Refugee Children’s Settlement Program
About the program
Young children born to refugee families have often experienced prolonged periods in refugee camps and exposure to inhumane conditions. Their parents are often recovering from trauma, grief and loss. This program reaches out to refugee children through home visits in the City of Yarra in Melbourne.
We help to meet children’s health, development and settlement needs by linking families with the appropriate services. To ensure children get the best out of these services, we can accompany and support them at appointments. The program operates from the Napier Street Child and Family Resource Centre.
Find out more about the approach of the program in the article In their own right (PDF file, 849 KB) published in Migration Action in 2008.
Who is eligible?
Children are eligible for the Refugees Children’s Settlement Program if they:
- are from a refugee background
- are under primary school age
- have been in Australia for less than five years
- are having difficulty accessing early childhood services
- live in public housing in Fitzroy, Collingwood or Richmond.
Features
The Refugee Children’s Settlement Program offers:
- help enrolling in kindergarten, child care and school for families unfamiliar with the systems
- occasional care and respite care
- assistance with attending medical appointments
- guidance on child development and parenting issues
- opportunities for children and their families to connect with their new communities
- help finding support for children with special needs
- support for children in mainstream early childhood services.
Partners
We acknowledge the following partner for its valuable contribution to the Refugee Children’s Settlement Program:
Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Help us improve
We welcome feedback. Please use the online feedback form.
Contact us
Brotherhood of St Laurence
Refugee Children’s Settlement Program
Napier Street Child and Family Resource Centre
134 Napier Street
Fitzroy Vic. 3065
Phone: (03) 9417 2578
Email: napierst@nullbsl.org.au