1. Diana Karabinova Austrian Red Cross
Mental Health and psychosocial support during the Refugee crisis the Austrian experience
Diana Karabinova
Austrian Red Cross

2. Key issues in migration discourse related to mental health
Volunteer and forced migration
Legal framework of migratory context
Migration or mobility?
Asylumseekers and refugees
Demographic development of European population and Austria
Integration factors
Experience of hostility and discrimination on institutional and society level
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3. Numbers 244 millionen people worldwide on the move(UNO)
60 Millionen refugees – (UNHCR)
A very small number of the refugees are heading toward Europe
UNHCR: ca. 600 Millionen
40 Mil: Ursprung Afrika, 12 Mil Ursprung aus dem mittlerem Osten – Syrien, Irak, Afghanistan
Rest der Welt (Ostasien, Südamerika)
Nach Europa sind 2015
Etwa 60 Millionen Menschen sind weltweit auf der Flucht, die höchste Zahl, die der UN-Flüchtlingsrat jemals verzeichnet hat.
Nur ein kleiner Teil von ihnen verlässt das Heimatland, ein noch kleinerer Teil kommt nach Europa.
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4. Foreign nationals in Austria 20164
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5. Asylumseekers in Austria 2002-2015
Number of asylum applications
Zugriff um 11:08
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6. Austrian Red Cross Staff and volunteers 201 Volunteers 73.000
In ambulance service
In social and health services
Staff 8.252
Alternative civilian service 4.342
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7. Psychosocial Support in ARC
volunteers mainly paramedics but also homecare and other services
Psychosocial services
1200 PSS volunteers providing crisis intervention on a daily basis as part of ambulance system
500 peers
140 telefone support line
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8. Psychosocial Support
All helpers in ambulance service have training in Psychological First Aid
Specialized PFA/PSS teams (Crisis intervention, peers) have more and more specialized training can do more focused support
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9. Psychological First Aid (PFA)
Practical and emotional support given immediately after the crisis
Principles: Look, Listen, Link
Can be done by Red Cross volunteers/staff who do other forms of support like healthcare or medical or water and sanitation ....
Can be done by experts (PSS teams, all volunteers)
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10. Psychosocial Support (PSS)
PSS: umbrella term for many different interventions aiming and improving resilience and wellbeing
PFA
Advanced PFA /Crisisintervention
Psychoeducation (groups for refugees inhomes for asylumseekers)
PSS activities for children
Self help groups
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11. Summer of 2015: the largest refugee movement in Europe
From August 2015 more than persons have been in transit through Austria
They stayed in Austria between 24 and 36hours
In total Austria has around to places in temporary shelters for transit refugees, 75 to 80% of these are Red Cross shelters
These shelters were more like reception centers and adequate only for people who stay just for some hours
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12. PSS crisis federal management MHPSS actions taken
MHPSS Handbook on refugees for shelter managers and PSS crisis managers (translated and specially designed for refugee crisis)
Activity catalogue for children and adolescents (for CSF)
Activity catalogue for adults
Identification and strengthening of Entrypoints for PSS
PSS Training materials for helper training both for PFA and helper support
Organisation of federal training in culture sensitive approaches and stabilization techniques for MHP
Survey for all helper groups in all provinces asking for context factors, problems, needs, rewards, social support, stress reactions, sense of coherence feedback to provinces for planning of helper support
Best practice collection by interviews in order to allow for faster experience exchange between provinces
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13. Focus is shifting from crisis to everyday business
Austrian Red Cross is involved in asylum seekers care (basic care – Grundversorgung) in 6 federal provinces
Psychosocial support for asylum seekers could be planned and integrated in the concept
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14. generalsekretariat| migration
Danke für die Aufmerksamkeit!
generalsekretariat| migration