Refugees under 18 years old and without a parent or guardian can get support for health, education, and adjusting to a new life in Victoria.
The Refugee Minor program provides services to help you settle into your new life in Australia.
You are not alone. Your case manager is trained to help you with many different problems that are worrying you.
You may be feeling uneasy in your new environment here in Australia. Bad experiences in the past can sometimes continue to affect young people for a number of years, especially as family members often remain missing or exposed to danger.
Many young people begin to realise they have had unrealistic expectations about living in Australia. It is also common for young people to feel isolated as many have very few or no connections in Victoria.
The Refugee minor program will help you by listening to your concerns and making sure you are well supported. A highly trained person from the program called a case manager will contact you or your carer very soon after you arrive in Australia. They will arrange to visit you and your carer to discuss how we can help and support you.
Your case manager is somebody you can phone or meet to get help. The case manager will help you solve practical problems including:
- Referring you to services that can help to find missing relatives
- Helping you to understand and access medical services
- Helping you to organise your finances and manage your Centrelink payments
- Referring you to services that can help you to choose and access an education pathway, or help you to gain the skills you need to enter employment
- Helping you to choose and access sporting, recreational, cultural, religious and social activities.