Culturally Reflective Casework Practice - Part 3 (of 3)

Summary

In this podcast, Janet explores the experiences of migrants and refugees, emphasizing the need for practitioners to be culturally reflective and prepared. She discusses the journey of refugees, the impact of their experiences on family dynamics, and the importance of understanding their protective behaviors. Janet also addresses systemic disadvantages faced by newcomers, such as language barriers and discrimination, and the role of professionals in providing support and accurate information to help them adapt to their new environment.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The podcast focuses on understanding the journey and experiences of migrants and refugees to better prepare practitioners to support them.
• 🧭 Janet emphasizes the importance of cultural reflection and understanding the different experiences that can influence families' functioning.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The 'three-step home transition' model is discussed to illustrate the journey refugees take from their home country to a new one.
• 🏡 Families have specific roles and rules that define their operations, which can be disrupted by migration and require adaptation in the new country.
• 🚫 In some cultures, discipline methods like withholding food are used, but the context and community response are different from Western practices.
• 🔒 The heightened sense of danger in refugee situations can lead to more protective parenting, which might be misinterpreted as overprotectiveness in the new country.
• 📉 The transition to a safer environment like Australia can lead to a shift from overprotective behaviors to more relaxed ones, but this adjustment takes time.
• 📚 There's a need for information and education for new arrivals to understand laws, social norms, and how various systems work in their new country.
• 🗣️ Language barriers are a significant challenge; using interpreters is crucial for effective communication and understanding.
• 🏢 Systemic disadvantages such as discrimination in employment and social interactions are prevalent and need to be acknowledged and addressed.
• 🌐 Practitioners have a responsibility to provide accurate information and cultural education to help new arrivals adapt and make informed decisions.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the podcast conversation?

The main focus of the podcast conversation is the journey and experiences of migrants and refugees who are new to the country, and how practitioners can better prepare to provide support and services for these clients.

What does Janet emphasize as important for practitioners?

Janet emphasizes the importance of practitioners becoming more culturally reflective and understanding the experiences that migrants and refugees may have had, which can significantly impact the functioning of families.

What is the three-step home transition model mentioned in the podcast?

The three-step home transition model mentioned in the podcast refers to the process of adjustment that refugee families go through when they arrive in a new country, which includes adapting to new cultural norms, systems, and ways of life.

How does the podcast suggest understanding the disciplinary practices of new arrivals?

The podcast suggests understanding the disciplinary practices of new arrivals by considering the cultural context and the reasons behind these practices, which often stem from a desire to protect children in situations of heightened danger.

What is the impact of the media on the perceptions of new arrivals?

The media can influence the perceptions of new arrivals by presenting negative stereotypes and stories that can scare parents who are already protective of their children, leading them to be overly cautious about their children's safety in the new environment.

What is the importance of sharing cultural norms with new arrivals?

Sharing cultural norms with new arrivals is important because it helps them understand what is considered polite or rude in the new society, reduces stress and anxiety from cultural misunderstandings, and aids in their integration process.

Why is language a significant barrier for migrants and refugees?

Language is a significant barrier for migrants and refugees because it takes time to acquire a new language, especially emotional language, which is critical for expressing oneself in emotionally charged situations such as family matters.

What systemic disadvantages do migrants and refugees face in their new country?

Migrants and refugees face systemic disadvantages such as language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, discrimination in employment, and prejudice from the community, which can make their integration into the new society challenging.

How can case workers assist new arrivals in adapting to their new environment?

Case workers can assist new arrivals by providing information about local laws, norms, and systems, helping them understand their rights and responsibilities, and connecting them with community resources to support their adaptation.

What role does the media play in shaping public opinion about refugees and migrants?

The media can shape public opinion about refugees and migrants by perpetuating certain beliefs and misinformation about their experiences and motivations, which can lead to a lack of compassion and understanding from the public.

Why is it important for practitioners to be aware of their own cultural beliefs and values?

