1. Service Innovation Program - Foundation House The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture is a NGO focused on the provision of psycho-social support to people arriving through the humanitarian settlement program. Foundation House provides this support in a number of ways – Direct service -short and long term support of individuals and families Systems change and development projects and processes Policy development and advocacy

2. Issues In Education – Young People from Refugee Backgrounds Foundation House maintains two strategies which work towards addressing the systemic barriers to young people from refugee backgrounds successful participation in the education systems. Refugee Education Partnership Project Ucan2 Both strategies have been developed with a targeted sub population approach

3. Place based or sub population approach Place based approaches to the design and implementation of interventions targeting new and emerging communities can be problematic in the early settlement period for a number of reasons – New arrivals have strong identification with ethnic community and relatively low identification with the local geographic community This is reinforced to a degree by the necessity for new arrivals to access specialist infrastructure that is increasingly not located in the local geographic community

4. The analysis that shaped the program Young people from refugee backgrounds arrive in Australia with significant disadvantage in relation to mainstream education and training as a result of – Exposure to war related trauma Long term disruptions to education or no formal education prior to arrival Parents with limited formal educations Average years of education for young people arriving under the resettlement program from Africa and Middle East – 4. 45% of new arrivals reported having lived in a refugee camp with 32% having resided in a camp for 10 years or more.

5. The analysis of the issue in post compulsory

6. Issues and analysis continued - Young people from refugee backgrounds cannot “catch up” on missed schooling using conventional education practice.

7. Social and Personal Development

8. The Intervention

9. The program has developed a specific curriculum and social support program which have been interwoven to address the psycho-social needs of students in learning environments.

10. A peer to peer based mentoring program has been developed to strengthen the support base and social context

11. A relationship has been established with a large corporate employer to allow for part time work to be made available to the participants as a means of broadening the classroom and to make education in terms of application real and immediate.

12. The Ucan2 program creates an environment through which systems of case management coordination can be developed. Cooperation between support functions can be increased and better outcomes achieved.

13. Governance Structure