Childcare Eligibility for Asylum Seekers: Research and Recommendations

This report examines the issue of childcare eligibility for asylum seekers in Australia, highlighting the challenges faced by this vulnerable population and the governmental initiatives designed to support them. It begins by outlining the basic needs of asylum seekers, including childcare, and the importance of these services for their integration into society and their ability to seek employment. The report then details the governmental initiatives, such as the Child Care Subsidy, and assesses their effectiveness, noting both positive aspects and limitations. It explores the gap between the services offered and the actual needs of the asylum seekers, particularly the importance of education, language acquisition, and parental employment. The report also highlights the limitations of these initiatives, such as their lack of synchronicity with the unique needs of the asylum seekers. The report aims to analyze the current literature relevant to the topic and make recommendations for change in this area.

Running head: CHILDCARE ELIGIBILITY FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS
Childcare eligibility for Asylum Seekers
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Introduction
As opined by Dalton-Brown (2018), one of the most important problems that the
different nations of the world are facing currently is the problem of refugee crisis and also
their inability to devise the best possible manner through which the refugee problem can be
addressed. Churchill and Fawcett (2016) are of the viewpoint that despite the support given
by the national governments of the different nations to the refugees there still exist a wide
gulf between the kinds of support or services that the refugees or the asylum seekers need and
the ones which are being offered to them. In this regard, mention needs to be made of the
childcare support which is being given by the national government of different first world
nations like Australia, United Kingdom, USA and others to the asylum seekers in their nation
(Hartley & Fleay, 2017). For example, it is commonly agreed that the primary purpose of
these services or support which are given to the asylum is to enable them to fulfill their basic
psychosocial needs and other needs in the best possible manner (Chase & Rousseau, 2018). It
is with this objective that diverse childcare benefits are being offered to the asylum seekers so
that they children get the right kind of education which is needed to get assimilated within the
social framework of the concerned nation and also their parents had the time to seek
employment and cater to the economic needs of their family members. However, it is seen
that in the nation of Australia these basic childcare services are being denied to the asylum
seekers and to avail them the asylum seekers had to pay subsidies. This action research
project will attempt to analyze current literature relevant to the topic of “childcare eligibility
for asylum seekers” and will make some recommendations to influence change in this area.

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The Problem
Asylum Seekers and their basic needs
As per the “Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights”, the different
nations are required to offer asylum or safe-dwellings to the people from the crisis nations of
the world (Baker, 2019). Chase and Rousseau (2018) are of the viewpoint that this is not only
a humanitarian act on the part of the different nations of the world but at the same time
ensures that the status quo of the world is being maintained in an effective manner. In the
particular context of the nation of Australia it is seen that more than 10,700 refugees settled
in the nation during 2007, the majority of which were the Africans and the percentage of
refugees or asylum seekers in the nation since then had increased by more than 41.2%
(Sbs.com.au, 2019). More importantly, it is seen that in addition to the asylum support that
the nation of Australia offers to these people, these people are also entitled to other benefits
like “Employment–related maternity rights”, healthcare benefits, educational benefits,
childcare benefits and others (Aph.gov.au, 2019). However, in the majority of the cases it is
seen that although a whole gamut of rights as well as benefits are being offered by the
Australian government to these individuals on paper yet in practical scenarios it is seen that
these regulations or interventions are rarely being followed by the state authorities
themselves.
Gavanas and Williams (2016) have articulated the viewpoint that the asylum seekers
had various psychosocial needs like a safe-environment wherein they can reside in a peace
manner, educational needs, medical needs, employment needs, sexual needs and others. As
opined by Mohammadi (2019), an effective fulfillment of these basic psychosocial needs is
important for the asylum seekers because of the fact that they in turn enable the asylum
seekers to maximize the full potential of their lives and thereby add value to the nation. More
importantly, the basic needs of adequate healthcare services are related to the need of the

