Popular in Professional

Business

The Allegory of the Favela: The Multifaceted Effects of Socioeconomic Mobility

University of Pennsylvania Leandro S. Pongeluppe

Architecture

Connecting Cities and Nature

University of Virginia Timothy Beatley

Human Rights Law

Human Rights and Corruption: Problems and Potential of Individualising a Systemic Problem

Max Planck Institute Anne Peters

Finance

Chinese Exchange Rate Policy: Lessons for Global Investors

University of California San Diego Michael Melvin

Law

A statistical approach to law school citation rankings

University of Virginia Joshua Fischman

Education

Firm Performance Pay as Insurance against Promotion Risk

Stockholm School of Economics Alvin Chen

Generating Workspace...

Export as PDF

This video is a transcription of a discussion regarding the experiences of young asylum seekers, particularly from Albania, navigating the UK asylum process. The primary focus is on a research project titled "Lives on Hold, Our Stories Told," which examines the lived experiences of these individuals and how the asylum system impacts their mental health, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key points include:

1. **Trauma**: The research defines trauma as harmful or life-threatening experiences, distinguishing between pre-migration trauma (experienced in the home country), migration journey trauma, and post-migration trauma (experienced in the host country, particularly due to the asylum process).

2. **Impact on Mental Health**: The findings reveal that the asylum process can exacerbate existing trauma and lead to mental health issues, especially among young people. Challenges such as the lack of knowledge regarding rights, legal complexities, delays, uncertainty, language barriers, and social stigma can contribute to feelings of isolation and re-traumatization.

3. **Participatory Methodology**: The research employed a participatory methodology involving peer researchers to gather insights directly from asylum seekers, allowing them to share their experiences and contributing to the development of trauma-informed guidelines for improving the asylum process.

4. **Guidelines and Recommendations**: The recommendations emphasize the need for compassionate and humane treatment of asylum seekers, establishing trust, providing cultural sensitivity, and implementing trauma-informed training for professionals working with vulnerable populations. Organizations should also change their cultures to be more supportive rather than hostile towards asylum seekers.

5. **Broader Implications**: The discussion underscores the harmful trend of anti-immigration sentiment in the UK and Europe, advocating for a better understanding of asylum seekers’ needs and the realities they face.

Overall, the research highlights the importance of trauma-informed practices and the need for systemic change in how asylum seekers are treated within the UK asylum system.

Language:

Export as PDF

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

00:00.185 --> 00:01.405
Our project.

00:01.495 --> 00:05.525
There were actually two that looked at the, experiences,

00:05.625 --> 00:06.685
the lived experiences

00:06.945 --> 00:10.365
of young asylum seeking people from

00:10.605 --> 00:12.725
Albania, in the uk.

00:12.745 --> 00:14.485
So how they experienced the asylum

00:14.485 --> 00:15.805
process, the asylum system.

00:16.705 --> 00:19.725
And, the first project was called Lives on Hold,

00:19.905 --> 00:20.925
our Stories told,

00:20.985 --> 00:23.925
and that was led by my colleague Helen Starford at

00:23.925 --> 00:24.965
Liverpool University.

00:25.265 --> 00:27.165
But we were a team of academics.

00:27.345 --> 00:30.965
And, we looked at how covid in particular

00:31.585 --> 00:34.605
has impacted the asylum claims of,

00:35.015 --> 00:37.125
young people seeking asylum in the uk.

00:37.465 --> 00:39.405
And one of the main findings from

00:39.405 --> 00:42.125
that project was the mental health dimension.

00:42.145 --> 00:46.685
So how both covid, but also the whole asylum process.

00:46.825 --> 00:51.045
The asylum system can, cause trauma

00:51.545 --> 00:56.005
and can re-traumatize, particularly young people and,

00:56.025 --> 00:57.805
and unaccompanied migrant children.

00:57.945 --> 01:02.525
So we work with a group of, miners and,

01:02.525 --> 01:05.285
and young people aged between 16 to 25.

01:05.945 --> 01:09.045
And as I said, one of the key findings from that project,

01:09.215 --> 01:12.885
which was called, lost Lives on Hold, our stories told,

01:13.345 --> 01:17.085
was that, the asylum process, here

01:17.185 --> 01:21.085
and the asylum system overall, has significant

01:21.645 --> 01:24.765
damaging mental health implications for, asylum seekers.

