Sálrænn og félagslegur stuðningur við kvótaflóttafólk á Íslandi 2005-2017 á vegum Reykjavíkurborgar: 2005 og 2007 árgangar

Abstract

Tilgangur rannsóknar var að kortleggja hvernig sálrænn og félagslegur stuðningur við flóttafólk hefur nýst með því að gera verklagsúttekt á þjónustu Reykjavíkurborgar við kvótaflóttafólk sem kom til Íslands frá Kólumbíu árin 2005 og 2007 (konur í hættu og börn þeirra). Gerð var grein fyrir stuðningi við kólumbísku fjölskyldurnar í gegnum árin til að sjá hvernig aðlögun að íslensku samfélagi hefur tekist, en flóttafólk almennt glímir við fjölþættan vanda. Gögnum var aflað úr málaskrá, auk þess sem spurningakönnun var send á ráðgjafa Velferðarsviðs í von um að skýra myndina af því hvernig stuðningur nýttist. Niðurstöður sýndu að tæpur helmingur kvenna fór í sálfræðiviðtöl á innan við tveimur árum frá komu. Fimm konur virðast enga sálfræðiaðstoð hafa fengið. Helsti sálræni vandi kvennanna reyndist vera þunglyndi, þá kvíði og samskiptavandi. Sálfræðingar höfðu aðkomu að tæpum 40% barnahópsins. Nokkuð var um tilkynningar til Barnaverndar Reykjavíkur. Starfsmenn velferðarsviðs fóru inn á heimili fjölskyldna í gegnum úrræðin tilsjón og stuðninginn heim og veittu uppeldisráðgjöf og stuðning við mæður. Börn nutu góðs af persónulegum ráðgjafa og stuðningsfjölskyldum. Félagsleg staða hópsins er þó almennt fremur bág árið 2017 en konurnar virðast standa utan við samfélagið þegar kemur að stöðu á vinnumarkaði, húsnæðismarkaði og fleira. Með því að útlista hvernig megi bæta félagsþjónustu aukast líkur á því að hægt sé að þróa langtímastefnu í málefnum flóttafólks og tryggja þessum viðkvæma hópi sem besta þjónustu og stuðning.

The aim of the research is to shed light on Reykjavik´s Department of Welfare´s work with resettlement refugees. More specifically, it aimed at exploring how psychological and social support services are carried out in the process of assisting refugees in their resettlement process. A procedural analysis on Reykjavik´s Department of Welfare´s support work with Colombian refugees was made, all of whom resettled in Iceland in 2005 and 2007. All refugees were single women with children, identified as women-at-risk by UNHCR. The definition of being “at-risk” encompasses an array of situations where women´s safety or well-being remains threatened on the basis of gender. Department´s of Welfare electronic documentation database was used to gather data on support work with this particular group and the data was used to speculate on the success of integration into Icelandic society. An electronic questionnaire was also sent out to Department of Welfare´s social workers and counsellors working with the Colombian families. They were asked their opinion on whether integration had proven successful and if cultural differences impact the work with their clients. According to Icelands Refugee Committee´s criteria, it is highly recommended that refugees accept psychological services within two years of resettlement to help cope with psychological trauma and resettlement stress. Results showed that roughly half of the Colombian women attended therapy sessions with a psychologist within two years of first arriving in Iceland. Five women have received no formal psychological support at the hands of Department of Welfare since resettlement in 2005 or 2007. Those who received psychological support most often had symptoms of depression, anxiety as well as relational issues. Psychologists provided services to 40% of the Colombian children, including direct psychological support as well as assessing developmental and psychological issues . Referrals by social workers to Child Protection Services in Reykjavik were common. Department of Welfare used many of it´s resources in providing support and aiding integration, usually within the own home environment and co-ordinated by a social worker. Lastly, results showed that the current SES of the group is rather low, more so for the women than their children who have themselves entered the job and housing market in recent years. It seems that the women as a whole have not been able to fully parttake in society as they have dealt with unemployment, difficulties finding satisfactory housing, language barriers and so forth. In the hopes of ensuring successful integration of refugees into broader society and to better understand the types of services refugees need, it is important for all service providers to understand the range of adversities refugees face and their relations with mental health symptoms.