Practitioners should be aware of their own cultural beliefs and values to ensure they are providing culturally sensitive and appropriate support to clients, and to avoid making assumptions or judgments based on cultural differences.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Cultural Considerations in Supporting Migrant and Refugee Clients

The first paragraph discusses the importance of understanding the journey and experiences of clients new to the country, particularly refugees. It emphasizes the need for practitioners to be culturally reflective and prepared to support these clients. Janet, a professional with experience in this area, highlights the impact of past experiences on the functioning of families and the importance of understanding the general journey of refugees. She also discusses the three-step home transition model and the importance of recognizing individual family dynamics and cultural practices.

05:02

👪 Overprotectiveness as a Response to Danger

The second paragraph delves into the concept of overprotectiveness among refugee parents, which is often a response to the heightened danger they've faced. It explains how this behavior is rational given their past experiences but can be misinterpreted in a new, safer context. The discussion includes the role of media in exacerbating parental fears and the importance of understanding the intentions behind protective behaviors. It also presents a case study of a Sudanese woman who had to adjust her parenting style after migrating to Australia.

10:04

🤝 Community Support and Adapting to New Roles

The third paragraph discusses the importance of community support and the role of cultural frameworks in parenting. It presents a case where a single mother from Sudan formed a support network with another single father to help navigate parenting in Australia. The narrative underscores the need for time and guidance to help parents adjust to new roles and cultural expectations. It also touches on the lack of awareness of potential dangers in the new environment and the role of service providers in educating and supporting new arrivals.

15:04

📚 Systemic Disadvantages and the Importance of Information

The fourth paragraph addresses the systemic disadvantages faced by migrants and refugees, such as language barriers and the need for extensive learning about new systems. It stresses the importance of providing information and being sensitive to cultural norms. The discussion points out the challenges in employment due to discrimination and the impact of media perpetuation of stereotypes. It calls for professionals to be aware of these issues and to actively seek the truth behind the stories of refugees.

20:04

🌱 Compassion and Support for Refugees

The fifth and final paragraph wraps up the podcast by emphasizing the need for compassion and support for refugees. It discusses the misconceptions about refugees' motivations for migration and the importance of understanding the true nature of the refugee process. The paragraph also highlights the personal experiences of refugees with racism and the need for professionals to be aware of and responsive to these challenges.

Keywords

💡Migrant

A migrant is a person who moves from one place to another, typically across national borders, to find work or better living conditions. In the context of the video, migrants are individuals who have moved to a new country seeking a better life, often facing challenges such as adapting to a new culture and language. The script discusses the journey and experiences of these clients, emphasizing the need for practitioners to understand and support them.

💡Refugee

A refugee is someone who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. The video script highlights the experiences of refugees, noting that their journey often involves heightened danger and the need for protection, which can influence family dynamics and their approach to parenting and discipline.

💡Cultural Reflectiveness

Cultural reflectiveness refers to the ability to understand and consider one's own cultural background and how it may impact interactions with people from different cultures. The video emphasizes the importance of practitioners becoming culturally reflective to better serve migrant and refugee clients, by acknowledging and respecting cultural differences in values, beliefs, and practices.

💡Overprotectiveness

Overprotectiveness is a term used to describe parents who are excessively protective of their children, often due to fear or anxiety. The script uses this term to describe how parents from refugee backgrounds might exhibit heightened protective behaviors as a response to past dangers, which can be misinterpreted in their new cultural context.

💡Child Protection

Child protection refers to the measures taken to ensure the safety and well-being of children, often involving government and community interventions. The video script discusses how child protection systems in the new country of Australia may interact with families from migrant and refugee backgrounds, and the importance of understanding cultural differences in parenting practices.

💡Interpreter

An interpreter is a person who translates spoken language from one language to another. The script stresses the importance of using interpreters when working with clients who have limited proficiency in the language of the host country, to ensure effective communication and understanding.

💡Settlement

Settlement refers to the process of establishing a new life in a different place or country. The video script discusses the challenges faced by migrants and refugees during the settlement process, such as learning about new systems and norms, and the need for support to navigate these complexities.

💡Norms

Norms are the customary standards, established practices, or social rules that exist in a society or group. The script mentions the importance of understanding Australian norms for new arrivals, as these can significantly differ from their home country's norms, leading to confusion and potential misunderstandings.

💡Prejudice

Prejudice refers to preconceived opinions or judgments about others, often based on stereotypes and biases. The video script discusses the prejudice that migrants and refugees may face in their new country, which can manifest in discrimination and exclusion, impacting their ability to integrate and find employment.

