× EXIT Opening the School Gate | Ongoing support Addressing parent concerns about camps Many migrant or refugee parents fear for their child’s physical and emotional safety when they are away from home. They may be concerned about students missing class to participate in other learning environments, attending culturally inappropriate activities and the safety of girls in particular. While schools may want to adopt a holistic approach to developing children’s social, physical and academic skills, this may not be understood by parents in the same way. School camps are often of particular concern to parents. Some schools have tackled the problem by sharing more information with parents. Ensure any parent or community member attending a camp has completed a ‘Working with Children Check'. "In marketing camps to parents we highlighted the educational benefits ... Rather than simply talking about students making friends, doing physical exercise and forming better relationships with teachers, we thought of ways to include these messages within the context of educational attainment, which addressed parents’ key motivations ... We said that it was up to each family to decide what was best for their child, but we wanted to provide more information for them to make up their minds. Parents were shown photos so they could see what it was really like and we had a well-respected Somali student talk to parents about the benefits of attending the study camp ... We discussed fears about gender issues, the need for boys and girls to sleep separately and be supervised, and talked through parents’ concerns about safety and culturally appropriate activities”. What you can do Show a video or photos so parents can see what the camp site looks like. Outline the learning that will occur at the camp. Ask students from similar cultural backgrounds who have previously attended the camp or their parents/carers to contribute information about their experiences. They could be invited as a guest speaker at a parent meeting or to write an article for the school newsletter. Talk about staff supervision of students while they are away from home. Talk about how you address students’ religious, cultural and dietary needs at camp. Consider allowing some parents to attend camps and activities. Some groups feel more comfortable if a respected community member attends on behalf of a group of families. Adopt a flexible approach to overnight stays. Some parents may not want their child to sleep away from home, but after discussion, they may be prepared to transport them to the camp site for the day. Evaluate your camp strategy. Is a day trip more appropriate for your school community? Resources 0 Course menu Introduction 1 Welcome tour 2 Getting started 3 Overview 4 Benefits of engaging families 5 Issues for migrant and refugee families 6 Issues for schools Planning for engagement 1 Overview 2 Involving key staff 3 Identifying the target groups 4 Targeting communities 5 Working with community partners 6 Setting objectives 7 Allocating resources Planning meetings & events 1 Overview 2 Deciding on a format 3 Setting the agenda 4 Seeking parent and student input 5 Choosing an appropriate time 6 Finding a suitable location 7 Arranging childcare 8 Arranging catering 9 Arranging transport 10 Inviting families 11 Translating information 12 Arranging interpreters Meeting management 1 Overview 2 Arranging seating 3 Preparing and managing interpreters 4 Greeting parents 5 Keeping the discussions on track 6 Building trust 7 Exploring expectations about school involvement 8 Explaining practical systems and roles 9 Seeking feedback from parents 10 Sustaining parent involvement Ongoing support 1Overview 2Creating a welcoming environment 3Seeking consent 4Addressing parent concerns about camps 5Catering for cultural dietary needs 6Discussing welfare concerns with parents 7Addressing discipline issues 8Reporting on student progress 9Holding parent-teacher meetings 10Creating opportunities for meaningful involvement Acknowledgements 1 Acknowledgements Resources 0
× EXIT Opening the School Gate | Ongoing support Addressing parent concerns about camps Many migrant or refugee parents fear for their child’s physical and emotional safety when they are away from home. They may be concerned about students missing class to participate in other learning environments, attending culturally inappropriate activities and the safety of girls in particular. While schools may want to adopt a holistic approach to developing children’s social, physical and academic skills, this may not be understood by parents in the same way. School camps are often of particular concern to parents. Some schools have tackled the problem by sharing more information with parents. Ensure any parent or community member attending a camp has completed a ‘Working with Children Check'. "In marketing camps to parents we highlighted the educational benefits ... Rather than simply talking about students making friends, doing physical exercise and forming better relationships with teachers, we thought of ways to include these messages within the context of educational attainment, which addressed parents’ key motivations ... We said that it was up to each family to decide what was best for their child, but we wanted to provide more information for them to make up their minds. Parents were shown photos so they could see what it was really like and we had a well-respected Somali student talk to parents about the benefits of attending the study camp ... We discussed fears about gender issues, the need for boys and girls to sleep separately and be supervised, and talked through parents’ concerns about safety and culturally appropriate activities”. What you can do Show a video or photos so parents can see what the camp site looks like. Outline the learning that will occur at the camp. Ask students from similar cultural backgrounds who have previously attended the camp or their parents/carers to contribute information about their experiences. They could be invited as a guest speaker at a parent meeting or to write an article for the school newsletter. Talk about staff supervision of students while they are away from home. Talk about how you address students’ religious, cultural and dietary needs at camp. Consider allowing some parents to attend camps and activities. Some groups feel more comfortable if a respected community member attends on behalf of a group of families. Adopt a flexible approach to overnight stays. Some parents may not want their child to sleep away from home, but after discussion, they may be prepared to transport them to the camp site for the day. Evaluate your camp strategy. Is a day trip more appropriate for your school community? Resources 0 Course menu Introduction 1 Welcome tour 2 Getting started 3 Overview 4 Benefits of engaging families 5 Issues for migrant and refugee families 6 Issues for schools Planning for engagement 1 Overview 2 Involving key staff 3 Identifying the target groups 4 Targeting communities 5 Working with community partners 6 Setting objectives 7 Allocating resources Planning meetings & events 1 Overview 2 Deciding on a format 3 Setting the agenda 4 Seeking parent and student input 5 Choosing an appropriate time 6 Finding a suitable location 7 Arranging childcare 8 Arranging catering 9 Arranging transport 10 Inviting families 11 Translating information 12 Arranging interpreters Meeting management 1 Overview 2 Arranging seating 3 Preparing and managing interpreters 4 Greeting parents 5 Keeping the discussions on track 6 Building trust 7 Exploring expectations about school involvement 8 Explaining practical systems and roles 9 Seeking feedback from parents 10 Sustaining parent involvement Ongoing support 1Overview 2Creating a welcoming environment 3Seeking consent 4Addressing parent concerns about camps 5Catering for cultural dietary needs 6Discussing welfare concerns with parents 7Addressing discipline issues 8Reporting on student progress 9Holding parent-teacher meetings 10Creating opportunities for meaningful involvement Acknowledgements 1 Acknowledgements Resources 0
