bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Looking for the leadership to successfully implement evidence‐based supported employment in mental health services — what has leadership theory got to offer?
Authors: Lockett Helen
Published: August 2011

There is an established international evidence base on supported employment for people with severe and enduring mental health problems, and now a growing evidence base on how to successfully implement this into practice. The process involves substantial organisational development and change, and therefore effective leadership is critical. This article outlines some of the challenges to implementing supported employment services and explores what recent leadership theory could contribute to this process, as the Sainsbury Centre embarks on its Centres of Excellence Programme in England and seeks to build a wider learning community from our partnerships formed through the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL).
Leading race equality in mental health
Authors: Sewell Hári
Published: August 2011

The national policy Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health (Department of Health, 2005) is in its fifth and final year. Evidence suggests that the changes that were hoped for have not been achieved. This has raised the question as to whether the objectives were unattainable or whether the implementation is yet to see the leadership that is required to bring change in a field fraught with emotion and soured optimism. Drawing on engaging leadership theories and the concept of organisational incompetence this paper highlights key requirements for change, including giving a focus on what has gone well, for example through using appreciative inquiry, and on pursuing possibilities beyond those prescribed through performance management.
Iconic biography (IB) and its impact on the pursuit of excellence
Authors: Wilson Ian
Published: August 2011

The new concept ‘iconic biography’ (IB) is explained. Its impact on managers who aspire to lead their organisations to outstanding performance is described using contrasting examples from the public sector. The relationship between a leader's IB and their ability to influence organisational ethos and culture is also described with survey evidence as to the impact on staff attitudes and morale.
A consuming tension in mental health leadership
Authors: Warriner Rob
Published: August 2011

The emerging role of the consumer movement in shaping the reform of mental health services in New Zealand since the mid‐1980s, and in particular in the last five to 10 years, has been considerable. This article suggests that challenges now face a consumer movement born out of institutional oppression, as the successful evolution of community‐based service delivery increasingly becomes a reality ‐ changing not just the location, but also the culture, understandings, expectations and exclusivity of mental health services. The experience of being a ‘consumer’ of mental health services now takes place not so much at the extremities of social life following acute rejection, but within communities that are increasingly diverse, complex, reflective ‐ and often unsure and contradictory. A challenge, then, is for a consumer leadership to remain inclusive of diversity and dynamism of community life.
Developing medical leadership: a comparative review of approaches in the UK and New Zealand
Authors: McKimm Judy , Rankin David , Poole Phillippa , Swanwick Tim , Barrow Mark
Published: August 2011

Doctors are seen as key to embedding health improvement and patient safety initiatives and there has been much international debate over how best to engage doctors in healthcare leadership and management. This paper explores the current focus on leadership development programmes for doctors through taking a comparative approach to initiatives in New Zealand and the UK. It also considers the challenges to embedding leadership development programmes at all levels of training, education and continuing professional development and highlights some of the implications arising from the two approaches.
Australian National Standards for Mental Health Services: a blueprint for improvement
Authors: Miller Vivienne , Rosen Alan , Gianfrancesco Peter , Hanlon Paula
Published: August 2011

The Australian National Standards for Mental Health Services (Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services, 1996) were developed as a plank of the first National Mental Health Plan (Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, 1992). Over the two subsequent national five‐year plans, they have become the basis for accreditation surveys for all Australian mental health services, both hospital and community components, whether acute or rehabilitation oriented, throughout the psychiatric career of all mental health service users and their families. The development and implementation of these standards are described. Innovations in this set of standards are detailed, specifying requirements of each phase of care, including access, entry, exit and re‐entry, and the parallel development and training of paid consumer and family carer surveyors. Largely due to the brevity and clarity of these innovations, because of a broad consultation process, and incorporation of interventions and service delivery systems that are both evidence‐based and congenial to service users, they have achieved a wide acceptance among, and championing by, service user and family carer networks. A recent review of the national standards was timely and welcomed, but is still incomplete, contentious in its protracted process, has a lack of consistent consultation and contains diluted and disorganised results. Implementation guides will now be developed to be superimposed on this revision in an attempt to improve and navigate it.
Outside‐in service design
Authors: Bates Peter , Davis Fabian
Published: August 2011