01:25.025 --> 01:29.165
We continue that research by focusing on, on,

01:29.335 --> 01:31.405
conducting research, just trying

01:31.405 --> 01:34.805
to understand which particular aspects

01:34.945 --> 01:39.245
and processes of the UK asylum system,

01:39.455 --> 01:43.645
cause trauma, or are we retraumatizing the,

01:43.655 --> 01:45.885
young people seeking asylum in the uk.

01:45.945 --> 01:49.605
And trauma refers to an event or series of events

01:49.705 --> 01:53.325
or circumstances, that are experienced either

01:53.425 --> 01:57.725
by an individual or a group of people that are described

01:57.725 --> 02:00.725
as being harmful or life threatening.

02:01.425 --> 02:05.565
And in our research, we looked at, psychological trauma.

02:05.995 --> 02:10.685
Okay. So, how, certain events, processes

02:11.225 --> 02:14.165
are damaging for the mental health of people.

02:15.385 --> 02:20.205
Um, and, I would say that when we talk about trauma

02:20.545 --> 02:22.285
and the asylum process or,

02:22.345 --> 02:26.485
or, asylum seekers more generally, we just need

02:26.485 --> 02:29.325
to differentiate between different types of trauma.

02:29.825 --> 02:33.605
So there is trauma that occurred in the country of origin,

02:33.865 --> 02:37.445
so pre-migration trauma, and that's why they are refugees

02:37.445 --> 02:39.005
or asylum seekers, particularly

02:39.005 --> 02:40.765
because they're fleeing persecution,

02:40.945 --> 02:42.325
war conflicts on so forth.

02:42.955 --> 02:45.445
Then there can be trauma that occurs

02:45.825 --> 02:47.405
during the migration journey.

02:48.675 --> 02:51.355
So as they travel, different countries, obviously,

02:51.385 --> 02:54.115
seeking sanctuary and, and protection.

02:54.735 --> 02:57.315
And then the third type of trauma is the one

02:57.315 --> 02:59.965
that occurs in the, the receiving country

03:00.265 --> 03:01.325
or the host country.

03:02.185 --> 03:04.525
And in our case, we looked at, at the uk

03:05.265 --> 03:08.805
and, so this is called the post migration trauma

03:09.065 --> 03:11.925
or the post migration stress, mental stress.

03:12.705 --> 03:16.565
Um, and in our case, what we found was that,

03:17.345 --> 03:20.365
trauma is particularly caused by

03:20.395 --> 03:23.725
what happens in the host country or the receiving country.

03:24.225 --> 03:27.405
So these populations, they already arrive

03:27.675 --> 03:30.045
with a certain amount of trauma and, and,

03:30.045 --> 03:31.165
and mental distress,

03:31.585 --> 03:36.005
but how they are received in, in the, in,

03:36.085 --> 03:39.085
in the country that should provide them with, sanctuary

03:39.105 --> 03:41.245
and protection makes it even worse.

03:41.345 --> 03:45.605
So it, it further compounds their, their,

03:45.655 --> 03:48.525
their mental trauma, their psychological trauma.

03:48.825 --> 03:52.285
In our case, we looked at how trauma

03:52.825 --> 03:57.165
is experienced within the asylum process, the asylum system.

03:58.385 --> 04:02.365
And, what I would say is that one of the key findings,

04:02.365 --> 04:04.365
particularly that we work with a group

04:04.365 --> 04:06.685
of Albanian asylum seekers, is that

04:07.145 --> 04:10.795
how someone experiences trauma is very much

04:11.555 --> 04:15.075
culturally shaped and influenced, mainly

04:15.075 --> 04:16.835
because people, obviously,

04:16.865 --> 04:19.635
they were brought up in different places,

04:19.945 --> 04:22.155
non-Western context, let's say.

04:22.975 --> 04:25.715
Um, and the experience of trauma

04:25.775 --> 04:29.675
and how they talk about trauma is very much shaped by their,

04:30.175 --> 04:31.675
the cultural norms

04:31.815 --> 04:35.155
and practices from their, home country as it were.

