Understanding Occupational Transitions in Forced Migration: The Importance of Life Skills in Early Refugee Resettlement

Abstract

The value of an occupational perspective in addressing issues of forced migration, in particular resettlement in a new country, is instrumental in facilitating successful occupational transitions for newly arrived individuals and families. Through the adoption of an occupational perspective both at a theoretical and practical level, the Multicultural Development Association (MDA), a refugee resettlement service in Brisbane, Australia, has introduced a life skills program that represents an innovation in resettlement practice. Through a rich description of this program, we explore how occupation can be used to understand the transitions involved in early refugee resettlement. We also consider the relationship between occupational deprivation and occupational adaptation as addressed through resettlement life skills and the complex process of reconstructing meaning and identity in new sociopolitical contexts. The Participatory Occupational Justice Framework 2010 (Whiteford & Townsend, 2011) is suggested as a tool to further explore and develop insights into the occupational processes of refugee resettlement.

Keywords:

• Refugee resettlement
• Forced migration
• Occupational transition
• Life skills
• Occupational deprivation

Acknowledgments

Our gratitude to our colleagues Robert Pereira and Linda Rylands for encouraging and supporting the development of occupational science knowledge within a resettlement context. Also, thanks to Susan Cloete, Stephanie Maynard and Jennifer Sampson for pioneering the enquiry into resettlement life skills for newly arrived refugees in Australia. Finally, thank you to Jamila Trad-Padhee and MDA for supporting and embracing the occupational perspective in refugee resettlement.