What's It Like Being a Refugee Resettlement Key Worker?
No two days resettling Syrian refugees are the same. Some mornings I drive twenty-five minutes to the office where I settle down to make numerous calls to hospitals, doctors, dentists, job centres and housing associations. Other days I might be accompanying a family to an early doctor’s appointment on the other side of Derbyshire. Once, I set off first thing and drove over an hour to Sheffield to accompany a family to their appointment for a Biometric Residence Permit.
Some days are filled with administration, arranging interpreters, chasing up benefits complications, or trying to manipulate my ever-changing schedule to avoid needing to be in three places at once!
Other days are spent with families in their homes, enjoying the immense privilege it is to help and support these amazingly resilient people in their transition to UK life.
Some family visits are shot through with strands of tension and emotion, as the reality of adjusting to life in a culture so far from what you’ve known takes its toll. Sometimes it's being on hold for hours to get through to a department that doesn't have the answers you are looking for when you eventually talk to them!
At other times visits can be full of laughter and joy, as a family celebrates a successful outcome of an application, a driving test, a school report, a new baby or even a successful phone call made independently in English!
Life as a Key Worker encompasses a huge range of emotions and experiences. Sometimes it feels like there are not enough hours in the week to do everything you would like to do for your families. But sometimes you snatch an extra snippet of time to have the meaningful conversations that your relationship and trust is built on.
I normally see a family for a home visit once a week, but it can be two to three times a week, especially if there are appointments or assessments to deal with. When you have seven or more families, time can disappear fast but it's also such a joy to be so involved and connected to the people you support.
Driving the length and breadth of Derbyshire can sometimes be exhausting, but it's also beautiful. Each journey can feel very different, depending on the topic of the day; excitement if you are bringing good news to a family, or the anticipation of disappointment if you can’t.
Being a Key Worker is a job of highs and lows, stresses and joys, laughter and tears but overall it remains an incredible honour to walk alongside the families entrusted to your care as they rebuild their lives in the UK.
Ruth Summerfield – Refugee Resettlement Key Worker