04:35.575 --> 04:39.235
So, for instance, we know that in the Albanian culture,

04:39.255 --> 04:41.235
people don't talk about mental health

04:41.235 --> 04:42.755
because a sign of weakness.

04:43.055 --> 04:47.795
And, and, particularly men, they, they, they,

04:48.015 --> 04:50.595
if, if they talk about trauma, they are perceived

04:50.595 --> 04:52.075
as being, as being weak.

04:52.775 --> 04:55.435
And, and, given

04:55.465 --> 04:58.075
that they have this macho culture type of approach,

04:58.495 --> 05:01.355
we researched, this topic.

05:01.575 --> 05:05.995
So how the asylum, process can cause trauma, by

05:06.835 --> 05:09.395
engaging directly with the main beneficiaries

05:09.395 --> 05:10.715
that is asylum seekers,

05:11.215 --> 05:13.915
and particularly one of them, he worked with us

05:13.975 --> 05:15.235
as a peer researcher.

05:15.235 --> 05:18.275
So he was a research assistant on the, on the project.

05:18.935 --> 05:20.595
He was a former asylum seeker.

05:20.615 --> 05:22.995
He got a status, and then, he worked

05:22.995 --> 05:24.235
with us on the project.

05:25.135 --> 05:28.445
So again, here the focus,

05:28.545 --> 05:32.085
or the main objective is to capture that lived experience.

05:32.185 --> 05:35.565
So how they experienced, and,

05:35.625 --> 05:40.205
and by engaging them directly in research,

05:40.585 --> 05:42.245
we gave them voice and

05:42.265 --> 05:46.485
and agency just to share with them their own experience,

05:47.305 --> 05:49.285
in terms of how we work.

05:49.505 --> 05:52.365
So our research assistant, as I said,

05:52.485 --> 05:56.805
a former asylum seeker, he collected the data

05:57.275 --> 06:00.925
From a group of, Albanian asylum seekers.

06:01.145 --> 06:02.365
Uh, he did interviews,

06:03.065 --> 06:06.805
but we also used, workshops where we,

06:06.805 --> 06:10.245
brought together, both the asylum seekers,

06:10.305 --> 06:12.765
but also the, the, some of the stakeholders

06:12.785 --> 06:17.405
and practitioners to also, get their views about,

06:17.745 --> 06:19.245
the asylum process

06:19.465 --> 06:22.045
and those instances that can be traumatic.

06:22.585 --> 06:25.605
So the lived experience according to practitioners and,

06:25.605 --> 06:27.085
and social workers, for instance,

06:27.105 --> 06:30.205
but also the lived experience of, of the main beneficiaries

06:30.205 --> 06:34.005
that is the, the asylum seekers, themselves.

06:34.865 --> 06:38.405
Um, and I would just mention here the,

06:38.545 --> 06:43.125
the participatory methodology is very, rewarding

06:43.545 --> 06:47.075
and, and, provides very

06:47.605 --> 06:48.755
insightful data.

06:49.585 --> 06:53.875
However, you need to factor in the time

06:54.135 --> 06:56.075
to build that trust relationship,

06:56.555 --> 07:00.915
particularly given the fact that these populations,

07:01.625 --> 07:04.355
they suffered, trauma.

07:04.575 --> 07:07.635
So they're still, some of them suffered with, PTSD,

07:08.055 --> 07:12.195
and they, they don't trust anyone, I mean,

07:12.655 --> 07:16.515
but, but again, when you conduct research

07:16.705 --> 07:20.675
with them about them, for them, they know

07:20.675 --> 07:24.515
that their inputs can really make a difference in practice.

07:24.535 --> 07:28.955
And, and obviously to change the policy, we found out,

07:28.965 --> 07:33.195
first of all, that there are specific, factors

07:33.695 --> 07:36.155
and processes that cause trauma,

07:36.335 --> 07:40.115
and they can re-traumatize, asylum seekers.

07:40.575 --> 07:42.635
So for instance, when they arrive, the lack

07:42.635 --> 07:46.275
of knowledge about their rights, access to support

07:46.455 --> 07:51.435
and guidance, secondly, the legal complexities

07:51.745 --> 07:53.755
that are part of the asylum system.

