The Oakley Foundation Grant to Refugees as Survivors NZ (RASNZ) is a greatly appreciated contribution towards our research programme. The research project completed, informs our future service provision to ensure we are providing the best possible support for clients from refugee backgrounds during COVID 19.
New Zealand research in the area of refugee mental health is limited. As a small specialist mental health NGO, we are very keen to contribute to the expansion of services for people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds and to increase an understanding of this population’s mental health and wellbeing needs.
During the COVID 19 lockdowns, RASNZ has had to switch from face to face therapeutic modalities to online tele-mental health services. This has provided an opportunity for us to learn more about reaching the communities we serve, and in particular our hard to reach clients, including solo mothers, older people, young people, and asylum seekers.
The funding has allowed us to research the challenges and benefits of working remotely with clients from former refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds. Most importantly, we have found that for many clients who have trouble accessing our service, online contact has been more convenient. We will continue to provide a remote service for our Auckland based clients and hope to expand our services to other parts of New Zealand where specialist mental health services for people from refugee backgrounds are not available.
The RASNZ COVID 19 response study summary and full reports can be found on the RASNZ website resource pages:
RASNZ COVID-19 Response study: Remote psychosocial service provision to former refugee and asylum seeker communities in Auckland during lockdown. (August, 2020).
Summary report: https://rasnz.co.nz/resources/
RASNZ COVID-19 Response study: Remote psychosocial service provision to former refugee and asylum seeker communities in Auckland during lockdown. (August, 2020). Full report: https://rasnz.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/RASNZ-COVID-19-Response-Study-2020.pdf
The reports are being disseminated to the following sectors:
- RASNZ Board and funders: CMDHB and MoH
- Available on the RASNZ website to stakeholder organisations, former refugee communities and sector contacts
- RASNZ Clinical teams, Cross Cultural Facilitators, Youth Teams and Family Services
- Refugee Resettlement Sector agencies including: Red Cross Refugee Services, Belong Aotearoa, Aotearoa Resettled Community Coalition (ARCC)
- Immigration NZ Refugee Services Branch
- The Mental Health sector including: the Mental Health Foundation, Te Pou o te Whakaaro Nui
- DHB Refugee Service Providers
- Asian, Migrant and Refugee research centres eg AUT Centre for Migrant and Refugee Research, University of Auckland, Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies (CAPRS)
- Ministry of Social Development- E Tu Whanau, Refugee and Migrant Services
- Ministry of Education- Senior Advisors: Refugee and Migrant Support
We wish to sincerely thank you for the support you have given us which has enabled us to complete the study and to gain valuable insights into how best to respond during COVID-19 to the children, young people, parents and adults who use our services.
- Annette Mortensen, Manager Research and Training, Refugees as Survivors NZ