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asylum seekers to maintain standard health and physical conditions so that they can achieve
effective educational, job, sexual and other needs (Merry, Pelaez & Edwards, 2017). In this
regard, it needs to be said that childcare services offered by the Australian government is one
of the most important ones which is directly related to the healthcare, educational, job and
other basic psychosocial needs of these asylum seekers.
Childcare needs of the asylum seekers
The Australian Government’s Department of Human Services taking into effective
consideration the childcare needs of the asylum seekers had came forward with various
initiatives to fulfill the basic childcare needs of the asylum seekers (Humanservices.gov.au,
2019). However, in the majority of the cases it is seen that the asylum seekers are being
deprived of these childcare services and this in turn is taking a toll on their lives. More
importantly, it is seen that the deprivation of these services not only affects the asylum
seekers but their children as well. In this regard, it needs to be said that one of the most basic
childcare need of the asylum seekers is that their children would be offered adequate
education so that they can assimilate as well as integrate themselves within the social
framework of the Australian nation (Paxton et al., 2019). More importantly, another
important childcare need of these people is that their children would be taken care of by the
different institutions so that during this time that they look for employment and thereby
provide for the economic or the financial needs of their family members presently residing in
the nation of Australia (McGregor et al., 2018). Furthermore, another important need of these
people related to this section is the fact that they would be able to learn the English language
from them so that they can in turn meet their social needs in the concerned nation
(Acecqa.gov.au, 2019). However, it is seen that although the Australian government had
pledged to devote a significant amount of their resources as well as capital for the resolution

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of the issues faced by the asylum seekers and also for the fulfillment of their basic
psychosocial needs like childcare needs, educational needs, employment needs and others yet
when it comes to actual implementation or real-life scenarios very few benefits are being
offered to these people (Aph.gov.au, 2019).
Governmental initiatives
The Australian government in the recent times has came forward with various
regulations as well as measures for the improvement of the childcare services which are being
offered to the asylum seekers. In this regard, mention needs to be made of the “Child Care
Subsidy” policy of the Australian government through which it intends to offer subsidy to the
asylum seekers who have children below the age of 13 years of age so that they can look after
the educational and other needs of their children (Betterhealth.vic.gov.au, 2019). As per this
policy of the national government, the asylum seekers are entitled to get a subsidy on the total
capital that they spend for the care, educational and other needs of their children. In addition
to this, some of the asylum seekers’ families are also entitled to “Additional Child Care
Subsidy” provided their children are being taken care of by their grandparents or they are
undergoing a transition in their jobs or facing financial troubles (Sbs.com.au, 2019). More
importantly, depending on the financial conditions of the asylum seekers and other factors
various services are being offered to their children like Centre Based Day Care, Family Day
Care, Outside School Hours Care, in Home Care and others (Baker, 2019).
The services offered or rendered by the “National Quality Framework (NQF)” of
Australia related to the childcare needs of the asylum seekers are important to note in this
regard (Sbs.com.au, 2019). For example, it is seen that the NQF had outlined the basic
qualifications that the educators are required to have so as to impart education to the children
of the asylum seekers. In addition to this, it had also given specific regulations for the child to

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the educator ratio that needs to be maintained within the educational settings in which the
children are being imparted education (Baker, 2019). Furthermore, the focus is also on the
quality of the education which is being imparted to the children since the NQF recognizes the
fact that if the children are going to have the social skills and also to use it in an effective
manner to get assimilated with the societal framework of Australia then they need to not only
get acquainted with the language of English but at the same time learn the social etiquettes of
Australia as well (Acecqa.gov.au, 2019). More importantly, during the time the children are
in these educational institutions the parents of these children have the opportunity to pursue
their employment or jobs in an effective manner without having to worry about the safety or
the security of their children.
The Australian government in addition to the above mentioned services also offers
various kinds of maternity leaves, childcare leaves and others to the asylum seekers in their
nation (Humanservices.gov.au, 2019). This is important because of the fact it enables the
asylum seekers to cater to the needs of their children and also to take appropriate care of them
as well. For example, the maternity leaves is an especially important one in this regard since
it enables the asylum seekers to take care of themselves while being pregnant which in turn
would ensure that the children that they are giving birth to is born healthy in all respects
(Paxton et al., 2019). On the other hand, the policy of childcare leaves is also important since
it offers the desired leaves to the asylum seekers to care periodical leaves during which they
can cater to the needs of their children and also analyze their development (McGregor et al.,
2018). Thus, it can be said that the Australian national government over the years through the
usage of these initiatives had tried to offer effective childcare services to the asylum seekers.

