Child Youth Health
Children and young people of refugee background, including people seeking asylum, can use most health and community services funded by the Victorian Government. These services include hospital services, community health services, the Refugee Health Program, torture and trauma counselling and catch-up immunisation. Victoria also has specialist health programs for people of refugee health backgrounds, including people seeking asylum.
For information about approaches to care for children and adolescents from a refugee background please see the Refugee Health Guide.
Referral
Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House)
Foundation House provides a range of specialist programs for young people from refugee backgrounds who have recently arrived in Australia, which have been developed in partnership with AMES Australia and the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY).
Visit
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Centre for Multicultural Youth
The Centre for Multicultural Youth is a not-for-profit organisation based in Victoria, providing specialist knowledge and support to young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.
Visit
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Orygen Youth Mental Health
Based on evidence and best practice, Orygen programs address gaps in youth mental health services, embrace mental health, alcohol and other drugs, primary care and educational services.
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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provide specialist mental health treatment and care to children and adolescents up to 18 years of age.
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Referral
Royal Children’s Hospital — Immigrant Health Service
Immigrant Health Service provides a comprehensive approach to physical and mental health for children and young people who arrived as refugees or seeking asylum. The service is free of charge for all refugee and asylum seeker children.
Visit
Resource
Building belonging: A toolkit for early childhood educators on cultural diversity and responding to prejudice
‘Building Belonging’ is a comprehensive toolkit of early education resources which includes an ebook, song with actions, educator guide, posters and lesson plans. It is focussed on encouraging respect for cultural diversity and tackling racial prejudice in early childhood settings.
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The Early Childhood Access and Participation Project: Talking with Chin Families from Burma about Early Childhood Services
This guide describes a model that encourages dialogue between
early childhood service providers and families from refugee backgrounds.
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Nutrition for Refugee Children: Risks, Screening, and Treatment
Paper on paediatric refugees and their increased risk for growth and nutritional deficits.
Visit
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Department of Education: Supporting students from refugee backgrounds
Schools play a key role in supporting students from refugee backgrounds, particularly during the first few years of their settlement in Australia.
Find out about Refugee education supports and Professional learning and resources.
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Resources for schools to support multicultural youth
Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) has a range of resources that can be utilised by schools for teacher professional learning, for in-class work or to share directly with students and families.
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Forced Marriage: A Good Practice Guide
This Good Practice Guide provides an introduction to the issue of forced marriage and essential information to assist frontline workers to respond effectively to a young person at risk.
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Inclusive Organisations: A guide to good practice strategies
Inclusive Organisations provides a framework that organisations can utilise to improve their engagement with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds and enhance good practice across their services and programs.
Visit
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The health and human rights of children in immigration detention
Report to the Australian Human Rights Commission
Monitoring Visit to Wickham Point Detention Centre, Darwin, NT
October 16th – 18th 2015.
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Story Book: Donkeys can’t fly on planes
This is a collection of 25 true stories of survival written by young Sudanese refugees who have found a new home in Australia.
Visit
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Developmental Assessments for children (Immigrant Health Service- RCH)
Developmental assessment in refugee/asylum seeker children can be complex, requiring an understanding of second (or later) language acquisition, language transitions in relation to development, the impact of forced migration, trauma, and settlement, and support services available.
Visit
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Foundation House Webinar: Supporting Early Years to School transition for children and families from refugee backgrounds during COVID-19
What strategies can be used to support children and families from refugee backgrounds to make a successful transition this year and into 2021? This webinar will look at what some early years services and schools have done to adapt their transition programs for the current COVID-19 situation.
Find out more
Resource
Supporting Early Years to School transition for children and families from refugee backgrounds during COVID-19—Foundation House
Visit