07:54.015 --> 07:56.515
And given that they're already traumatized

07:56.615 --> 08:01.035
and in a very vulnerable, situation, they,

08:01.145 --> 08:04.075
they need someone to help them navigate the system.

08:04.695 --> 08:08.035
And, these are unaccompanied migrant

08:08.355 --> 08:09.515
children or, or young people.

08:09.655 --> 08:12.475
So, the fact that they're unaccompanied obviously

08:12.835 --> 08:13.955
compounds their situation.

08:14.745 --> 08:18.315
Thirdly, we also found out that, the delays

08:18.655 --> 08:21.675
and the uncertainty, underpinning

08:21.675 --> 08:23.555
that the UK asylum system,

08:23.845 --> 08:25.955
makes their situation even worse, mainly

08:25.955 --> 08:27.275
because they're stuck in limbo.

08:27.275 --> 08:28.675
They're just waiting for a decision.

08:29.695 --> 08:33.195
Um, and I would say finally,

08:33.405 --> 08:35.515
there is obviously the language barrier,

08:35.775 --> 08:37.555
so their English is not good.

08:37.865 --> 08:39.475
Obviously, if you don't speak the language,

08:39.575 --> 08:43.995
how are you supposed to, seek help and find help,

08:44.535 --> 08:47.235
and then social and cultural barriers

08:47.745 --> 08:50.155
that can cause stigma and isolation.

08:50.975 --> 08:54.835
And here I'm referring to the whole asylum system.

08:55.105 --> 08:59.045
So both in terms of, the home office of the, the,

08:59.045 --> 09:01.085
the immigration, system,

09:01.265 --> 09:04.885
but also access to social services, support,

09:05.035 --> 09:06.845
housing, so on and so forth.

09:07.105 --> 09:10.885
So we came up with a set of guidelines, a trauma informed

09:11.725 --> 09:14.245
practice guidelines for the asylum process.

09:15.025 --> 09:18.285
And these guidelines were co-developed

09:18.435 --> 09:20.245
with the young people themselves.

09:20.465 --> 09:24.085
So we, drew on their lived experience,

09:24.105 --> 09:27.405
and we drafted the guidelines, together w

09:27.515 --> 09:30.965
with this young people, we worked with, so for instance,

09:31.425 --> 09:35.205
the importance of building, trust relations.

09:35.345 --> 09:38.485
So in the uk there is a significant culture of,

09:38.905 --> 09:40.005
disbelief.

09:40.025 --> 09:41.765
So asylum seekers are not believed

09:41.765 --> 09:43.405
to be genuine asylum seekers.

09:43.985 --> 09:46.765
Uh, and obviously this has significant,

09:47.565 --> 09:50.685
negative consequences for someone's trust on whether they

09:50.685 --> 09:53.285
trust authorities, they trust,

09:53.785 --> 09:55.525
social workers, so and so forth.

09:56.425 --> 10:00.205
Um, secondly, promoting a humane approach

10:01.135 --> 10:04.445
based on compassion and empathy towards asylum.

10:04.865 --> 10:09.045
So treating these people as individuals

10:09.195 --> 10:10.485
with a story and,

10:10.545 --> 10:11.605
and with,

10:11.865 --> 10:15.965
having rights rather than just numbers in a system,

10:16.825 --> 10:19.565
giving voice agency and choice.

10:19.865 --> 10:24.445
So making sure that when, certain issues are decided

10:24.505 --> 10:26.365
for them, they are also consulted.

10:27.185 --> 10:32.085
Um, so the, the issue of, of agency, it's so important.

10:33.305 --> 10:38.085
Um, then we also know that, having

10:38.725 --> 10:40.165
cultural sensitivity

10:40.385 --> 10:42.485
and gender sensitivity as part

10:42.485 --> 10:44.765
of the asylum processes is so important.

10:45.105 --> 10:46.965
And this is linked to what I was saying earlier,

10:47.425 --> 10:51.725
how people experience mental health is very much culturally

10:51.745 --> 10:56.205
shaped culturally, influenced gender sensitivity,

10:56.205 --> 10:59.405
understanding that, female asylum seekers,

10:59.475 --> 11:02.765
they might have different needs, compared to say,

11:02.795 --> 11:04.165
male asylum seekers.