💡Trauma

Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that can have long-lasting effects on an individual's mental health. The script acknowledges that many refugees have experienced trauma in their home countries or during their journey to a new country, which can impact their ability to adapt and learn in their new environment.

💡Discrimination

Discrimination is the unfair treatment of people based on their social group, race, or other characteristics. The video script mentions discrimination as a systemic disadvantage faced by migrants and refugees, which can affect various aspects of their lives, including employment and social interactions.

Highlights

Importance of understanding the journey and experiences of migrant and refugee clients.

Need for practitioners to be culturally reflective.

Impact of past experiences on the functioning of families.

The three-step home transition model for new arrivals.

Understanding family dynamics and roles in the home country.

Cultural differences in child discipline and their implications.

The protective nature of parents in dangerous situations.

Adjustment challenges for parents in a new and safer environment.

The concept of overprotectiveness and its cultural context.

Importance of providing information to new arrivals about local norms and laws.

The role of community in supporting new arrivals.

Challenges faced by single parents adjusting to a new culture.

The significance of sharing cultural norms openly with new arrivals.

Language as a barrier and the necessity of interpreters.

Systemic disadvantages faced by migrants and refugees.

The role of media in shaping public perception of refugees.

The importance of compassion and understanding towards refugees.

Encouraging open dialogue about cultural norms and values.

The necessity to debunk myths about refugees and migration.

