Migration is an incredibly complex and personal experience, often shaped by conflict, trauma, and loss.

For women like Ukrainian counsellor Olga, this journey also intersects with a range of unique challenges tied to personal challenges and specific of her qualification and profession. That was a place where she transformed individual refugee experience into a powerful tool to help other newcomers.

In 2022, after the war broke out, Olga fled her home with her family. Seeking safety for her children, she arrived in Australia and began rebuilding their lives in a new country.

Her journey was not easy, like that of many women refugees, but her new life required and highlighted the importance of an attentive and gentle approach in resettlement services.

Olga said she felt less alone after she began working with her case manager through SSI’s Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP), which provides tailored services designed to meet the unique needs and strengths of individuals and families resettling in Australia as refugees.

“My case worker, Munira, gave me a lot of attention and time, offering everything I could possibly need. I felt supported in everything I did through the program,” she said.

Olga found that participating in the programs’ orientation sessions not only helped her learn about the new country her family now called home but also helped her to connect with other members of the Ukrainian community in Australia, fostering a better sense of belonging.

“These sessions were incredibly helpful; I still remember the knowledge I gained from them years ago. It was an amazing start for my professional growth in Australia,” she said.

As an experienced counsellor, who was waiting for her qualification being recognised, Olga was happy to facilitate and deliver groups about domestic, sexual, and family violence (DFSV) awareness for the Ukrainian community where support for newly arrived women was a key focus. She was also grateful to have the opportunity to share her expertise and facilitation skills to support other refugees during the orientation sessions and groups for the families in culture transition.

“It’s essential for newly arrived refugees to have a platform where they can address issues and learn how to protect themselves and their families. Everyone deserves to be safe, especially at home, even if it’s very new,” Olga said.

She secured employment opportunities with the support of SSI’s Refugee Employment Support Program, along with her dedication and ability to navigate her networks and community.

Olga worked tirelessly to have her overseas qualification recognised and secure the right to work as a counsellor in Australia. All while studying and managing full responsibility for her family.

Later she secured a role as an employment facilitator with RESP and found out that SSI’s gender-sensitive services also include wellbeing assessment tools designed to identify potential trauma experiences, such as DFSV, and assess the risks women may face during resettlement. It was important to have those tools in her work. “By identifying such risks early, our specialists can intervene and provide appropriate support and resources,”she said.

Like many refugee women leading their household, Olga’s economic goal to gain employment was crucial to building her sense of independence. However, despite her extensive background in psychotherapy, she initially struggled to find employment due to her visa status.

With support from SSI’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups, Olga’s combined her skills and networks to establish her own business, OK Club, running mindfulness workshops for refugees online and in person, including a Women’s Circle retreat for Ukrainians.

“What I was trying to achieve was difficult, but with the support I had at the time, it was possible,” she said.

In 2024, Olga began working full-time with NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) as a therapeutic counsellor, offering therapeutic support to other people who have navigated forced displacement.

“Such a beautiful place we call our new home. I adore the equality of genders in Australia. It is amazing that as professionals we have programs like Gender Equity Strategy to support our clients. I take a gendered approach to migration and resettlement, ensuring everyone receives the support needed to thrive, rebuild their lives, and contribute meaningfully.” Learn more.

We are calling for urgent action to lift Australia’s humanitarian intake, as new research from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) shows the number of people experiencing forced displacement increased at a record-breaking rate in 2023. 

The UNHCR’s Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2023 has found that more than 117 million people were forcibly displaced by violence, conflict, and persecution in 2023 – up by almost 9 million people from the prior year.  

Forced displacement is estimated to have continued rising in the first four months of 2024, likely surpassing 120 million by the end of April. 

For the past 12 years, the UNHCR has recorded annual increases in forced displacement, with each year setting a new record. 

This record-breaking displacement highlights the need for the Australian government to uplift the humanitarian intake to respond to pressing global need. 

