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Background: Considering the growing number of asylum-seeking children worldwide, research on interventions which may buffer the effects of early resettlement conditions on asylum-seeking children's adjustment is warranted. In Canada, creative expressive workshops for asylum-seeking children and adolescents were implemented as a Psychological First Aid (PFA) intervention in temporary shelters. The present exploratory study aims to describe the implementation of these workshops to assess whether the intervention met core elements of PFA and explore its potential in supporting the diverse needs of asylum-seeking youth in temporary shelters, adopting a process-evaluation research approach. Method: The intervention was evaluated via a qualitative thematic analysis of extensive field and supervision notes and focus groups with facilitators. Results: Preliminary results suggest that the intervention contributed to fostering emotional safety and a sense of normalcy in children and supported the creation of connections among both children and parents. Children's expression of past and present experiences during the workshops was seen as a way to promote self-efficacy in children and was reported as a potential way to provide some comfort and hope in a time of high instability. However, the high needs of children and the lack of resources in the temporary shelters represented significant challenges and barriers. Conclusions: PFA using creative expression may be a promising youth mental health prevention intervention in temporary shelters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses some of the most important factors of oppression related to international and Canadian policy and practices and the issues that ought to be addressed by social work practitioners. To understand the plight of asylum seekers in Canada, social workers have to have a general understanding of the international context as it relates to asylum seekers, and the policies and practices that have been put in place. It also means understanding policies and practices in Canada that have a direct impact on the lives of asylum seekers both as a marginalized group and as individuals seeking help. Asylum seekers find themselves part of an international scene which comprises large migration movements and efforts by nation-states to stop the flow of unwanted migrants. The article informs that until the early 1990s Canada perceived itself as a country of resettlement and not as a country of first asylum. Canada considered refugees selected overseas or privately sponsored to be the most important group of refugees to resettle. Faced with large migration movements and increasing asylum claims, Canada has now recognizes that asylum seekers are an important subset of refugees entering the country.