In your current school role you can support students of refugee backgrounds to recover and experience wellbeing and achievement at school. School’s In for Refugees (SIFR) provides resources to empower you to do so. SIFR is based on Foundation House’s Trauma Recovery Framework.
Trauma recovery involves the ability to live in the present without being overwhelmed by the consequences associated with past traumatic events. Recovery is a vital goal for students and families who have survived refugee experiences and are settling in Australia. SIFR helps you to:
- Appreciate young refugees’ experiences, including disrupted schooling.
- Understand how refugee trauma impacts children’s and young people’s schooling.
- Apply a whole-school approach to support students of refugee backgrounds.
Our support offerings
Foundation House is here to help you support students of refugee backgrounds. We’re funded by the Victorian Department of Education and Training and have worked with more than 400 Victorian schools over the past decade – including government, Catholic and independent schools.
We offer the following services free of charge:
Our workshops provide teachers and other school staff with practical skills and resources. You can request a Professional Learning Workshop here.
Our School Support Officers can address specific questions school staff may have regarding supporting their students’ engagement, learning and wellbeing at school, and supporting their families. Consultations may be one-off or on-going, as required. To request a consultation email EducationandEarlyYears@foundationhouse.org.au or call (03) 9389 8900.
Our Child, Youth and Family Program counsellors provide services for students and families of refugee backgrounds as well as asylum seekers. To make a referral, call (03) 9389 8900.