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Editorial Meeting the Needs of Diverse Migrant Communities and Groups

Editorial Meeting the Needs of Diverse Migrant Communities and Groups Charles Watters Editor The provision of health and social care services to migrants is often represented as a relationship between large-scale institutionalised services and a highly diverse range of cultural and ethnic groups. This representation does not do justice, however, to the distinctive ways in which relationships in health and social care may be mediated by the activities of a range of ‘intermediate’ or ‘meso’ level actors. These actors include refugee community organisations, cultural mediators and advocates. The role of such actors is, in broad terms, to bridge the gaps between services and ethnically and culturally diverse client groups. Central questions with respect to this relationship include ‘Is it reasonable to represent services unquestionably as culturally homogeneous?’ A notable feature of health and social care services in recent times is the introduction of training in cultural competence and service modalities that incorporate heterogeneous cultural practices. A further feature is the diverse cultural, ethnic and geographic backgrounds of health service providers. These developments demonstrate that the challenge of ‘bridging the gaps’ is both complex and multifaceted. In this wider context, the papers assembled here highlight many of the key issues involved in providing health and social care services to diverse migrant groups. Bernardes and colleagues’ contribution highlights the importance of examining and considering the linkages between the perspectives of asylum seekers and refugees and those of service providers. The authors point to the specific institutional contexts in which asylum seekers and refugees are placed, and the importance of addressing the impact of these contexts. Chinouya and Aspinall offer an important contribution to the complex debate on ethical issues in HIV prevention work with ‘Black African’ populations, drawing on fieldwork in London. They offer reflection on a range of salient issues including the role of religious organisations, ethnic matching and informed consent. Lane and Tribe’s contribution addresses issues relating to elderly Chinese women in the UK. They explore in particular the theoretical and methodological implications of an ‘intersectionality’ approach to this population, and highlight the implications for practice arising from their research. Weerasinghe and Numer’s paper also explores issues concerning elderly south Asian migrants, drawing on their fieldwork in Nova Scotia, Canada. They point to the impact of factors in the early lives of women, such as gender segregation, patriarchal protection and early preparation for marriage, in influencing the social and emotional lives of elderly widowed migrants. The authors go on to examine implications for practice gleaned from their research experience. 10.5042/ijmhsc.2011.0149 International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care Volume 6 Issue 4 December 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care Pier Professional

Editorial Meeting the Needs of Diverse Migrant Communities and Groups

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Publisher
Pier Professional
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 by Pier Professional Limited
ISSN
1747-9894
eISSN
2042-8650
DOI
10.5042/ijmhsc.2011.0149
Publisher site
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Abstract

Charles Watters Editor The provision of health and social care services to migrants is often represented as a relationship between large-scale institutionalised services and a highly diverse range of cultural and ethnic groups. This representation does not do justice, however, to the distinctive ways in which relationships in health and social care may be mediated by the activities of a range of ‘intermediate’ or ‘meso’ level actors. These actors include refugee community organisations, cultural mediators and advocates. The role of such actors is, in broad terms, to bridge the gaps between services and ethnically and culturally diverse client groups. Central questions with respect to this relationship include ‘Is it reasonable to represent services unquestionably as culturally homogeneous?’ A notable feature of health and social care services in recent times is the introduction of training in cultural competence and service modalities that incorporate heterogeneous cultural practices. A further feature is the diverse cultural, ethnic and geographic backgrounds of health service providers. These developments demonstrate that the challenge of ‘bridging the gaps’ is both complex and multifaceted. In this wider context, the papers assembled here highlight many of the key issues involved in providing health and social care services to diverse migrant groups. Bernardes and colleagues’ contribution highlights the importance of examining and considering the linkages between the perspectives of asylum seekers and refugees and those of service providers. The authors point to the specific institutional contexts in which asylum seekers and refugees are placed, and the importance of addressing the impact of these contexts. Chinouya and Aspinall offer an important contribution to the complex debate on ethical issues in HIV prevention work with ‘Black African’ populations, drawing on fieldwork in London. They offer reflection on a range of salient issues including the role of religious organisations, ethnic matching and informed consent. Lane and Tribe’s contribution addresses issues relating to elderly Chinese women in the UK. They explore in particular the theoretical and methodological implications of an ‘intersectionality’ approach to this population, and highlight the implications for practice arising from their research. Weerasinghe and Numer’s paper also explores issues concerning elderly south Asian migrants, drawing on their fieldwork in Nova Scotia, Canada. They point to the impact of factors in the early lives of women, such as gender segregation, patriarchal protection and early preparation for marriage, in influencing the social and emotional lives of elderly widowed migrants. The authors go on to examine implications for practice gleaned from their research experience. 10.5042/ijmhsc.2011.0149 International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care Volume 6 Issue 4 December 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd

Journal

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care – Pier Professional

Published: Dec 1, 2010

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