11:05.225 --> 11:08.725
And, finally, the awareness of mental health

11:09.025 --> 11:11.325
and trauma of, of asylum seekers.

11:11.345 --> 11:15.325
So if you are, an immigration officer,

11:15.535 --> 11:19.165
conducting an asylum interview with someone, if their

11:19.715 --> 11:23.565
account is not coherent, that may not be

11:23.565 --> 11:25.525
because they are lying, but that may be

11:25.525 --> 11:28.205
because of their mental health situation.

11:28.275 --> 11:30.885
Because we know, according to research,

11:30.885 --> 11:34.525
people suffering from PTSD, usually they are not in,

11:34.635 --> 11:38.005
they are incoherent in, in, in the way they tell stories.

11:38.305 --> 11:41.365
So if, if all the relevant professionals,

11:41.605 --> 11:43.885
particularly immigration officers, they know

11:43.915 --> 11:45.165
that those in front

11:45.165 --> 11:48.125
of them suffer from mental health issues, then that,

11:48.355 --> 11:50.445
that they should consider that in,

11:50.465 --> 11:52.885
in how they approach them. And then we

11:53.195 --> 11:57.805
Produce a set of specific recommendations that we think,

11:58.025 --> 12:02.085
all those relevant, institutions and,

12:02.085 --> 12:03.925
and organizations engaging

12:03.925 --> 12:06.445
with asylum seekers should consider.

12:06.495 --> 12:10.805
First of all, they should embed, trauma-informed,

12:11.065 --> 12:14.365
practice training in their processes.

12:14.825 --> 12:17.205
So if you work with vulnerable populations

12:17.275 --> 12:20.165
that suffer from mental health issues,

12:21.585 --> 12:26.045
so all those, professionals should get trauma informed

12:26.645 --> 12:30.285
training just to prepare them in terms of how to engage

12:30.355 --> 12:33.365
with, traumatized populations.

12:34.265 --> 12:37.645
Um, then once you have the training, secondly,

12:37.645 --> 12:38.965
there should be mechanism

12:39.105 --> 12:43.925
and structures put in place in order to monitor the,

12:44.385 --> 12:46.565
the extent to which this trauma informed

12:47.125 --> 12:48.845
practice is being pursued in practice.

12:49.235 --> 12:52.885
Okay, so how they are implementing this in practice.

12:53.785 --> 12:58.525
Um, thirdly, we think that, the trainers,

12:58.525 --> 13:01.165
those who provide trauma informed practice training

13:02.225 --> 13:04.445
should be those with a lived experience,

13:04.945 --> 13:08.645
so potentially asylum seekers who become trainers.

13:08.705 --> 13:12.685
So that lived experience is very important in,

13:12.995 --> 13:16.805
informing the training, how it is delivered and,

13:16.805 --> 13:18.165
and the content of the training.

13:18.505 --> 13:19.565
And I think finally,

13:19.945 --> 13:23.805
and this is I guess the, the very challenging one,

13:24.675 --> 13:27.885
organizations that work with vulnerable populations

13:27.885 --> 13:32.165
that suffer from, trauma traumatic experiences

13:32.745 --> 13:36.045
should change their culture, in order

13:36.065 --> 13:40.125
to obviously implement a trauma informed approach,

13:40.345 --> 13:42.485
to asylum and so on, so forth.

13:43.025 --> 13:46.805
Uh, because we know at the moment in the UK there is this,

13:46.945 --> 13:51.765
hostile environment that is being promoted,

13:51.905 --> 13:56.365
top down, anti-immigration policies,

13:56.495 --> 14:01.325
deterrence and certain, institutions,

14:01.525 --> 14:04.725
I mean, the home office being the main one,

14:04.875 --> 14:09.445
they have a very, it's, well, according to research,

14:09.505 --> 14:13.405
but also to our findings, they have a very hostile approach

14:13.915 --> 14:15.965
towards asylum seekers.

