REFUGEE YOUTH, SOCIA L INCLUSION AND HEALTH KAREN BLOCK BVSC (HONS); BA (HONS); MPH SUBMITTED IN TOTAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY NOVEMBER 2012 MELBOURNE SCHOOL OF POPULATION HEALTH FACULTY OF MEDICINE, DENTISTRY AND HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE PRODUCED ON ARCHIVAL QUALITY PAPER ii ABSTRACT In recent years, refugees settling in Australia have come predominantly from countries that have experienced protracted conflict and consequent displacement of populations. Ensuing disruption to education and to family and social networks results in particular barriers to social inclusion for young refugees and there is a corresponding need for evidence-based policies and practices to support successful settlement for this population. Social inclusion is a key social determinant of health. Accordingly, this PhD research addresses the question: How can policy-makers and services promote positive resettlement experiences and social inclusion for refugee-background youth in Australia? Its overall aim is to contribute to a deeper understanding of the resettlement experiences of recently arrived refugee-background youth in Australia, and provide policy-relevant evidence to inform service provision for this population. This aim and research question entails the following further objectives: To review the existing evidence relating to issues of social inclusion, social connectedness, employment and education opportunities for young refugee settlers; To bring the voices of refugee-background young people themselves into the knowledge constructed around them; To use theories of social inclusion and social capital to inform understanding of their experiences; To assess the impact of a support program for recently arrived refugee youth on their resettlement experiences. The project comprised mixed methods evaluation research with young people aged 16 to 24 from refugee backgrounds, who were participating in an innovative intervention called Ucan2, designed to improve settlement outcomes for this group. The research focus is on experiences of resettlement; the mediating role played by social connections; education and employment experiences, aspirations and outcomes; and the impacts of program participation. Theories of social inclusion and social capital - along with Ager and Strang’s (2008) conceptual framework for understanding integration - are used to frame the investigation. Research methods included participant observation, social network mapping, demographic and wellbeing surveys, focus groups and individual interviews. Research findings indicate that young humanitarian entrants to Australia are generally resilient but face threats to wellbeing and inclusion associated with poverty, separation from family and difficulties encountered within unfamiliar education systems. The findings make a contribution to conceptual understandings of settlement experiences and demonstrate a compelling rationale for providing targeted and intensive support such as that offered by the Ucan2 iii program to young people during the early years of resettlement. They also add weight to recent calls for more flexible and expanded family reunion policies. DECLARATION This is to certify that I. the thesis comprises only my original work towards the PhD except where indicated in the Preface, II. due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other materials used, III. the thesis is less than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices. Signed _________________________________________ iv PREFACE This PhD project was nested within a larger evaluation of the Ucan2 program carried out by a research team from the McCaughey Centre, Melbourne School of Population Health. The team included Dr Lisa Gibbs (Project manager and my primary supervisor), Dr Deborah Warr (Research manager and co-supervisor), Elisha Riggs (Research Fellow primarily responsible for evaluation of the Ucan2 partnerships), and myself (Research Fellow and PhD candidate responsible for evaluation of the participant experience of Ucan2). Additional researchers affiliated with the project were Dr Dean Lusher (social network analyst) from the School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne, Lisa Gold (health economist) from the Health Economics Unit, Deakin University, and Maryanne Tadic (Master of Public Health student from La Trobe University who investigated the experiences of volunteers in the program). The PhD project comprised an exploratory research component of the evaluation to examine the experiences of the young refugee-background program participants and the impact of the program on those experiences. The Ucan2 program and the relationship between this study and the evaluation are described in detail in Chapter 4. The contribution of other researchers to the quantitative data analysis is also described in Chapter 4 as follows. Dr Dean Lusher carried out the statistical analyses of quantitative social network and subjective wellbeing data for this project. Dr Melanie Davern and Rosie Ashbolt (both from the McCaughey Centre, Melbourne School of Population Health) provided additional advice and assistance with statistical analyses. Development of the quantitative method for social network mapping (in which I took a leading role) was a collaborative process involving the whole evaluation team, which drew primarily on my interpretation and knowledge of the relevant theoretical literature and understanding of circumstances and practical constraints in the field, and Dr Lusher’s knowledge of social network analysis. A similar process was used to plan the analyses. I was solely responsible for all data collection, data entry and presentation of results and primarily responsible for interpretation of the findings. Apart from supervisory guidance and advice, the qualitative components of this research (including development of methods, data collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting) comprise my own work. Chapter 5 comprises a reflective analysis of ethical and methodological challenges - anticipated and unanticipated - encountered in the field, and explains the changes to methodology and methods that were made in response to these. The second section of the chapter is a summarised version of a multi- author journal article published in the Journal of Refugee Studies, entitled: Addressing ethical and methodological challenges in research with refugee-background young people: reflections from the field (Block, Warr, Gibbs, & Riggs, 2012). As first author, I wrote the complete first draft of the paper based on the work I conducted for this PhD. The other authors contributed to the project design (as v part of the broader evaluation); to discussions concerning adaptations to the methodology; and to shaping the final structure and wording of the article. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge all those people who have participated in, supported and encouraged me in this PhD project. Firstly, I would like most of all to thank the Ucan2 students who participated in the research. The courage, patience and humour with which many of these young men and women lead their lives is truly inspiring and it has been my absolute privilege to spend time with them and to share a little of their laughter, their tears and their hopes for the future. I am indebted and thankful to the Ucan2 staff for welcoming and facilitating this research and sharing their time, their collective wisdom and insights. Teachers, principals and support staff from schools and adult language programs, youth workers and managers from the Centre for Multicultural Youth, and Ucan2 project workers from Foundation House have all made valuable contributions to the project. Special mention must be made of the unflagging interest and input from Chris Pierson, Gillian Kerr, and Katherine Cooney of Foundation House. Their contribution of knowledge and expertise, during many hours of project meetings, classroom activities and informal discussions, as well as willingness to take up new ideas and embrace theoretical perspectives, have enriched my understanding of the field enormously and taught me the value of a genuine research partnership. I am immensely appreciative of the guidance and support of my supervisors Lisa Gibbs and Deborah Warr. Each has provided opportune and invaluable input and advice exactly when needed, while allowing me to find my own way when appropriate. I am also grateful for the encouragement to take up other opportunities that have arisen throughout the research journey and enriched the experience. I would also like to thank Tony Lamontagne for his help and input as the Chair of my Advisory Committee and Therese Riley and Julie Green for their early contribution to the project during the Confirmation process. Additional thanks are due to the many colleagues from within the McCaughey Centre and broader University community from whom I am always learning and who have provided support and encouragement throughout. I am particularly grateful to Dean Lusher, Melanie Davern, Elisha Riggs, Rosie Ashbolt, Colin Gallagher and Britt Johnson and to colleagues and fellow students in the McCaughey Centre post-graduate student group, writing workshops, Migration Studies group and Researchers for Asylum Seekers. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family – especially my fabulous partner and daughters, Chris, Rachel and Naomi - for their unwavering interest, care and support; not to mention reminders to continue to