We are calling on the Australian government to meet its commitment to increase the humanitarian intake from 20,000 places to 27,000 places per annum. 

Despite the rapidly growing need for resettlement places, the size of Australia’s Humanitarian Program had remained relatively stagnant for decades.  

Scaling up the program would help address the significant global shortfall in resettlement places, reunite refugees already in Australia with their families, and showcase Australia’s commitment to being a responsible global citizen. 

There is also widespread recognition globally of the need for a range of permanent and secure pathways for the growing numbers of refugees around the world. This includes complementary pathways such as community sponsorship. It is an innovative solution that enables everyday community members to step up to protect people displaced by conflict and persecution. 

Australia’s refugee resettlement sector has the skills and expertise to quickly scale up and support an increased refugee intake. We simply ask the government to open the door. 

Read the UNHCR’s full report here: https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends

SSI welcomes the Federal Government’s announcement of a new study that will tackle antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the experience of First Nations people within the Australian university sector. The study aims to examine racism in universities and provide recommendations to ensure the safety of students and staff members.

Australia needs to create a safe environment for everyone, irrespective of their language, race or cultural background. 

What is clear from the growing evidence base is that racism is prevalent in Australian communities. Racism poses a significant social and economic threat to our country. 

Efforts to support social cohesion must go beyond the positive promotion of multiculturalism and actively denounce racism. 

We view this study, which will be led by the Race Discrimination Commissioner, as an important step towards better understanding the prevalence and impact of racism and, importantly, practical actions to reduce it.  

SSI continues to call for a coordinated, national response to eliminate racism and promote social inclusion, both on campuses and across our country. Australia will be stronger and safer for it.  

SSI welcomes the vision set out in the Federal Government’s newly released Early Years Strategy as a step towards early childhood policies, programs and services that will support the best outcomes for all children, regardless of their backgrounds. 

This Early Years Strategy is underpinned by the principles of equity and inclusion, including a commitment to provide foundational supports to children with potential developmental delays and to address these concerns early. 

We also commend the focus on maintaining children’s identities and cultural connections. This sits alongside a commitment to empower parents, caregivers and families in ways that are culturally responsive and targeted – something we see the importance of throughout our work with culturally diverse families, including as part of the national Community Hubs program. 

From our work delivering place-based initiatives such as our involvement in Logan Together, we recognise the importance of local solutions for local problems, reflected in the Strategy. 

Importantly, this is Australia’s first Early Years Strategy to strengthen accountability, coordination and collaboration across all levels of government over the next 10 years, setting a clear roadmap for change with action plans and an outcomes framework to monitor and track progress. SSI looks forward to being part of these collaborative initiatives and translating them into tangible outcomes for all Australian children. 

SSI welcomes the NSW Government’s funding package of $230 million over four years as an essential initial response and immediate action to support meaningful, real solutions that will keep women and children in the state safe.

SSI further welcomes the comprehensive nature of the package encompassing prevention, early intervention, crisis response, justice system improvements, and service sector support for enhanced capacity. It is particularly heartening to see funding targeted towards children who are often overlooked in the development of government policy, particularly those from multicultural backgrounds.

It is critical that our safety systems and services are responsive to communities in all their diversity. At present, the system is complex and difficult to navigate for multicultural communities, particularly those who are new to Australia.

Working with migrant, refugee and multicultural communities, we see firsthand the importance of integrated services and case management in support of women impacted by gender-based violence.

SSI provides culturally responsive safety services to migrant and refugee women and children, works with multicultural communities to design and implement awareness raising initiatives, and builds capacity of settlement services to support women, children and families.

We urge the NSW government to ensure that equitable access, experience and outcomes—including specifically for migrant and refugee women and children—are central to the implementation of the package and are embedded in the ongoing focus on addressing the crisis in the state of women’s and family safety.

SSI is committed to working with the NSW government and the specialist domestic, family and sexual violence sector to ensure meaningful collaboration in tackling the root causes of this crisis and to bring about a positive change for all women and children.