Parenting in resettled refugee families

Parenting experiences and needs in refugees and asylum seeker families resettled in the UK

There are many families across the world who are forced to leave their homes and countries due to conflict. The refugee journey does not end following immediate displacement from conflict. Resettlement in a host country can be stressful as families have to get used to a new way of life in a new culture as well as coping with traumatic events and distressing experiences that may have occurred prior to resettlement. Raising children in a new culture may present specific challenges and accessing support and the right kind of support may be difficult.

We conducted a study to find out about refugee and asylum seeker parents' parenting experiences since leaving their home country due to conflict and resettling in the UK. We are trying to find out what types of challenges parenting in a new culture brings, what may have helped parents raise their children since resettlement and what type of parenting support parents would like. The findings of the study will provide us with a better understanding of what parenting is like for refugee and asylum seeker families and will help service providers design and improve parenting support provided to families.