Supporting child torture survivors

Health professionals and other sector staff need to be aware of agencies providing specialised care for child torture survivors. The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture has a specialist team for children and adolescents. They work in a variety of ways to enable children to manage their difficult experiences, for example through music, drawing, painting, dance, mime, drama, poetry and writing stories.

Refugee children under 18 can be unaccompanied and their separation from their parents and community may leave child torture survivors deeply isolated and especially vulnerable.

It is important that refugee children access mainstream education and services. Health professionals need to work with a variety of professionals across disciplines to:

• Provide opportunities for children to talk about their experiences over time
• Develop confidence and higher self-esteem
• Build friendships and a sense of belonging
• Tackle bullying and racism.

There is more information about ways of supporting children, including unaccompanied refugee children, in the children and young people (link to 0.5.4 ) and mental health (link to 0.4) areas of this website.  

 The Integration of Refugee Children: Good Practice in Educational Settings area of this website also gives useful information.