REUK has 12 years’ experience working with Afghan refugee children and young people in the UK, as well as in Afghanistan, and has published leading research for the United Nations on education for young Afghan refugees in the UK. Drawing on this expertise, this document sets out key urgent policy priorities for supporting the education and psychosocial wellbeing of young Afghan refugees in light of the recent events in Afghanistan. Policy recommendations are made to the Home Office, the Department for Education, education institutions, refugee support organisations and funders. Priority 1: Meaningful access to education for newly arrived Afghan children and young people at all levels must be a core focus of the resettlement scheme. Education is protective; it is how these children will begin to rebuild their lives and look towards their futures. Refugee children and their families should have access to clear information about the UK education system. Educational settings should be adequately resourced and supported to provide a welcoming, nurturing and safe environment for these children to thrive. Priority 2: Young Afghan refugees and asylum seekers already in the UK must not be overlooked, and supporting their psychosocial wellbeing is critical. They are facing significant anxiety and concern about the lives of their family in Afghanistan, and uncertainty about their futures. This is compounding existing mental health conditions which have already been exacerbated by COVID-19. Young Afghan refugees must be supported to access psychosocial support services at this difficult time. They must be granted immediate refugee status regardless of previous decisions, and rules should be changed so that their parents and siblings are eligible for family reunion. Priority 3: Young Afghan care-leavers returned to Kabul in recent years must be counted among the top and urgent priorities for the UK government’s resettlement schemes. Their status as a forced returnee is posing a risk to their lives, and their access to resettlement must be prioritised as part of the UK resettlement scheme this year.
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