Refugee Health Service

Contact

Departmental Overview

The CAHS Refugee Health Service (RHS) coordinates and manages the complex care needs of recently resettled refugee and asylum seekers (up to 18 years of age). Our specialist multidisciplinary medical, nursing, social work, dietetic, dental, mental health, interpreters, school liaison staff and volunteers offer a holistic service to meet the complex resettlement health needs working extensively with broader Government and non-Government services. The CAHS RHS team provide support for families across their journey from community to tertiary care.

The CAHS RHS is committed to culturally appropriate and trauma-informed clinical research and quality assurance projects. Current studies aim to improve patient care, identify gaps in current clinical knowledge and provide an evidence base to improve the safety of health care delivery and inform state and national refugee health policy and practice. Collaborative qualitative and quantitative research studies are undertaken in conjunction with other CAHS departments, Discipline of Paediatrics (UWA) and/or other groups (e.g. Oral Health Centre of Western Australia and The Kids Research Institute Australia). Professional interpreters are utilised to ensure that families with limited English proficiency are able to participate in clinical research.

Research Projects 

CAHS RHS undertakes clinical service audits, safety and quality improvement projects and clinical research. Ethical approval for research is obtained through the Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) Human Research Ethics Committee and/or other relevant institutional Human Ethics boards. Awareness of the issues surrounding appropriate informed consent (especially in low literacy and/or traumatised populations) is an important consideration in this cohort.

RHS consumer participatory/qualitative research has been undertaken with results contributing to the national refugee health evidence base and treatment frameworks. The CAHS RHS is also part of the Australian Paediatric Refugee Health Network. Please contact the RHS Clinical Lead if you are interested in undertaking research, quality assurance or collaborating with the RHS.

Current Research Projects

• Use of SDF application to arrest dental caries in paediatric refugees – a conservative approach (Led by J Patel)
• Identifying barriers to the management of Type 1 Diabetes in non-Caucasian families (Led by M Abraham)
• Exploring the impact of interpreters on health care needs of refugee children and families with limited English proficiency (LEP) in a Western Australian paediatric hospital setting (Led by R Mutch).
• Oral health delivery to refugee children in WA – perspective of health stakeholders (Led by L Slack-Smith)
• Evaluation of national paediatric refugee health services (Led by H Gunasakera)
• National evaluation of Nauru cohort (Led by K Zwi)
• Finding appropriate language for the use of the HEADSS check in refugee and migrant children (Led by R Mutch).

Future Research Projects

• Neurodevelopmental, disability and educational needs of children and adolescents from refugee backgrounds (pre and post COVID
• Assessing readiness of transition of RHS patients into mainstream health pathways using standardised RHS transition assessment proformas
• Adverse Childhood Experiences in refugee families
• Longitudinal health outcomes of RHS families
• Development of community outreach clinics for adolescent refugees.