Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. As a community sponsorship volunteer you must be alert to safeguarding concerns so that you are able to recognise, respond and report in a timely, efficient manner. The following video, developed by Reset, provides specific guidance on how to talk to families about safeguarding. The Reset Safeguarding Awareness E-Learning is available for all…
Articles tagged with: Children
Useful links | Mental Health
ESOL Childcare Fund
As you welcome and support families into your communities, one of the key areas of focus will be the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes. Adult members of the family are required to attend eight hours of ESOL classes per week. We realise that physically attending these classes isn’t always easy – and…
Experts by Experience: Rawasia and her experience of resettlement
Navigating resettlement as a teenager can be full of extremely difficult challenges, including losing friends, losing your education and losing your home. On top of this, you are contending with starting a new life in a host country you may not feel at home in, or feel wanted in. This has been Rawasia’s experience, one…
Supporting refugees to access mental health support
‘In many ways, mental health is just like physical health: everybody has it and we need to take care of it.Good mental health means being generally able to think, feel and react in the ways that you need and want to live your life. But if you go through a period of poor mental health…
Understanding the emotional journey of refugees
It’s easy to assume that a refugee’s trauma has ended once they have been resettled in a new country. However, this isn’t always the case. Stages of trauma frequently include the following and need specific approaches and tailored support for each stage: Before migration: Persecution, possible torture and/or imprisonment, war, violence, economic hardship, loss.During migration:…
Understanding children and young peoples mental health
The children within the family that you will sponsor may have experienced distressing or traumatic events. Adapting to a new country, including a new culture, language and school, can be challenging. Understandably, some children may need support with their mental health. Support services may be available through local charities, the child’s school or the NHS….
Divorce and separation
Like with any relationship, problems can arise for everyone no matter where or how you have been living. This is including for those who have been forced to flee their homes and are displaced. We have heard of situations where, after arrival to the UK, newly resettled refugees have experienced a marriage breakdown. There could…
Education in Scotland
All of the children in the family you welcome are entitled to access education when they arrive in Scotland. They are automatically entitled to the same provision as a Scottish child. The Local Authority will determine how to assess the support required for children who need language support and are 16 and over. There will be…
Empowering refugee children
When Community Sponsorship Groups begin supporting resettled families, if there are children in the family, they appear to be highly adaptable; they learn English quickly and the younger they are, the faster they seem to settle into a new environment. However, it’s important for Community Sponsorship Groups to remember that moving to a new place, away…
Experts by Experience: Adjusting to the English education system
As part of our Experts by Experience project, we interviewed Khadeja who was resettled to North Devon in 2017 with her husband and three young children, about her and her children’s experience in adjusting to the English education system. In addition to this resource, Khadeja has produced a guide to the English education system for newly arrived parents…
Experts by Experience: Starting at a new school
As part of our Experts by Experience platform, we interviewed Ghazala and her family who were resettled to the UK through Community Sponsorship. Watch the below video to hear them talk about their experience of starting a new school. WARNING: This video contains flashing lights. Viewer discretion is advised. Preparing Families for the British education system…
Experts by Experience: The maternity experience of a Syrian mother
Giving birth in a country where you are unfamiliar with the systems and processes, where you don’t speak the language, and where you aren’t surrounded by family and friends is a daunting experience for any family. Mirvat, who was resettled to the UK in 2021 through Community Sponsorship, sat down with us to talk through…
How groups can support families experiencing bullying
This resource has been produced for community sponsorship groups who may need to support refugee families who are experiencing bullying in school. It has been produced in collaboration with the Anti-Bullying Alliance who are a coalition of organisations and individuals that unite against bullying to create safer environments in which children and young people can…
Preparing Families for the British education system
Although all schools, Community Sponsorship Groups, parents and children are different, there are many similarities in the way in which school impacts on all families in the UK. Whilst Community Sponsorship Groups will have identified those within the team who have experience in education to prepare schools and support a family, it is important to…
Refugee women and postnatal mental health
We know that 12-20% of women will experience mental health difficulties like depression and anxiety during pregnancy and during the first 2 years of their baby’s life (the postnatal period), and refugee women are at an even increased risk of developing postnatal mental health difficulties. The associated stress, uncertainty, and trauma of the refugee experience may…
Safeguarding E-learning
Our Safeguarding Awareness E-Learning is available for all Community Sponsorship group members. This training course has been designed for Community Sponsorship groups preparing to welcome a refugee family. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. As a community sponsorship volunteer you must be alert to safeguarding concerns so that you are able to recognise, respond and report in a timely,…
Supporting Families with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Refugee Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) Reset asked Dr Andia Papadopoulou, a Clinical Psychologist, to put together the below resources in order to provide some information about Special Educational Needs in the Community Sponsorship context. Refugee children like all children may have special needs of all kinds such as physical, neurodevelopmental, behavioural and learning…
Understanding maternity care in the UK
Community Sponsorship groups have supported many families that continue to grow after being resettled to the UK, with babies being born after resettlement. Although this is often happy news for the family, it can be bittersweet in the absence of their extended family network. You cannot replace family, nor should you try, but you can…
Working with schools
If the family you support have school-aged children, you will need to help them register their children in local schools within the first two weeks of arrival as part of your sponsor obligations. When you wrote your application, you will have researched the school registration process. However, once you know the make-up of the family,…
In country cultural training
All refugees arriving through the Community Sponsorship programme will receive preparation training in their country of asylum prior to arriving in the UK. This training is run by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), takes place across 3 days and is delivered through a variety of methods. You will find it useful to understand what the family…