Our programmes
In 1997 AfCiC supported a school based mental health project for asylum seeker and refugee children in Hallfield School in London. In 2001 this project was expanded to 6 Oxford schools and became known as the Haven project. In 2002 a large piece of funding allowed the project to expand to schools in Leicester, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff. Over the next 3 years the project expanded further into schools in Hull, Liverpool and Rochdale.
The Haven Project
The The Haven Project operated in schools in areas with a significant number of refugees and asylum seekers. Working with an experienced Child and Adolescent Mental Health Professional, schoolteachers and the children's families, the project aimed to:
- Improve access to mental health services for asylum seeker and refugee children between 5-18 years old.
- Address the traumatized psychological state of those children identified as suffering from mental health difficulties by offering:
- Therapeutic intervention for urgent/serious cases for 3-6 months plus follow-up sessions where necessary.
- Support and consultation to teachers on how to help children in a classroom setting.
- Maximize the learning opportunities of asylum seeker/refugee children so that they can assimilate themselves into the educational system as smoothly as possible.
- Providing local health and education authorities with a model of partnership and good practice.
Beneficiaries
Treatment and/or consultation and support were provided for 30-40 pupils in each location each year. Therefore on average 300 pupils benefited from Haven services nationwide every year.
Please note: The information in this section is provided as archived AfCiC background material only. We do not currently direct any of our funding or resources to programmes in the United kingdom.
