This is not the case for many children around the world. Last year around 27 million children were forced out of school because they were living in conflict zones and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone, more than 850,000 children were forced to flee from their homes.

Children are recruited as soldiers because they are unlikely to argue with the adults who give them orders and last year, Boko Haram forced at least 135 children to act as suicide bombers. In South Sudan, close to 20,000 children have been recruited into a range of armed forces in the past five years.

In Iraq and Syria children are used as human shields and 700 Afghani children were killed in fighting in the first nine months of 2017. Around 375,000 Rohingya children were forced from their homes into Bangladesh last year.

In his Christmas message, Pope Francis reminded people of the experiences of these children and UNICEF has called on all parties in the various conflicts around the world to respect the rights of children.

Australia accepts some refugees from different conflicts around the world and I am sure that these children and families will find a warm welcome. In supporting these families to settle in our community, and find a safe place for themselves, we have to remember that they have lived different lives to our lives, and that these different lives have a long-lasting impact on them.

Imagine, for example, that you have been repeatedly terrorised by soldiers in uniform. Those experiences are not going to prepare you to perceive officials such as police in a positive light. That is no criticism of our people in uniform – it is simply the reality of some families’ experiences and we have to demonstrate that we understand.

In recent research undertaken by one of my higher degree research students, the plight of refugees settling in Australia was brought vividly home to me. My student talked about children continuing to be breastfed up until seven-eight years of age simply because their family had no resources to provide an alternative source of food. In these cases, both mothers and children were severely malnourished because neither had adequate nutrition.

Parents who have spent years in detention centres where food is provided have often lost the ability and knowledge to prepare food, and when unfamiliar equipment is provided (to some of which they may never had exposure in their lives before forced migration) they feel even more disempowered. It has been known that some who spent time in detention centres have only have eaten cheap noodles in polystyrene cups for years so children may never before have eaten bread or vegetables and struggle to adapt to more appropriate food when they are living in the community.

Children who have spent time in detention centres are likely to be traumatised, not only from their refugee experiences but from their experiences in the camps. Detention centres are not safe places and levels of violence and mental illness are high.

Children are most unlikely to have had any schooling, and there is little or no opportunities for any early childhood education. Children are very likely to be developmentally delayed and exhibit a range of trauma symptoms including enuresis, unresponsiveness, and a range of clingy and anxious behaviours.

Families have lost identity, self respect and culture. Moving to a new community, where everything is different and new is a challenge and many families simply do not have the emotional resources to manage more than one day at a time.

We have a chance in Australia to accept our new residents, to show them that they are welcome to live among us and that we will do our best to make sure they feel not only welcome, but safe in our community.

Margaret Sims

In December 2017, the Joint Standing Committee on Migration released its report “No one teaches you to become an Australian: Report of the inquiry into migrant settlement outcomes”.

The aim of the inquiry was to examine what Australia is doing well in terms of ensuring that migrants successfully integrate into the community, and what Australia should do better.

The report focused on the experiences of migrant youths and their “social engagement” with the community.

The report highlighted many positive aspects of Australia’s current approach to migrant settlement, including the contributions of local organisations. It also praised community hubs and the critical role of extracurricular activities such as sport and the arts.

The inquiry also recommended changes to address education and language, employment, challenges facing migrants and approaches to youths.