Working therapeutically in an educational and employment setting – using a holistic inter-services approach

Survivors of refugee trauma can find it very challenging to engage in education and economic participation in settlement. This paper outlines the Support, Skill and Connect Program that was designed and piloted in 2015 by the... [ view full abstract ]

Survivors of refugee trauma can find it very challenging to engage in education and economic participation in settlement. This paper outlines the Support, Skill and Connect Program that was designed and piloted in 2015 by the Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT) in collaboration with TAFE Queensland Brisbane. The program sought to address the gap in effective service responses for adults of a refugee background who had been in Australia for more than 6 months but continued to have low levels of English language and literacy, as well as limited social and professional connectedness.

The program used both a micro and macro approach by working with individuals, groups and the employment and education systems. It had two primary aims:
- To strengthen the confidence, resources and social connectedness of adult English language students from refugee backgrounds thereby enhancing their capacity to recover from their past traumatic experiences and engage within an employment and vocational context; and
- To work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to enhance their capacity to effectively respond to individuals and families affected by torture and trauma.

The evaluation of the program has shown positive psycho-social outcomes for the participants. This has included increased levels of social connectedness, reduced learning barriers and increased confidence in understanding and navigating employment and education settings and systems. Working on a macro level with relevant stakeholders proved challenging but pivotal to the outcomes. The positive outcomes of the program highlights the critical role of inter-services approaches in responding effectively to the need of refugee survivors of torture and trauma.