Dewi Cooke; 19/7/08
The settlement needs of young refugee children require immediate attention to stem the family and social dysfunction that can occur later in life, early childhood and welfare workers say. A forum hosted by the Brotherhood of St Laurence yesterday heard that some kindergarten and preschool-aged children are arriving in Australia so traumatised that they acquire severe emotional or developmental issues that hamper their settlement. In other cases, young children who learn English faster than their parents will often become default interpreters for their family, exposing them to adult “concerns and anxieties” and placing them under undue stress.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/national/hard-road-for-child-refugees-20080718-3hm4.html
Tags: Australia, Migrants & Refugees