The authors question the traditional approach to service design, which merely leads to model replication. In order to design a service effectively for a local community this article identifies a need for ‘outside‐in’ service design to truly reflect the needs and environment of a particular community. Using the example of volunteering projects, the authors identify nine key factors that impact on the effective implementation of projects and suggest that consideration of these should form a template for other outside‐in analyses by leaders. The authors pose a series of questions that leaders can apply to their own settings in order to explore the issues raised in this article.
The leadership delusion
Authors: Gunter Helen
Published: August 2011

The author argues that leadership in the public sector operates within the belief of a historical and often mythical hierarchy, and that leadership as a term often is over‐used and under‐conceptualised. This ‘leadership delusion’ is located in a functional approach to leadership where the assumption is that removing dysfunctions from organisations through efficient and effective delivery will automatically bring about changes to standards. While organisational systems, structures and roles are important for quality and improvement, such an approach is not of itself socially critical. This viewpoint argues that we need approaches to leadership that engage with bigger issues such as class, gender and race in ways that are more than counting and measuring.
‘Health has no Borders’: Cape Verdean Immigrants in the Netherlands and the Transnational Quest for Health Care Across Europe
Authors: de Freitas Cláudia
Published: August 2011

This paper addresses access to formal health care among Cape Verdean immigrants in the Netherlands, and their transnational health‐seeking process in other European countries. Three barriers hindering Cape Verdeans' access to care have been identified: lack of information about the health services available, problems in the relationship with health providers and difficulties in dealing with the conditionality of help. These problems are deeply intertwined, and relate to two sets of factors. At the macro‐level these include the organisational and structural characteristics of the Dutch health care system. At the micro‐level, the problems concern the mismatch between users' and providers' expectations of health care provision.Despite the barriers encountered, Cape Verdeans strive to benefit from good health. The informants in this study employ two sorts of strategy to access good health care. On the one hand, they try to adapt their help‐seeking behaviour to the model prevalent in the Netherlands. On the other, they resort to transnational health care use in other European countries, including Portugal and France. These strategies prove Cape Verdeans' resilience in finding the care that is most appropriate to their needs.
Interpreting Services for Refugees: Hearing Voices?
Authors: Williams Lucy
Published: August 2011

This article examines current issues in the use of interpreting services, as experienced by refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. The paper begins with a review of relevant literature on interpreting services and relates it to the service context and the specific needs of refugees and asylum seekers. There follows a discussion of a small‐scale research project carried out with interpreters working in these services. Recommendations are made which include the need to educate all three parties (the professional employing the interpreter, the interpreter and the client) in not only best practice and practical techniques of working with interpreters, but also broader issues such as the complexity of the interpreting process, the importance of establishing trust, competing agendas and negotiation of meaning that are implicit in the interpretation process.
Torture, Mental Health Status and the Outcomes of Refugee Applications among Recently Arrived Asylum Seekers in Australia
Authors: Silove Derrick , Steel Zachary , Susljik Ina , Frommer Naomi , Loneragan Celia , Brooks Robert , le Touze Dominique , Manicavasagar Vijaya , Ceollo Mariano , Smith Mitchell , Harris Elizabeth
Published: August 2011

There are ongoing concerns that asylum seekers who have been tortured and who suffer trauma‐related mental disorders are being refused protection by countries in which they seek asylum. The study described here assessed a consecutive sample of recently arrived asylum seekers attending immigration agents in Sydney, Australia, using a series of structured measures. Participants were followed up to assess the outcomes of their refugee applications. The 73 participants, who had resided in Australia for an average of 4.3 months, reported high rates of torture (51%), and that group was at highest risk of suffering a combination of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression, a response pattern associated with substantial levels of psychosocial disability. Neither past torture nor current psychiatric disorder influenced the outcomes of refugee applications. The study raises further concerns that tortured asylum seekers and others with trauma‐related mental disorder may be at risk of repatriation to their countries of origin.
Completing the Jigsaw: A Service Provider's Response to the Health Needs of Refugees in the London Borough of Camden
Authors: Palmer David
Published: August 2011

This article is concerned with strategies for combating health inequalities for refugees. It explores a service provider's (St Pancras Refugee Centre) response to the mental health and social care needs of refugees in the London Borough of Camden. Drawing on primary and secondary research, the article presents relevant findings and theoretical discourse in this area. It also draws on my own experience of working with refugees, providing a holistic approach to their social care requirements. The main focus is an examination of how social care and mental health needs are addressed. The article argues that providers need to develop services which engage with users on a mutually beneficial level in order to combat health inequalities and provide adequate health and social care provision.
Refugee Resettlement Programmes as Potential Mental Health Promoting Settings? A Qualitative Study of Resettlement Staff's Constructions of Refugees' Mental Health in Everyday Episodes
Authors: Lindencrona Fredrik , Ekblad Solvig
Published: August 2011