Transcripts

this is the third and last section of

the podcast and we are going to continue

with an exploration into the journey and

experiences of clients who are new to

this country how can we be better

prepared and able to provide support and

services for migrant and Refugee clients

well Janet talks about the migrant

journey and her own experiences working

with new arrivals more importantly Janet

highlights what we as practitioners need

to consider and becoming more culturally

reflective

have a

listen the other broad area that we can

prepare for is around what are some of

the experiences people may have had and

how can that influence them and that's

when we start getting into you know

information about uh have they had a

refugee experience have they had a

migration experience and that had can

have a significant impact on the

functioning of the families what

actually is that Journey for for many

refugees coming into this country in

training you mentioned a kind of a a

three-step home transition new home

could you kind of paint a picture of

that but I I guess you know in a general

sense and we use you know as I said

before generalizations can be really

helpful for guiding us and then we need

to go specific for the client that's in

front of us so we always have to take

generalized information in the context

um of people will have their own

specific Journeys but in a general sense

uh I think most families everywhere in

the world if you sit down with them

they'll be able to tell you this is the

way we operated as a family in my home

country when it was all operating well

when there wasn't war and confusion this

is how we operated these were our roles

um these were our rules and this is the

way we related to children and if people

um didn't obey those then these this is

the system we had to step in whether

that was a formal system so you know

obviously I work in the area of child

protection so you know we have a very

formalized system in Australia where

it's government uh in most countries

elsewhere it's a very informal system so

to give a an example uh in a workshop

that I ran with some new arrivals we

were talking about what sort of forms of

discipline do you use with children and

one of them said oh we withhold food and

then we went on to talk about well what

systems are there if you go too far so I

said well let's go back to the

withholding food are you withholding

food for a week are you withholding food

for and the person looked at me

horrified said one meal like one meal

they go to bed without any food I was

like right okay well what would happen

if someone with held food for a week and

they said well the elders would come in

their leaders the the sister who lived

next door and they would take the child

talk to the parent and and until they

were prepared to basically do it a

different way they would look after the

child and so it's actually you know

we're not that different when you get

down to that below the iceberg stuff

that our our worlds are that we want

children to be safe we want them to be

happy and most people even though the

Line in the Sand might be in a different

place as to what's acceptable and when

have you gone too far and our systems of

resp responding to that might be

different they might be informal or

formal those systems are

there but what can happen for families

is particular with the refugee

experience they're often placed in a

transition phase and that can be you

know up to 10 years kids can be born and

half grown in a refugee camp and you

know in those situations parents are

faced with heightened danger so they're

having to protect their children in

situations where the danger is so much

greater now if if you follow that logic

what would you do as a parent you'd

become more

protective um your strategies for

ensuring that your children listen to

you might become stronger and U more

heightened that's understandable I think

they're being protective parents so you

know their values their beliefs and

attitudes behind those behaviors are

that I can see there's a lot more danger

that I need to protect my child from and

I need to use whatever I can at this

point to make sure that my child listens

to to me and and is kept safe so there's

a heightened sense of danger there's

heightened levels of anxiety because

parents are having to um to be looking

out for danger all the time then they

come to Australia now the it's very

complex I think in terms of you know how

how you

assess uh and help families in Australia

but from you know from my experience and

talking to families there's two with

that you know highly protective behavior

in Australia that's often converted to

overprotectiveness which has a NE

negative connotation to it that parents

might be seen as overprotective if you

take it in the context of their Journey

it makes complete sense it takes a while

for a parent to readjust to a situation

when they've been in highly dangerous

situations for a long time it takes a

long time to be able to you know relax

and examples like I don't want my child

to go to school or or that hesitance

about who are your friends and and

things like that it makes perfect sense

in that context absolutely and if you

know if we talk about the power of the

media people might see the media and see

young people doing this young people

doing that and there's stories about

young people drinking too much and young

people uh having sex and blah blah blah

that will scare parents who are already

fearful you know they' they've been

highly protective parents have got their

children through exceptional

circumstances to keep them safe and they

want to continue keeping them safe it

makes sense so you know in terms of uh

Child Protection often what we talk

about is yes you might what's above the

water we see what discipline is

occurring um they're not it might be

that the uh they're using what we would

see as uh harmful physical discipline or

things like that but it's taken in the

context if you deep go beneath the water

often the intention of the parent will

be that they're trying to protect their

child from something and that's not to

say that then you walk away if the child

is being physically harmed but it helps

you the parent feels understood if you

understand where they're coming from and

there's more chance of Engagement and um

assisting that parent to adjust to a new

situation so we've got what we would

consider as overprotectiveness and that

needs to you know for some parents it

takes a while for that to come down for

them to feel safe

and for them to feel like their children

are safe then there's the other way

which is sometimes people get here and

they go oh thank goodness I'm safe now

I've got my children to a safe place I

can relax and you know I I worked with a

case once where uh there was uh a woman

from Sudan who had managed to get her

four boys all under the age of 10 to

Australia and she had um walk for 3

months while she was pregnant had a baby

