Student support for refugees and asylum seekers during lockdown

A MOTHER and daughter who are due to be fellow social work students at the University of Huddersfield have been highly active in helping to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers continue to receive support and encouragement during the Covid-19 lockdown. 

Mel Reed once worked in the ambulance service, attending call-outs with her paramedic colleagues.  Now, she is behind the wheel of her own car, delivering packages to refugees living in the Halifax area who are clients of the town’s St Augustine’s Centre, which has been offering support and advice since 1967.

Joining Mel on her rounds is her daughter Jorjia, who aims to begin studies for a social work degree at Huddersfield in September.  Mel herself has completed two years of the same four-year degree, an integrated course that leads to a Master’s in Social Work.

Her work as a volunteer for the St Augustine’s Centre is not only rewarding, said Mel, but it also helps to enrich her degree studies.

“As a prospective social worker, working with refugees and migrants is extremely important.  It’s opened my eyes to the future and I would love to progress into this field.”

Mel said that even during the lockdown, the St Augustine’s Centre had continued to receive donations from its many supporters.  These enable volunteers – including Mel and Jorjia – to make up educational and activity packs that are tailored to the needs of refugee families, the age range of the children and their level of English language skills. 

Then the mother and daughter – joined by Mel’s son Joshua, who is studying public services at Kirklees College – set out to deliver the packs, ensuring that they observed the correct social distancing.

Study Social Work at Huddersfield

It means that they call on the homes of migrants from a range of countries and regions, including Syria, Morocco and the Far East.  In normal times, the refugees are able to visit the St Augustine’s Centre for help and support, but now Mel and her fellow volunteers are their mobile lifeline.

Mel, who lives in Greetland with her family, was an assistant practitioner in the ambulance service and then moved to a role handling 999 calls.  When she looked for a new direction she realised that her career experience would help with the Social Work degree course at the University of Huddersfield.

Now, her experience of studying as been so good that daughter Jorjia, after taking her A-levels at Huddersfield New College, is due to start the same course.