The Haven Project Hull 2002-2007: final report

Aims

This is the final report of a project in Hull to provide a community based therapeutic service to refugee and asylum seeking children and families, to promote access to statutory services and to build effective partnerships.

Key issues

The report describes how the Haven project developed, the type of work undertaken, networking, problem areas and successes. Members of the team are introduced and the early stages of setting up the project are described. The report outlines the main themes of therapeutic work and key elements of successful work with refugee families. The importance of networking is discussed and organizations the Haven Project engaged with are listed. Problems identified include the position of the voluntary sector, tokenism, lack of holistic assessment, and over-reliance on GP referral. Successes included building trust, partnerships, and participating in discussion and consultations.

Conclusions

The Haven Project has provided an innovative, flexible and culturally sensitive and effective resource to Hull’s asylum seeking and refugee population and to organizations trying to build skills appropriate to a rapidly changing demography.