Department of Human Services Southern Metropolitan Region Understanding the Client Experience: Refugees Settling Into the Austr

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Department of Human Services Southern Metropolitan Region Understanding the Client Experience: Refugees Settling Into the Austr Department of Human Services Southern Metropolitan Region Understanding the client experience: Refugees settling into the Australian culture April 2010 1 Published by Social and Community Strategy Unit Southern Metropolitan Region Victorian Government Department of Human Services Melbourne Victoria Australia April 2010 © Copyright State of Victoria, Department of Human Services, 2010. This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne If you would like to receive this publication in an accessible format, such as large print or audio, please telephone 9213 2424; 133 677 (TTY -National Relay Service) or email [email protected] 2 Table of contents 1. Background and aims.................................................................................. 4 2. Experiences and views of refugees ............................................................. 5 2.1 Lack of knowledge of the Australian culture and language barriers ................... 5 2.2 Cultural differences affecting use of services and community participation ........ 6 2.3 Importance of maintaining cultural identity ................................................... 7 2.4 Challenges facing young people ................................................................... 7 2.5 Challenges facing families ........................................................................... 9 2.6 Recommendations from people of refugee backgrounds................................ 11 3. Experiences and views of service providers who work with people from refugee backgrounds ......................................................................................... 11 3.1 Language barriers .................................................................................... 11 3.2 Need for culturally-sensitive service providers ............................................. 12 3.3 Racism and discrimination......................................................................... 12 3.4 Factors affecting the settlement of young people ......................................... 13 4. Experiences and views of non-Government organisations and researchers ……………………………………………………………………………………………………...13 4.1 Recognising the resilience and adaptability of refugees ................................. 13 4.2 Ensuring understanding of migration and acculturation processes .................. 14 4.3 Acknowledging the importance of developing social connections .................... 15 4.4 Establishing culturally competent services to improve mental health outcomes 16 5. Summary and recommendations............................................................... 17 6. Limitations................................................................................................ 19 7. References ................................................................................................ 21 3 1. Background and aims ‘The key to the success of Australian multiculturalism is inclusiveness. Every Australian benefits from our diversity and all Australians have the right to be active and equal participants in Australian society, free to live their lives and maintain their cultural traditions.’ 1 This literature review examines the issues that refugees may experience during their settlement into the Australian culture. The literature includes peer-reviewed journal articles, government publications and reports published by non-government organisations and individual researchers. In order to cover a wide range of ideas and perspectives, the review is divided into three parts: experiences and views of people from refugee backgrounds, experiences and views of service providers who work with people from refugee backgrounds, and experiences and views of non-government organisations and researchers. Through an exploration of these diverse viewpoints, the review is able to reach a holistic understanding of the issues facing people of refugee backgrounds when settling into the Australian culture. In this review, culture is defined as encompassing ‘values, perceptions, attitudes, language and learned behaviours, conditioned by a particular history and socioeconomic system’. 2 Culture is a particularly important issue to consider in relation to refugees, because refugees are by definition persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or social grouping. Due to this fear, they are living outside their country of origin and are unable or unwilling to return, often surviving in perilous conditions. 3 For refugees who have already experienced discrimination on the basis of their culture, feeling safe, accepted, protected and having a positive cultural identity are a vital part of successful settlement into the Australian community. Throughout Australia's history, refugees and migrants have found innovative ways to negotiate cultural differences and achieve successful settlement outcomes. Refugees arrive in Australia today from a wide variety of countries, and there is much diversity between their cultural groups and between the experiences of individuals. However, there also tend to be common difficulties experienced as refugees adjust to Australian life, which are compounded by traumatic experiences both before and during migration. 4 4 The term ‘integration’ is used frequently throughout this review to describe the experiences of refugees during settlement into the Australian community. Integration is only a concept, but can be defined as what happens when a person of one cultural background settles well into a new community which has a different dominant culture. 4 Integration, unlike the idea of assimilation, doesn’t assume that new arrivals should blend into the dominant culture, in a one-way exchange with a resulting loss of cultural identity. 4 Rather, ‘integration assumes there are multiple parts, identities, communities and so on that make up the whole society, and that new arrivals have been able to contribute and become active citizens of a cohesive and diverse community’. 4 Thus integration enables people of refugee backgrounds to be strong in their original cultural identity, while also identifying as belonging to the broader Australian community. Whether working with people of refugee backgrounds directly, or planning and implementing policies that affect their settlement experiences, it is paramount that the views and experiences of people from refugee backgrounds are understood and taken into account. This literature review regarding refugees’ experiences while integrating into the Australian culture will allow for a greater understanding of the issues involved, and through this, will inform the planning and delivery of services that aim to improve the health, wellbeing and settlement outcomes of refugees. 2. Experiences and views of people from refugee backgrounds Following a literature search, three Australian studies 5 6 7 8 were identified in which refugees were asked to describe their settlement experiences. One study 5 6 followed 120 young refugee people over a five year period and collected qualitative and quantitative data. The other two studies 7 8 interviewed 39 and 41 community members and leaders from the Sudanese and Afghan communities respectively. All three studies were conducted in Melbourne. From these three studies and other published papers, a diverse range of opinions and experiences were expressed by participants. However, the following key themes occurred through many narratives of the settlement experience. 2.1 Language barriers and lack of knowledge of Australian culture People of refugee backgrounds consistently expressed the strong desire to live peaceful and productive lives in Australia, 8 and many spoke positively about their first experiences 5 in the Australian community. For example, some spoke of their excitement of living in a safe country free from violence and discrimination,8 and their pleasant surprise at discovering the diversity and friendliness of the Australian people. 8 However, refugees also described their lack of knowledge of Australian culture prior to arrival, and a cultural orientation that was too short and rushed. 7 Along with the culture shock that occurs when living in a new country, 8 lack of knowledge about the Australian culture beforehand makes the settlement experience more challenging. Refugees’ unfamiliarity with Australian life was often compounded by low English proficiency, which made it more difficult to understand the new culture. 7 Different cultural norms can make it difficult to adapt to Australian expectations and systems. For example, processes for obtaining housing and employment may be quite different in their country of origin, where approaching the landlord or employer directly is more common. 8 For those who have had previous schooling, the education system may seem very different, 7 and laws can appear complex and may be applied more strictly than in the country of origin. 7 Refugees also spoke of the challenges of prioritising learning about the new culture, when other issues may be more pressing, for example obtaining stable housing and organising reunification with family who are still overseas. 7 2.2 Cultural differences affecting service uptake and community participation Many refugees explained that differences in cultural understandings could affect their uptake of community services. For example,
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