of support networks
difficulty in finding suitable work (refugees only, asylum seekers are no longer allowed to work)

Many things in the children's new life may be different, for example:

language
food and drink
the kind of home they live in
weather
TV programmes, radio, music, stories, books and toys
clothes
school and approaches to education
seeing their parents as vulnerable people

However, children are often very resilient and highly motivated to learn. Many schools have commented that the presence of refugee children has had a positive impact on the school community and enriched the learning environment. [1]

[1] See 'The Education of Asylum-Seeker Pupils' OFSTED 2003