Bridging the Gap is an exciting and innovative three-year family engagement-community action research project, funded by The Tindall Foundation and Auckland Council. The project will engage directly with families to identify and discuss gaps in the resettlement process based on their experiences. It is a solutions-focused project, looking to improve the systems, attitudes and mindsets of both service providers and recipients within the resettlement process.
While many policies and support systems work well, there are still critical gaps in the resettlement process and families consistently say they are not sufficiently listened to. Often the negative resettlement experiences some have – often across many years – result from people not having the opportunity to contribute meaningful input. Resettled people know more than anyone what resettlement is like in reality, where the gaps are in the process, and what can be done to improve it. This project comes from an urgent need to break the current ongoing cycle.
Family and community representative engagement has begin since January 2022, and interim information will be reported through ARCC’s bimonthly newsletters, with regular communication provided as appropriate through events, meetings and social media. The final results are expected to be available early in 2023.