Germany: Early identification and access to rehabilitation in situations of large-scale
movements of asylum seekers
In 2008, the local government in Berlin and civil society organizations jointly established a mechanism to identify
and refer victims of torture to rehabilitation services. The mechanism consists of a three-step process: an
initial screening, to identify torture victims; a complete medical and psychological assessment, to identify more
specifically their individual needs; and then referral to rehabilitation services for treatment. The initial screening
is implemented using the PROTECT tool, which facilitates the early recognition of torture victims. The mechanism
also proved useful in responding to the large-scale movement of asylum-seekers into Germany in 2016, many of
whom showed signs of having been tortured.
Australia: Assessing cultural-appropriateness and effectiveness of services
In Australia, the New South Wales Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors
(STARTTS) maintains a variety of monitoring and evaluation approaches to ensure that services are appropriate,
and also to report the findings to the state and federal government departments that fund the work of STARTTS.
STARTTS uses three methods for evaluating clinical services: Process evaluation, to assess how services are
operating (such as monitoring to reduce waiting times and determine service volumes); evaluation of client
experience outcomes (e.g., satisfaction surveys); and outcome evaluation (e.g., assessing clinical outcomes at
regular stages during the counselling process using a computer-based assessment tool in client languages). For the
purposes of evaluating a range of community development activities, STARTTS uses the “most significant change”
technique, a monitoring and evaluation method used for evaluating complex interventions.
Monitoring and evaluation techniques will vary significantly depending on the activity or service in focus. For
example, STARTTS has used a mixed method evaluation and multi-informant design to evaluate the impact of
a Capoeira project that is provided in schools involving young people from refugee backgrounds who were at
risk of falling out of the education system. Capoeira was found to be particularly appropriate for young refugees
who have experienced trauma due to its approach of building confidence and overcoming adversity through the
development of individual self-discipline, inner-strength and group membership.
TOOL: Providing Rehabilitation to Victims of Torture and Other Ill-treatment
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