14:16.785 --> 14:21.645
Um, and what we recommend is that some

14:21.805 --> 14:24.445
of these institutions such as the home office,

14:25.075 --> 14:29.085
they should try and change their, their culture,

14:29.305 --> 14:32.285
the organizational culture in terms of how they engage

14:32.835 --> 14:34.845
with this, populations.

Understanding the Impact of the UK Asylum System on the Mental Health of Albanian Asylum Seekers**

00:00:00 - Our project. There were actually two that looked at the, experiences, the lived experiences of young asylum seeking people from Albania, in the uk. So how they experienced the asylum process, the asylum system. And, the first project was called Lives on Hold, our Stories told, and that was led by my colleague Helen Starford at Liverpool University. But we were a team of academics. And, we looked at how covid in particular has impacted the asylum claims of, young people seeking asylum in the uk. And one of the main findings from that project was the mental health dimension.
00:00:46 - The asylum system can, cause trauma and can re-traumatize, particularly young people and, and unaccompanied migrant children. So we work with a group of, miners and, and young people aged between 16 to 25. And as I said, one of the key findings from that project, which was called, lost Lives on Hold, our stories told, was that, the asylum process, here and the asylum system overall, has significant damaging mental health implications for, asylum seekers.
00:01:29 - conducting research, just trying to understand which particular aspects and processes of the UK asylum system, cause trauma, or are we retraumatizing the, young people seeking asylum in the uk. And trauma refers to an event or series of events or circumstances, that are experienced either by an individual or a group of people that are described as being harmful or life threatening. And in our research, we looked at, psychological trauma.
00:02:11 - are damaging for the mental health of people. and, I would say that when we talk about trauma and the asylum process or, or, asylum seekers more generally, we just need to differentiate between different types of trauma. So there is trauma that occurred in the country of origin, so pre-migration trauma, and that's why they are refugees or asylum seekers, particularly because they're fleeing persecution, war conflicts on so forth. Then there can be trauma that occurs during the migration journey.
00:02:51 - seeking sanctuary and, and protection. And then the third type of trauma is the one that occurs in the, the receiving country or the host country. And in our case, we looked at, at the uk and, so this is called the post migration trauma or the post migration stress, mental stress. and in our case, what we found was that, trauma is particularly caused by what happens in the host country or the receiving country. So these populations, they already arrive with a certain amount of trauma and, and,
00:03:31 - but how they are received in, in the, in, in the country that should provide them with, sanctuary and protection makes it even worse. So it, it further compounds their, their, their mental trauma, their psychological trauma. In our case, we looked at how trauma is experienced within the asylum process, the asylum system. And, what I would say is that one of the key findings, particularly that we work with a group of Albanian asylum seekers, is that how someone experiences trauma is very much

"Cultural Influences on Trauma Perception Among Albanian Asylum Seekers"

00:04:15 - because people, obviously, they were brought up in different places, non-Western context, let's say. and the experience of trauma and how they talk about trauma is very much shaped by their, the cultural norms and practices from their, home country as it were. So, for instance, we know that in the Albanian culture, people don't talk about mental health because a sign of weakness. And, and, particularly men, they, they, they, if, if they talk about trauma, they are perceived as being, as being weak.
00:04:55 - that they have this macho culture type of approach, we researched, this topic. So how the asylum, process can cause trauma, by engaging directly with the main beneficiaries that is asylum seekers, and particularly one of them, he worked with us as a peer researcher. So he was a research assistant on the, on the project. He was a former asylum seeker. He got a status, and then, he worked with us on the project. So again, here the focus, or the main objective is to capture that lived experience. So how they experienced, and,
00:05:40 - we gave them voice and and agency just to share with them their own experience, in terms of how we work. So our research assistant, as I said, a former asylum seeker, he collected the data From a group of, Albanian asylum seekers. he did interviews, but we also used, workshops where we, brought together, both the asylum seekers, but also the, the, some of the stakeholders and practitioners to also, get their views about,
00:06:19 - and those instances that can be traumatic. So the lived experience according to practitioners and, and social workers, for instance, but also the lived experience of, of the main beneficiaries that is the, the asylum seekers, themselves. and I would just mention here the, the participatory methodology is very, rewarding and, and, provides very insightful data. However, you need to factor in the time to build that trust relationship, particularly given the fact that these populations,
00:07:04 - So they're still, some of them suffered with, PTSD, and they, they don't trust anyone, I mean, but, but again, when you conduct research with them about them, for them, they know that their inputs can really make a difference in practice. And, and obviously to change the policy, we found out, first of all, that there are specific, factors and processes that cause trauma, and they can re-traumatize, asylum seekers. So for instance, when they arrive, the lack
00:07:46 - and guidance, secondly, the legal complexities that are part of the asylum system. And given that they're already traumatized and in a very vulnerable, situation, they, they need someone to help them navigate the system. And, these are unaccompanied migrant children or, or young people. So, the fact that they're unaccompanied obviously compounds their situation. Thirdly, we also found out that, the delays and the uncertainty, underpinning that the UK asylum system,

