This paper investigates the factors which influence the ability of resettled refugee parents to envisage their adolescents’ futures and support them in setting and achieving goals. It is based on the findings of a study of 10 refugee families from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, two to three years after they had arrived in Melbourne, Australia. Analysis of the findings draws on Antonovsky’s ‘sense of coherence’ framework to highlight the conditions which assist refugee parents to negotiate their social environment and develop realistic ambitions for their families’ futures. This framework is also used to point to ways in which refugee families might best be assisted by host communities to guide and support their children and thus overcome some of the potential intergenerational conflicts which can occur following resettlement.

Recently arrived older refugees in resettlement countries are a particularly vulnerable population who face many risks to their health and well‐being, and many challenges in accessing services. This paper reports on a project undertaken in Victoria, Australia to explore the needs of older people from 14 recently arrived refugee communities, and the barriers to their receiving health and aged care. Findings from consultations with community workers and service providers highlight the key issues of isolation, family conflict and mental illness affecting older refugees, and point to ways in which policy‐makers and service providers can better respond to these small but deserving communities.