26 December 2017
Call for Syrian refugees' interpreters to get
psychological support
Interpreters for Syrian
refugees should be given psychological support as a “priority” due to the
stress the work causes, according to a study.
Researchers looked at how
the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme (SVPRP) was rolled out in
Edinburgh, as a way to provide guidance for other authorities.
Welcoming arrangements were
found to have exceeded the expectations of refugees, however concerns were
raised about support given to interpreters.
The paper highlights how
the workers were often the “only available staff” to families, which saw them
build close relationships.
Interpreters reported
breaking into tears during meetings and suffering bouts of depression as a
result of what they were dealing with, often providing help out-of-hours.
NHS Lothian
consultant Dermot Gorman, co-author of study, said: “It’s always variable with
each worker ... It could be stressful for interpreters. They were hearing
stories that perhaps had resonance with their own lives.”
One of the
interpreters said in the study: “I just feel down and depressed because every
day you are hearing what they’ve been through and it brings back memories to
me, because we’ve been through this as well in my country – I was crying with them.”
Another added: “I’ve
done quite a lot of work with the police, hospitals and courts, but the fact
that you establish a relationship with the families, things affect you.”
SVPRP is a programme
which commits the UK government to resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees.
It was announced on Monday,
18 December, that Scotland had taken in its target of 2,000 refugees three
years ahead of schedule.
Problems identified include
language problems for the new arrivals and difficulties with navigating NHS
services, which led to them using interpreters as a first point-of-call for
assistance.
The SVPRP: Evaluation of
Edinburgh’s Reception Arrangements study focused on the city as it was one of
the first in Scotland to take in large numbers through the resettlement scheme.
It reviewed the successes and downfalls of the programme through the experience
and opinions of interpreters during 2015 and 2016.
Concerns over worker stress
resulted in the study, led by the University of Edinburgh’s Katherine Weir,
calling on a number of recommendations to be implemented. In its conclusion it
said psychological support for them should be “prioritised”.
Counselling is
available for staff, but the paper said its availability should be reinforced
in training for interpreters. It adds that management should consider the
workers’ own histories when giving them jobs.
Prof Alison McCallum,
NHS Lothian’s director of public health and public policy, said: “We are
committed to ensuring all our staff, especially those who experience stressful
situations through their work, have access to a range of occupational health
support services to help them deal with stress and trauma.
“These services are
made available to all our staff, including our interpreters, so that they are
able to seek help when they need it.”
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