Irish govt issues advice to schools on supporting Ukrainian child refugees

The Department of Education is issuing advice to schools across Ireland on how to support the wellbeing of Ukrainian school children who have fled the Russian war. 

A booklet of guidelines for primary schools was released online today (Friday March 25) detailing ways the children can be welcomed, including key phrases in Ukrainian and Russian languages. 

This includes the Ukrainan words for hello (Privit), goodbye (Do pobachennya), thank you (Dyakuyu) and great (Dobra), as well as their Russian equivalents. 

Schools are advised to extend a friendly and warm welcome to the children, link with families to gather and communicate important information, learn key phrases and practice new names in advance.

They are also encouraged to use visual cues to communicate the routine of the school day, prepare peers for the new arrivals, set up buddy systems, and download and use translation apps to help with communication. 

Distress experienced by the children is highlighted in the document, with an emphasis on school teachers ensuring they feel safe. 

It reads: "Feeling safe is the foundation of wellbeing. Many of these children have been confronted by threat in the last number of weeks which has resulted in stress. Promoting a sense of safety reduces stress, provides a context for the development of connecting supportive relationships and coping skills, and facilitates learning and problem-solving." 

Teachers are being advised to particularly watch out for cues in the environment that may cause a trauma response in the children, such as fire drills, school bells, and shouting at break times. 

School tours and bus trips are also flagged in the guidelines as possible triggers.

Teachers should also be alert to and address any discrimination, teasing or bullying due to appearance, culture, religion or language, and are advised to be mindful of curriculum content covering stories of loss, separation or war.