Children and Families Wellbeing Project
Yorkshire and the Humber
Child and Family Therapy, Support, Training and Consultation
Where is the service available?
Currently the service is available in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.
- Do you have refugee students who have arrived through the UK Resettlement Programme who are struggling emotionally, or to settle in?
- Are you working with parents who have concerns about how their children are settling in at school, or a particular child’s behavior?
There is therapeutic support available: for the child or young person, their family, and their place of education (all ages up to 19). This is open to any eligible child and family regardless of the severity of their symptoms (i.e. there is no lower threshold). Refer online here
For downloadable information – please see our leaflets:
We offer:
- Free specialist child and family therapy to refugee children and families who arrived as part of the UK Global Resettlement programmes. This includes individual, family and group work.
- Training for staff at schools and colleges and for case workers and other professionals in working effectively with trauma and the impact of forced migration.
- Consultation and support to develop strategies with families and in the classroom, as part of a wider network of support
All work will be either face to face or by audio or video link as appropriate.
Who should I contact?
Leeds: Philippa Kempe; philippa@solace-uk.org.uk
Wakefield: Azam Imani Azam@solace-uk.org.uk
North Yorkshire: Hernan Sosa-Canal; hernan@solace-uk.org.uk
Bradford: Anne Burghgraef; anne@solace-uk.org.uk
Kirklees and Calderdale: Amelia@solace-uk.org.uk;
Hull and Mid East Yorkshire: Gayle Clark; gayle@solace-uk.org.uk
Scarborough & North East Yorkshire: Rosemary Palmeira; rosemary@solace-uk.org.uk
Lincolnshire & South East Yorkshire Gayle Clark; gayle@solace-uk.org.uk
Any queries contact Clinical Director Anne Burghgraef; anne@solace-uk.org.uk
For people living in South Yorkshire, please find the support that is available by going to the Refugee Council, Children and Families Wellbeing Support page.
If you have any questions, or would just like to talk about a potential referral, please feel welcome to contact your local therapist as above before completing the online referral form.
General enquiries can also be sent to; Info@solace-uk.org.uk
Solace Office: 0113 824 6796
Make a referral to the Child and Family Wellbeing Project:
Before completing the form please ensure that you have discussed this referral with the child and their family and gained their permission to contact us.
The online referral form is designed for one child plus their family members. If there are other children that you are concerned about you can add them, and highlight them as being of concern.
You can save the referral at any point, and you should be able to return to it, as long as you are on the same computer and browser. As there is no log in faculty your work will not save across different platforms, so we recommend you aim to complete the form in one sitting.
There are a number of compulsory fields, which we require in order to process the referral. If you find that you cannot complete one of these and therefore get stuck please call us on 01134878360.
If your referral has been completed successfully you will get a message saying so and be returned to our website. If you don’t get this message it is likely that your referral has not gone through.
Once we receive your referral we will acknowledge it (within a few working days) and then a therapist will contact you to discuss the clients’ needs further.
Who is eligible for the project?
The project is open to any child or young person (up to age 19) and their family who has come to their UK with their family under the various resettlement schemes of the last five years, now combined as the UK Global Resettlement Scheme. This scheme offers direct resettlement to the UK for vulnerable families in refugee camps in intermediate countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. The majority of these refugees are from Syria, but significant numbers are also from Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq. If you are unsure, please check with the Resettlement Service in your local Authority whether they are part of this scheme as there are many refugees and asylum seekers from these countries who are not included.
Why this work is important:
Over the last 18 months we have worked with a wide range of resettlement families and schools and colleges throughout Yorkshire. We have seen the impact of resettlement and loss, and how hard it is for some families to integrate and for their children to make the most of the educational opportunities on offer. We have also seen what a positive effect talking to one of our specialist staff about their worries can have, and how families have regained a sense of purpose and mutual support. The effect has been noticed both in the family and in the young person’s place of education.
‘We have been given valuable insight and information to help us support a very vulnerable child. We have noticed that the child is becoming more settled and is able to access some learning.’
CFWP Evaluation 2020
Arabic Speakers – Hear from a mum who worked with Solace to support her family.
Signs of stress or trauma in a child or young person:
Case workers and school/college staff can be the first to identify symptoms of trauma and emotional stress in refugee children.
- Expressed feelings of guilt, panic or fear, easily startled
- Difficulties with concentration or exhaustion from sleep disturbances
- Changes in mood
- Aggressive behaviour or over-reactiveness
- Significant reluctance to talk about, or excessive preoccupation with traumatic events
- Social withdrawal and reluctance to engage with others or activities
- Feeling not understood or bullied by other children
Parents/carers may also report concerning behaviour at home to school staff or their case worker. If you are at all concerned, please contact your local therapist as above.
They helped with communication between the school, me and my family. They helped my son get back on track and helped him to understand what the school were wanting from him.’ (Refugee parent, CFWP Evaluation 2020)
