Safe space in a new place: Finding homes for refugee children
Contents
A guide for fostering and supported lodgings for Refugee children
Children arriving in the UK need a safe, caring place to call home. Somewhere they can settle for a few weeks, months or sometimes years as they take steps towards rebuilding their future.
They are just children.
They arrive here from often incredibly traumatic situations – fleeing from war, persecution, violence and civil unrest. Some have been trafficked, many exploited as they made their way here. These refugee children arrive without parents or family to look after them. As a result, these children have emotional, cultural and practical needs – but you could be the one to help them reclaim their childhoods.
Supported lodgings
Supported lodgings is offering a place in your home to a teenager who has been in care or who arrives in this country with no family or safe place to stay. These children need support in a new country, in new surroundings. They could well be afraid or alone in the UK, uncertain of what the future now holds. As these children are older, they will be working towards having more independence. This means that you will be able to pass on life skills – such as cooking, home maintenance and basic financial advice – helping them to gain skills for independent adult life.
Download the You Can Foster guide to fostering supported lodgings for refugee children (PDF, 7MB)
“To see that smile on the children’s faces, to make a positive difference to their lives and put them on the right path- that’s what motivates us”
Foster carer
Refugee Child's journey
Children arrive in the UK from often incredibly traumatic situations – fleeing from war, persecution, violence and civil unrest. Some have been trafficked, many exploited as they made their way here. These refugee children arrive without parents or family to look after them. As a result, they may have emotional, cultural and practical needs – but you could be the one to help them reclaim their childhoods. They need a safe place to call home. They need to know that there is someone there for them. You could provide that safe space in a new place. They want to be in education or training, and you can be there to prepare them for the future and support them on their journey to independence.
“ It does not matter which part of the world they are from, children are children”
Foster Carer
Training and Support
You will be supported to access specialist training to look after refugee children and are always on hand to support you as you need. We’ll also give you information on the child’s legal status and any steps that need to be taken as well as their background, so you can understand their situation and what has happened to them. The training is commissioned to specialise services including facilitators with lived experience of migration.
The training offer ranges from understanding the experiences of these children during their journey to the UK, to good practice in supporting separated children when they arrive here. The Northwest Regional Strategic Migration Partnership mailing list also shares daily updates about upcoming training for carers and practitioners.
“It’s the best job that I have done. It’s so personal that the difference you make in the children’s lives and to their future”
Foster Carer
Get in touch
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who are refugee children and why do they
need our support?
A: Refugee children are children or teenagers
who have arrived in the UK without their parents or family. Often, they have
arrived after fleeing desperate situations in their home country, such as war,
persecution, violence and civil unrest. Some of the countries these children
come from include Sudan, Iran, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Syria. Their
parents may have sent them to the UK for safety. Or sadly, their parents may
have died, leaving these children as orphans.
All children deserve a safe, secure place to
live. They have a right to education, to make friends, to feel part of a
community, and to build the networks that can help them in the future. We need
foster carers and supported lodgings hosts – new and existing – to come forward
and provide that safe space for as long as these vulnerable children
need it. It may be days, weeks, months or years, but these carers can make such
an incredible difference to children and teenagers in that time. We’re asking people to offer their home as
a refuge at a time of crisis and uncertainty, in a place that is strange and
unfamiliar.
Q: How old are the refugee children that need
a safe place to call home?
A: The
children who need a safe, caring place to call home are usually teenagers. They’re of the age where they will be in
education, training or employment. Sometimes, a younger child may need foster
care.
Q: Where are their parents?
A: These children leave their country of origin
for various reasons, including war and violence. For some their parents have
been killed in the war and they flee. Others may become separated from their
parents during their journey to seek safety. And some parents will have stayed
in their country of origin, encouraging their children to travel alone to seek
safety elsewhere. Some children will still have contact with their parents back
home, but unfortunately some lose contact or have missing family members.
Q: What is ‘supported lodgings’?
Supported lodgings is offering a place in your
home to a teenage who has been in care or who arrives in this country with no
family or safe place to stay. These children need support in a new country, in
new surroundings. They could well be afraid or alone in the UK, uncertain of
what the future now holds. As these children are older, they will be working
towards having more independence. This means that you will be able to pass to
life skills- such as cooking, home maintenance and basic financial advice- helping
them to gain skills for independent adult life.
Q: What if I don’t speak the same language as the child?
Some of the refugee children speak a little
English, some don’t speak any. It’s good to learn some phrases in their language to make them feel at
ease if you can. But language need not be an issue. These children can still
experience stability and safety, even with a language barrier. You can use
translation services and tools and we will support you to find a way to
communicate with a child in your care so you can help them learn about life in
the UK, make friends and settle into education. As a rule, these children are
determined to learn English and watch films, television programmes and YouTube
videos in English.
Q: What if I’m not the same religion as the child?
Matching is completed with the best interest of
the child and we make sure they’re included in the matching process. You don’t need to be of the same religion or cultural background as the
child, but it’s
good to find out a bit more about their culture and beliefs. Having this
conversation with the child can be a good way to bond too- sharing your
experiences and explaining how it may be different in the UK. As for foster
carers you will have access to support and training around meeting the
religious and cultural needs.
Some children thrive better in a non-religious
match placement, so not speaking the same language or following the same
religion is not a barrier to placement matching. Placement stability and making
sure they feel safe and supported has a higher priority.
Q:Can I foster refugee children if I have my
own children and/or foster children?
Yes! Lots of our foster carers find that their
experiences have really helped them to support their foster children. They have
had some great successes and learnt from the challenges- all of which foes
towards giving children a good start in life.
Q: Will I receive training/support to look
after refugee children?
Yes! We will provide specialist training to look
after refugee children and are always on hand to support you as you need. The
training is commissioned to specialise services including facilitators with
lived experience of migration.
The training offer ranges from understanding the
experiences of refugee children during their journey to the UK, to good
practice in supporting refugee children when they arrive here. Do enquire with
the North West Strategic Migration Partnership team for any upcoming training
for carers and practitioners.
Q: I would like to become a foster carer/ Supported Lodgings host, what
should I do?
Fill in this enquiry form (hyperlink) and
our recruitment officer will be in touch with you.
Q:
What if I still have questions about this recruitment campaign?
Please contact the lead Project Manager – [email protected] – and
you will be supported with any further questions you may have.