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Effectiveness of the Governmental initiatives
There are various positive aspects of the childcare services which are being offered to
the asylum seekers in the nation of Australia. For example, one of the most important aspects
of the childcare services which are being offered to the asylum seekers is the fact that they in
a succinct manner try to address or fulfill the different psychosocial needs of the asylum
seekers in the Australia (Chase & Rousseau, 2018). In addition to this, the childcare services
which are being offered by the national government had enabled these people to look after
the various needs of their children like educational, care need and others in an effective
manner without causing any significant amount of damage to their own work and other
aspects of their lives (Dalton-Brown, 2018). Furthermore, the effective usage of these
services had also enabled the asylum seekers to enhance the level of social skills and also
helped in the acquisition of the English language which in turn had helped to make their life
much simpler in the nation of Australia.
Limitations of the Governmental initiatives
There are various limitations of the different governmental initiatives related to the
sector of childcare services which in turn affect the quality or effectiveness of these services.
For example, one of the most important limitations of these services is the fact that they are
not in synchronicity with the basic needs or the requirements of the asylum seekers
(Mohammadi, 2019). In this regard, it needs to be said that the childcare services have been
designed taking into consideration the Australian framework and this fails to meet the
expectations or the needs of the asylum seekers (McGregor et al., 2018). Another important
limitation of the childcare services which are being offered to the asylum seekers is the fact
that the national government as of now had not devised adequate implementation plans or
monitoring plans to ensure the fact that they are being followed in an ardent manner

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(Aph.gov.au, 2019). This is perhaps one of the major reasons why the despite the plethora of
measures or policies that the Australian government had passed the condition of the asylum
seekers and their children had not improved in any significant manner. One of the major
reasons for the limited amount of childcare services which are being offered to the asylum
seekers is the fact that the Australian society even in the present times considers them as
outsiders and thereby the national government does not thinks it fit to waste a significant
amount of resources on them. Another important reason for the same can be attributed to the
fact that the asylum seekers generally do not like to opt for the childcare services offered by
the national government and this in turn had created a detached approach on the part of the
national government itself.
Role of Advocacy
The inability of the childcare services to improve the living conditions of the asylum
seekers clearly indicates that there is a need for advocacy to improve the condition of the
asylum seekers and also to ensure that adequate childcare services are being offered to them.
This is important because of the fact that the past initiatives undertaken by the national
government of Australia had failed to yield any significant results. Thus, it is likely that
through the use of the process of advocacy the individual people and also the various private
non-profit organizations of the concerned nation would not only be able to advocate for the
rights or the needs of these people but at the same time would be able to influence the
national government to formulate the kind of measures or policies which will be helpful for
the asylum seekers. For example, an advocacy on the part of these asylum seekers would
effectively convey information to the national government regarding the kind of changes or
support that they need from the side from the national government (Baker, 2019). More
importantly, the national government would also be able to understand the mistakes or the

