ABSTRACT

In 2017 the number of refugees arriving in Australia was double the intake of previous decades. In 2015 the Australian Government provided an additional 12,000 humanitarian visas specifically to Syrian and Iraqi refugees. While Australia has a robust predominantly urban system designed to settle refugees who have a high level of need, the same services may not be well suited or available to the Syrian population who are being encouraged to settle in rural and regional areas. This paper draws on empirical research that documents issues affecting Syrian refugee settlement and builds on existing research to identify keys to successful and ethical regional settlement policy. Initial findings suggest high levels of social capital but limited opportunities for employment and education are thwarting settlement efforts. We argue for working in partnership and promoting ethical social work values to address the challenges facing these newly arrived communities. Social workers and human service educators and practitioners in this space must adapt to the rapidly changing service delivery system. Working alongside refugees, in this case Syrian people, requires both co-production and transparency in order to shift perceptions of their vulnerability and lack of agency in order to foster agency and self-determination.

摘要

2017 年，抵达澳大利亚的难民人数是前几十年的两倍。2015 年，澳大利亚政府专门向叙利亚和伊拉克难民提供了额外的 12,000 份人道主义签证。虽然澳大利亚有一个强大的以城市为主的系统，旨在安置有高需求的难民，但同样的服务可能不太适合或不适合被鼓励在农村和偏远地区定居的叙利亚人口。本文借鉴了实证研究，这些研究记录了影响叙利亚难民安置的问题，并在现有研究的基础上确定了成功和合乎道德的区域安置政策的关键。初步调查结果表明，社会资本水平高，但就业和教育机会有限，阻碍了定居努力。我们主张合作并促进道德社会工作价值观，以应对这些新抵达社区面临的挑战。这个领域的社会工作者和人类服务教育者和从业者必须适应快速变化的服务提供系统。与难民一起工作，在这种情况下是叙利亚人，需要共同生产和透明度，以改变对他们的脆弱性和缺乏代理的看法，以促进代理和自决。