Refugee children : supporting families in transitions

The chapter will discuss the difficulties refugee families face in transitioning across countries, and how community support can enhance their experience. It begins with a brief introduction, followed by an explanation of transition framed within a 'transitional and life course' perspective. The challenges families with children experience are then described as this relates to resettlement, parenting, and children's transition to school. The chapter concludes with recommendations for policies and practices to benefit families and children. Throughout the chapter, the author draws on published literature and examples from ongoing research being undertaken with Professor Carol Reid, involving interviews with people working with refugee families and children in community hubs, early childhood, school, and community organisations in three Australian states. While these sources provide keen insights into the refugee experiences in Australia, the author acknowledges the absence of the active refugee voice and her positionality of 'outsider researcher', taking account of the insights generated by scholars exploring the sensitivities of the insider/outsider dive in migration research (Carling et al., 2014).