"Addressing the Challenges Faced by Asylum Seekers: Guidelines for Trauma-Informed Practices"

00:08:25 - because they're stuck in limbo. They're just waiting for a decision. and I would say finally, there is obviously the language barrier, so their English is not good. Obviously, if you don't speak the language, how are you supposed to, seek help and find help, and then social and cultural barriers that can cause stigma and isolation. And here I'm referring to the whole asylum system. So both in terms of, the home office of the, the, the immigration, system, but also access to social services, support,
00:09:07 - So we came up with a set of guidelines, a trauma informed practice guidelines for the asylum process. And these guidelines were co-developed with the young people themselves. So we, drew on their lived experience, and we drafted the guidelines, together w with this young people, we worked with, so for instance, the importance of building, trust relations. So in the uk there is a significant culture of, disbelief. So asylum seekers are not believed to be genuine asylum seekers. and obviously this has significant,
00:09:50 - trust authorities, they trust, social workers, so and so forth. secondly, promoting a humane approach based on compassion and empathy towards asylum. So treating these people as individuals with a story and, and with, having rights rather than just numbers in a system, giving voice agency and choice. So making sure that when, certain issues are decided for them, they are also consulted. so the, the issue of, of agency, it's so important.
00:10:38 - cultural sensitivity and gender sensitivity as part of the asylum processes is so important. And this is linked to what I was saying earlier, how people experience mental health is very much culturally shaped culturally, influenced gender sensitivity, understanding that, female asylum seekers, they might have different needs, compared to say, male asylum seekers. And, finally, the awareness of mental health and trauma of, of asylum seekers. So if you are, an immigration officer,
00:11:19 - account is not coherent, that may not be because they are lying, but that may be because of their mental health situation. Because we know, according to research, people suffering from PTSD, usually they are not in, they are incoherent in, in, in the way they tell stories. So if, if all the relevant professionals, particularly immigration officers, they know that those in front of them suffer from mental health issues, then that, that they should consider that in, in how they approach them. And then we Produce a set of specific recommendations that we think,
00:12:02 - and organizations engaging with asylum seekers should consider. First of all, they should embed, trauma-informed, practice training in their processes. So if you work with vulnerable populations that suffer from mental health issues, so all those, professionals should get trauma informed training just to prepare them in terms of how to engage with, traumatized populations. then once you have the training, secondly, there should be mechanism

"Implementing Trauma-Informed Practices: The Role of Lived Experience and Cultural Change in Asylum Support"

00:12:44 - the extent to which this trauma informed practice is being pursued in practice. Okay, so how they are implementing this in practice. thirdly, we think that, the trainers, those who provide trauma informed practice training should be those with a lived experience, so potentially asylum seekers who become trainers. So that lived experience is very important in, informing the training, how it is delivered and, and the content of the training. And I think finally,
00:13:24 - organizations that work with vulnerable populations that suffer from, trauma traumatic experiences should change their culture, in order to obviously implement a trauma informed approach, to asylum and so on, so forth. because we know at the moment in the UK there is this, hostile environment that is being promoted, top down, anti-immigration policies, deterrence and certain, institutions,
00:14:32 - they have a very, it's, well, according to research, but also to our findings, they have a very hostile approach towards asylum seekers. and what we recommend is that some of these institutions such as the home office, they should try and change their, their culture, the organizational culture in terms of how they engage with this, populations.

Faculti AI can make mistakes

Research

Policy

Analysis