on the way to get to a camping camp had

survived her time in Kenya in the camp

as a single woman with four young boys

which is just exceptional in terms of

her ability to protect her children and

got to

Australia and you know she sort of felt

like she had made it you know she had

finally she'd got her boys to a safe

place now it wasn't long before um I was

visiting her place one day and I walked

into the room and the little little boy

the 2-year-old was sitting on a stool

screaming blue Murder She was looking

stressed out of her brain and I I asked

her what what's happened what's going on

she said oh I've got to wait till he

stops screaming and then I can put this

stamp and it was a little smiley face

stamp and then when he's done that I I

stamp that piece of paper on the fridge

and I looked at her and said who said

you had to do that and she said oh this

woman came to my house and um she told

me to do this I said what woman was this

and I said have you got a card because

she didn't know who they were and she

had a a business card and I realized it

was one of the service providers who was

providing um parenting classes to people

who' been reported to the child

protection unit so I rang that person

and um they told me a little bit more

about how her boys her two older boys

had been found wandering out on the

streets uh at 10:00 at night and when

she when the mother had been interviewed

she she uh showed no

concern and um so they had referred her

for parenting uh lessons because she had

said that there there was nothing that

she could do about it so I sat down and

spoke to the client and you know it

emerged that basically she was like well

where is the danger like this is a just

country I've brought my boys to a just

country so you know I had to break it to

her that there are some not so nice

people in Australia and that you know

it's not entirely safe and so for the

boys to be walking around at that time

of the night it might not have been safe

so that was all news for her and then I

said so you know what can we do about it

and she said well it's not my role as a

mother to discipline my boys I'm here to

nurture them it would be their uncle

that would would do this job and all

through this you know she was she was

convinced that she was a bad mother that

everyone saw her as a bad mother this is

despite what we know about her journey

of what a great mother she was

and ears um and anyway so in the end to

cut a long story short the solution the

short-term solution was that there was

another gentleman in the community who

had a daughter who was a single father

and he was having similar issues in

terms of not knowing how to you know

respond to his daughter and so they

actually started to assist each other so

he would be the uncle for the boys and

she would be the aunt for the girls and

you whilst that was a short shortterm

solution because ultimately you know you

don't know where they're all going to

end up living bought uh

the the parenting agency some time to

then work with her to adapt to her new

role in Australia because ultimately she

was a single mom in Australia and uh she

was probably going to have to assume a

new role where she was going to have to

be more authoritative with her boys but

that was going to take time you can't do

that overnight if that's not the way

you've been been raised to be and it

takes a while to adjust so in the short

term it was a great

solution and it acknowledged that you

know you can adopt you can maintain some

cultural Frameworks um they're not all

bad that that actually is a really great

way of doing things when you've got your

community around but she hadn't seen the

dangers so she'd become under prototec

in our in our opinion you know and again

it's a negative assessment but how can

you

uh make a decision around protecting

your children if you don't if the

dangers are unknown to you and I think

that's another area is where people who

come to Australia from very different

circumstances may not be able to see the

dangers that are there they haven't been

raised in Australia to know that you

know people don't necessarily look out

for your kids you know it's not as

communal here so your nextdoor neighbor

may not watch out for your kids who

you've left at home in the apartment

apartment and the kids don't know them

and in fact they could even be someone

who could could cause harm to your

children they may not have considered

that if they're in a three-story

apartment that that could be dangerous

that they could fall over a balcony or

um burn themselves on the stove if

they've never had electricity before so

there's a whole lot of work that um case

workers and providers

can play a role in which is helping

people adapt and get the information

they need so that they can make those

informed decisions around when is my

child able to supervise their siblings

rather than just saying you can't have

your children supervising it's about

well you know every parent makes a

decision about at what age the older

sibling can stay at home and they make

it based on a whole lot of information

that certainly new arrivals may not

necessarily have in the first place

that's the message that resonates with

me is is that lack of information in our

assumptions again that as practitioners

it is our responsibility to provide

information and share um what it's like

for for new newcomers for new arrivals

well I think one of the great quotes

that this uh this particular woman uh

gave me at the time was after I'd sat

down and talked to her about all of that

and we talked about what are the laws

around

child abuse and what is considered

acceptable and what are the expectations

of parents she said this has just been

fantastic because up until now you've

expected me to play the game but no one

gave me the rules that you guys never

talk about your own culture you asked me

all about mine which you know that's

that's fine but I need to know what

you're thinking as well and you need to

be talking about that as well and I

think that's where our awareness comes

in that it's not only help for us to

know what our cultural beliefs and

values are it's also important for us to

talk about what they are in conversation

sharing with our clients so that they

can get a sense of what have they moved

into where where do our beliefs and

values

overlap where is there Divergence is

that Divergence going to be an issue for

them so that they don't get to a point

where you know they have something like

Child Protection turn up on their door

when it could have been a voided because

it's quite traumatic and if they've

already had a series of traumatic events

in their migration it's the last thing

you want is for families to be

re-traumatized by confrontational

experiences when it might have just been

that they needed the information to know

that okay well I can't use that form of

discipline here and I need to equip

myself with some new ones there is

