Promoting emotional well-being

For young refugee children, the experience of fleeing their home and managing the transition into a new country with an unfamiliar language and culture is challenging.

Refugee children and their parents have left countries that have armed conflicts and human rights abuses and have sought safety and protection in the UK. They may have endured difficult journeys to arrive here. Some refugee children may have experienced bereavements or may be separated from a primary carer and other family members. Refugee families may also be vulnerable to stressful circumstances in the UK such as financial hardship, changes of accommodation and neighbourhood, tensions at home, racism and negative attitudes towards refugees.

Young refugee children are often very resilient despite their experiences. Early years educational settings play a key role in helping them to adapt to the changes they have experienced. Attending an early years setting and having opportunities for play and enjoyable learning activities can restore daily structure for families and a sense of normality and stability. It is therefore essential that children and families are supported in accessing early years settings and services.

Early years settings play a key role in the vision set out in Every Child Matters: Change for Children . One of the five outcomes of which is Being healthy: Enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle. The foundation stage curriculum also has a major part to play in ensuring that the social and emotional needs of young children are met. One of the six areas of learning is personal, social and emotional development .

Good practice

Through play, safe and enjoyable activities and pastoral care, early years educational settings can promote the emotional well-being of refugee children.

Understand individual children’s experiences and needs

It is important to avoid generalisations about refugee children’s experiences and instead aim to develop an awareness and understanding of each individual child’s needs. Effective admission and induction into early years settings can ensure that new children and families are properly welcomed and feel safe. They can also help early years practitioners sensitively gain an understanding of a refugee child’s background and current family situation, and i dentify any difficulties that children and families are encountering.

Guidance on developing effective admission procedures can be found on the QCA Pathways to learning for new arrivals website.

Support parent and families

If parents are coping well with their situation, and are able to provide love, care and support, it is likely that children will show more resilience and positive coping. When parents are emotionally vulnerable or experiencing difficulties, it is important to ensure that they receive appropriate support. Early years settings are well placed to ensure that parents and families are supported with wider needs. The parental involvement and family learning and multi-agency working areas of this website provide further information and guidance.

Liaise with health visitors and other local services

Early years practitioners will find it helpful to make links with health visitors and other professionals working with refugee families. In some cases early years settings may wish to discuss concerns about a child with parents and other professionals. Together a decision can be made about whether a referral is necessary and which local service might be the most suitable place for a child to receive extra support. Health visitors will usually be aware of the range of local primary care and mental health services available. The promoting healthy development area of this website provides further guidance and information.

Promote learning and well-being through play

Some refugee children have missed out on play. Normal educational and play opportunities may have been unavailable in countries where there has been armed conflict and persecution. In the UK, children living in temporary accommodation, such as hostels and bed and breakfast, may not have enough space to play safely.

Play has an important role in helping children settle into their new environment. For refugee children it provides therapeutic opportunities to make sense of the world, gain confidence through positive interaction with peers and through exploring their environment. Children can express fears or relive anxious experiences in controlled and safe situations.

Some refugee parents may not understand the importance of play in a child’s development. Newly arrived families may also have missed information about play and child development that other parents may have received from health visitors. Some early years settings organise meetings about promoting children’s learning though play for particular groups of parents, providing interpreters if they are needed. For further guidance see:

QCA Pathways to learning for new arrivals Play

Playwork Unit in SkillsActive provides support for early years practitioners.

Suppliers of multicultural toys and dolls to support play activities include:

Positive Identity

East-West Education

Parrotfish Company.

Develop the use of circle time

Circle time activities can help children express themselves and develop skills of empathy and listening to others. Establishing ground rules to create a safe, relaxing environment can increase the confidence of children to share feelings and experiences.

Circle Time for the Very Young and Enhancing Circle Time for the Very Young provide a wealth of strategies and activities for practitioners working with 3 to 7 year olds.

Quality Circle Time provides a range of resources and activities for early years settings.

Use storytelling and puppetry

Many traditional and modern stories explore themes such as conflict, changes in life circumstances and bereavement. These stories can be shared in storytelling sessions. Children can learn about how others have responded to changes and challenging experiences. Sharing stories about loss and bereavement help children who have experienced such life events to see that they are not alone or different.

Letterbox Library supplies a range of books on issues such as bereavement, refugees and bullying.

Puppetry can also be used as a creative medium to engage young children. As well as developing communication skills, puppets can also help children explore feelings and experiences.

Help children make friendships

Refugee children have identified that making new friends in schools and early years settings is a key factor in avoiding being isolated and feeling left out. Helping children to develop the skills to welcome, befriend and help new arrivals will benefit the new child as well as developing important social skills in the befrienders. The positive relationships and friendships area of this website provides guidance. For further guidance see:

Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) resources provide guidance, including for the foundation stage, on helping children to develop positive friendships and relationships.

Oxfam Cool Planet provides a lesson plan, ‘A special friend’, that aims to get children to talk about what makes a friend, what friends do for each other and how to be friendly to new children in the class.

Develop opportunities for creative development

Creative development is one of the six areas of learning which form the basis of the foundation stage curriculum. Creativity is fundamental to successful learning. Being creative enables children to make connections between one area of learning and another.

Art, music and drama are areas that can offer particular support to young refugee children. Most children can express themselves in paint and other media. The creation of artwork or a piece of music can boost self-esteem and allow children whose English language is limited to express themselves non-verbally. By releasing tension and having fun and enjoyment, children can often cope better and show resilience. Sports and games will also help children develop their language and social skills.

The QCA Pathways to learning for new arrivals website provides further guidance on Creative development in early years settings.

Tackle negative attitudes and behaviour, including bullying

The early years are a critical period for learning and developing attitudes and behaviour. Early years settings have a responsibility to ensure that all children feel safe and secure, including young refugee children and their families.

All maintained nursery schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy and should monitor whether refugee children are experiencing bullying or negative attitudes and behaviour. The Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) resource provides ‘Say no to bullying’ materials for use in the foundation stage.

Don’t suffer in silence the Department for Children, schools and Families (DCSF) anti-bullying website provides access to a range of resources.

Anti-Bullying Network the Scottish Executive offers teachers, parents and young people the opportunity to share ideas about how bullying should be tackled.

Information and support on bullying can also be found:

BBClic .

The celebrating diversity area of this website provides further guidance on countering stereotypical and discriminatory thinking with early years practitioners and young children.

Case study

Supporting emotional well-being through play (.PDF)

Hackney Playbus is a mobile community development and play resource that operates from a double-decker bus, which has been fully converted into an under fours' play facility. The case study describes how the Hackney Playbus Homeless and Refugee Families Project supports the emotional well-being of homeless refugee families through play activities, and advice and support to parents.

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