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short-comings of the earlier policies that they have been using and this in turn would enable
them to formulate better policies (Paxton et al., 2019). Furthermore, an advocacy on the part
of the people would also gather national support for the problems or the issues faced by
asylum seekers and this in turn is likely to enhance the support as well as funding for the
resolution of the issues faced by the asylum seekers through the formulation of better policies
which will be in synchronicity with the needs of the asylum seekers. In addition to these, the
higher subsidy that the asylum seekers had to pay for the childcare services clearly articulates
the need for advocacy.
Recommendations
The Australian government in order to enhance the effectiveness of the childcare
services which are being offered to the asylum seekers can take the help of various measures.
Firstly, they can increase the efficiency of the childcare services by taking into effective
consideration the needs or the requirements of the asylum seekers since it is seen that the
childcare services which are being offered to the asylum seekers is completely modeled on
the Australian framework. Secondly, increasing the funding for these childcare services is
another important measure that the national government can use for offering a wide gamut of
services to the asylum seekers which will meet their needs or expectations. Thirdly, use of
effective implementation and regulatory or monitoring measures is another option that the
national government can utilize to ensure that they are being followed in an ardent manner.
Conclusion
To conclude, the different nations of the world are increasingly coming forward to
support as well as help the refugees by offering them asylum and other kinds of services.
However, at the same time it is seen that the psychosocial needs or the requirements of the
asylum seekers are completely different from those of the native people of Australia. Thus,

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the national government would have to devise effective policies or measures which would
take into consideration the basic needs or the requirements of these people to ensure that the
same are being fulfilled. Having said this, in the majority of the cases it is seen that although
the national government devises effective policies yet in the absence of adequate
implementation or regulatory measures they fail to fulfill the basic needs of the asylum
seekers. These aspects become clear from the above analysis of the childcare services which
are being offered to the asylum seekers in Australia.

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Part 2
Action Research
In Part 1 of the paper, the researcher had discussed the problem of childcare eligibility
for the asylum seekers and also the manner in which the asylum seekers are being deprived of
their childcare subsidies and other related facilities which are being commonly offered to the
Australian citizens. For example, the researcher found that this deprivation of basic childcare
eligibility or subsidy is not only unjustified for the asylum seekers but at the same time
hinders the fulfillment of their basic psychosocial needs. This is important from the
perspective of the natural growth as well as development of the children who belong to the
families of the asylum seekers. Thus, the researcher concluded that there is a need for
advocacy not only on the part of the Australian government but also on the part of the various
non-profit organizations so as to ensure that these people have to the basic childcare
eligibility rights and subsidies which in turn is likely to help them in a substantial manner.
The Part 2 of this paper will thereby cover the issue under discussion here from the
perspective of the action based research model and its various components like acting,
observing and reflecting. More importantly, the researcher will take the help of Cartmel,
Macfarlane and Casley (2012)’s “Circle of Change Revisited Model of Critical Thinking:
deconstruct, confront, theorize and think otherwise” model for the formulation of the action
research plan.
Revisiting and Reflecting on the issue
The issue of childcare eligibility is an important one from the perspective of the
asylum seekers in the nation of Australia because of the fact that it is directly related to the

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growth and development of these people. For example, I personally believe that if the
national government of Australia offers the asylum seekers adequate amount of childcare
subsidy and other kinds of benefits then they this is likely to help the asylum seekers in a
significant manner. More importantly, as the above research work indicates this will enable
them to focus in a succinct manner on the other aspects of their lives like employment, family
life and others. Furthermore, as part of the “Article 3 of the European Convention on Human
Rights” it is the responsibility of the different nations offering asylum to the refugees to not
only offer them safe abode but at the same time to take the help of different kinds of
measures which will ensure that their basic psychosocial needs are being met. However, the
discrimination which is being meted out to the asylum seekers in Australia regarding the
basic psychosocial needs is not only contradictory to the above mentioned article but at the
same time hinders in the effective fulfillment of their basic psychosocial needs (Doherty &
Hekmat, 2019). Thus, it can be said that there is a need for change in the current scenario
which is especially important from the perspective of the asylum seekers and also the growth
of the nation of Australia itself.
Deconstruct
The Part 1 of the paper in a succinct manner explored the issue of childcare eligibility
and also the manner in which adequate subsidies are not being offered to these asylum
seekers and their resultant effects. However, in the present times it is seen that the situation is
changing in a significant manner because of the fact that there are many non-profit
organizations and also the national government itself is taking different kinds of initiatives
for the resolution of this issue. In this regard, mention needs to be made of the non-profit
organizations like Punchbowl Children’s Centre, Lakemba Children’s Centre, Carrington
Occasional Care and others along with different governmental authorities like Sydney’s