obvious systemic disadvantage faced by

migrant and refugees in their new

country could you provide some examples

just in case we're not aware of of what

those may be uh I guess it is uh yeah no

I mean there's so there's so many really

I mean you know the obvious one is

language uh and I'm I'm often surprised

by the number of people who have not

used interpreters in their work because

certainly in the work that I did when I

was working with newly arrived refugees

I used interpreters in the council in

setting in the community development

setting in training settings it it was

just a non-negotiable and I think it's

critical that agencies are budgeting for

interpreting because it's about a

person's basic right to be able to

express themselves and it takes a long

time to acquire a language and emotional

language is the last thing that you

achieve and that can sometimes take

forever decades and some people may not

ever be able to connect at that deep

emotional level and you know most of you

will be working with families and when

you're talking about families that's

emotional you know it's the stuff that

really gets people's Um passion and you

know their Deep Emotions activated and

when those Deep Emotions are activated

it's very hard to express yourself in

English so if you want to understand

where parents beliefs and values are

coming from sometimes you need to use an

interpreter even if their conversational

English is fine an interpreter can

always be useful so I think that's

that's a critical thing that you know as

case workers you know it's advertised in

the waiting room that people can use

interpreters that you know maybe some of

your staff speak languages other

languages than English that you you

target your recruitment to the

communities that you're working with

that it's obvious that this organization

understand understands that we're

diverse and that we don't all speak

English as a first language so that's

probably one of the main things I mean

obviously with settlement there's a huge

amount of learning that people have to

do when they come to Australia uh you

know wherever whatever area you work in

is probably your priority that you want

people to understand I mean certainly

for us as uh people who work in child

protection we want people to understand

Child Protection Law what we need to be

aware is that they're also learning

about how does the school system work

how does center link work how does the

medical system work how do the road

rules work how does renting work how

does you know they're having to absorb

in a very short amount of time what

we've learned over a lifetime and when

we needed to learn it so we've been able

to take it in bite-sized people pieces

so we need to be aware that people are

taking on a lot that we need to keep it

on a needs to know basis really keep it

simple and be open to having the

conversation again and again uh because

certainly with trauma experiences as

well it's hard to concentrate and hard

to me remember things so acknowledging

that that's normal you know that it's

okay you can come back and I'll explain

it again letting people know that you're

open and you understand the experience I

I mean I talked a little bit about that

it's important that we're um familiar

that we share about what are the Norms

in Australia because it's not

necessarily written documents about the

laws um and what are the norms and you

know how do we relate what do we think

is polite what do we think is rude

because people know when uh they've got

heightened sense of awareness when

they've offended someone but they don't

understand why and they don't want to

offend people and it creates Stress and

Anxiety for new arrivals when they know

that they're offending people so we need

to be I think more open about uh what

are the Norms of in Australia and be the

people that they can ask those questions

of and I think you know there's

certainly other things in relation to

employment I've certainly heard of

people who uh change their names on

their job applications because they know

if uh they put their real name that they

won't get the job I've heard of people

that when they turn up to the job and

the person sees that they're black the

job is no longer available and that

happens to them over and over again so

it wasn't just a one-off coincidence so

um um you know being conscious that

there is a lot of prejudice and

discrimination in Australia that as we

discussed earlier the media perpetuates

a belief about who people are and I

think we are in a period where there's

uh there's a loss of compassion for

people who have experienced horrific

things and need our compassion at this

point in time and that has been

perpetuated by the media so and

misinformation about uh what the

experiences of those people are so I

think it is our responsibility as

professionals to go out and find out

what is the truth when we see something

on TV about uh how these people are

coming just to get a better life and

have an economic better future we need

to check out well what is the refugee

process if that was the case is that

true how many people are getting Refugee

visas who are coming on boats because

majority of people have been able to

fulfill all the aspects of the refugee

convention which means that they're not

just coming for a better life they are

fleeing persecution and as signaries to

that un convention and as a

compassionate society and a caring

Society I think those people need our

compassion yet we are being manipulated

I think to believe that they don't

deserve our our compassion and you know

that that's a significant thing for for

our clients and so we need to I guess be

conscious and support them through uh

those disappointing experiences they

will have that they will meet people who

are racist and have a lot of hate

towards them um I know of a woman who

you know was waiting at a bus stop for a

job interview she was going to a job

interview was all beautifully dressed up

and a car drove past and threw eggs at

her and she wasn't able to turn up at

the job interview because she was messy

and a and ashamed and frightened uh now

you can imagine what the person at the

other end oh well she didn't turn up for

the job interview unreliable etc etc um

yet that's her day-to-day life that is

what she experiences and that that was

upsetting for me to know that that's

what she experiences but I need to know

that's what she experiences because if I

don't know that I can't support her yeah

AB in

adapting and and on that note we are

concluding our very first podcast here

at the NGO Learning Center we'd like to

sincerely thank Janet for taking the

time out to talk to us about this really

important subject there's a number of

resources that can be downloaded from

the NGO Learning Center and we invite

you to share this information along with

this podcast to your colleagues and your

community thanks for listening and until

next time have a great

day