Supporting refugee families
My City partnership with Imaginate
Men’s mental health group
SSSC award for Safe Haven
Our Safe Haven Project works with young people who are refugees and those who have been affected by trauma in their home country and in their journey to the UK. It works in partnership with Re-act Refugee Action Scotland, offering a weekly Syrian men's mental health group at the Thistle Centre in Edinburgh. By offering one-to-one support as well as therapeutic group support, we seek to:
- develop levels of safety and trust with the children;
- promote mental health, encourage integration and help men affected by trauma to settle into their new community;
- help the children to develop a sense of control over their lives;
- help parents to understand the effect of acute trauma on their children and support them to assist their children;
- support children and parents to access mainstream community groups and sports clubs;
- help children and parents to develop friendships with people from other communities.
"I am happy because I love going to school and I love my school."
In other words, we want to help families rebuild their lives and to develop a sense of stability, safety and trust so that they start to feel they can belong to their new community. The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) is committed to take 500 people (around 100 families) over the five-year period from late 2015, so we are conscious that there will be a high level of presenting need and an increasing number of referrals for these families for the next 3 to 4 years.
All families receive an in-depth assessment of need and risk, which will involve weekly family visits, discussions with school staff and City of Edinburgh Refugee and Migration team workers. Depending on the outcome of the assessment, we will offer a flexible service to address the most pressing needs within the family. This will include direct work with the children either within playrooms at our centre or within designated spaces within school settings.
In June 2018 the safe haven project was joint winner for the Scottish Social Services Award category 'Excellence in Children's Service'. You can view the film made for this award here.
To find out more about this service or to make a referral, please email Diline Abushaban or phone 0131 467 7052.
