To be a family: changes experienced within south Sudanese families in Australia

© 2011 Jessica Rebecca BishopThis research focuses on changes to family as experienced by men and women from south Sudanese backgrounds who have resettled in Melbourne. The study investigated factors that have influenced change, documenting experiences that are unique as well those common amongst participants. Concurrently the study investigated experiences of accessing community and government services for assistance with family related difficulties and sought the opinions of participants on how services could be improved to better meet the needs of families from south Sudan living in Melbourne. The findings reveal how gender, age and personal agency each contributes to how family is experienced by individuals. Although some experiences were shared by participants within gender and age groups, others were not, demonstrating the importance in non-essentialising all people from the same ethnic or cultural background in research and community service development with refugee groups. The findings illustrate three factors influencing change; interactions with Australian social environments, transnational ties to kin and concurrent south Sudanese culture in Africa and interactions within the local south Sudanese ‘community’ in Melbourne. These influences impacted on how participants understood and participated within their families in Australia, placing them in unique and often conflictual situations, which are mostly unrecognised by Australian service providers. The community-based collaborative research approach undertaken for the study models the practice approaches suggested in the findings; namely, the importance of working both with refugee ‘communities’ and within their existing structures, which may sit outside traditional service sectors and research settings. If researchers, policy makers and service practitioners adopt collaborative approaches to practice, they are more likely to establish positive working relationships with people from refugee backgrounds, ultimately leading to service provision that is more appropriate and therefore more helpful