In order to investigate the potential of refugee resettlement programmes as mental healthpromoting settings, this study examines resettlement staff's constructions of refugees' health in everyday episodes within the resettlement programme. Everyday episodes relating to refugees' health were collected through individual and group interviews with 28 members of staff, and analysed using grounded theory methodology. The constructions of health in these episodes focused on mental health, the latter understood as a concept stressing the dynamic fit between person, programme and external environment. If a comprehensive strategy focusing on creating mental health among refugees through inter‐sectoral co‐ordination is developed, resettlement programmes can probably be developed into mental health‐promoting settings. The model proposed in this paper could be a good starting point to further this programme and policy development.
Unequal Care: An Introduction to Understanding UK Policy and the Impact on Asylum‐Seeking Children
Authors: Lane Pauline , Tribe Rachel
Published: August 2011

This paper identifies the major relevant legislation and procedures which affect health and social care provision for asylum‐seeking children in the UK. It discusses some of the dilemmas asylum‐seeking children may experience, as well as issues that practitioners may need to consider to ensure that services are appropriate, accessible and non‐stigmatising. The paper also identifies the different ‘categories’ of asylum‐seeking children who are supported under different sections of the Children Act and how they can result in unequal levels of social care, and identifies some positive practice examples for children who have been trafficked.
Access to Maternity Care for ‘Failed’ Asylum Seekers
Authors: Gaudion Anna , McLeish Jenny , Homeyard Claire
Published: August 2011

This article analyses provision of health and social care for pregnant women and new families who have been unsuccessful in their asylum claims in the United Kingdom. It identifies the contribution of maternity care to child health, and examines the implications of the legislation that excludes ‘failed’ asylum seekers from free NHS secondary health care and denies them housing and financial support. Finally, the article examines the impact on pregnant women and their babies of being held in removal (detention) centers.
Children as Research Advisors: Contributions to a ‘Methodology of Participation’ in Researching Children in Difficult Circumstances
Authors: Doná Giorgia
Published: August 2011

This article contributes to emerging discussions of child participation in general, and in research with migrant and displaced children specifically, by examining the involvement of children as research advisors in two projects: a study of foster care for separated children in Rwanda, and an analysis of the conditions of children outside parental care living in institutions and communities in Bangladesh. The comparison highlights the importance of conceiving participation as a research strategy, and advocates a ‘methodology of participation’ that considers varieties of participation and varieties of social change. Teaching research methods to children acting as advisors enabled them to understand what research is and to learn about the lives of other children, while contributing to decision‐making processes in selecting questions, participants, interpreting findings and making recommendations. Children's input into research contributes to overcoming essentialist conceptualisations of children in difficult circumstances, and moving to viewing these children as social actors embedded in complex relational processes. At the same time, involving children in an advisory capacity considers them as active participants in the research process, as they are in social life.
Ageing Out of Place: Health and Well‐Being Needs and Access to Home and Aged Care Services for Recently Arrived Older Refugees in Melbourne, Australia
Authors: Atwell R , Correa‐Velez I , Gifford S
Published: August 2011

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.
Psychosocial Intervention Model: Ethnic Minority Youth with Intimate Partnership Formation Problems in Denmark
Authors: Singla Rashmi
Published: August 2011

The article is based on a research project using survey data (N=628) and qualitative interviews (N=60) with young people and their parents belonging to the five largest ethnic minority groups in Denmark, along with the experiences of psychosocial services for minority young people. The theoretical framework is social psychological, combining theories of modernisation, family relations and effects of discrimination. The article examines interaction with the parents in relation to their intimate partnership formation and the dynamics of religious endogamy. Main findings are that parents may be either supportive or against the young people, contrary to the dominant discourses about intergenerational conflicts. The continued practice of religious endogamy is another finding. The article criticises the reductionistic dichotomy ‐ either own or parental choice ‐ and appeals for broader concepts which focus both on own choice and parental acceptance. The article also throws light on some strategic services dealing with the problems of ethnic minority young people in forming intimate partnerships in other countries. A model for psychosocial intervention is presented which directs attention to ageism and sexism, as well as racism, at personal, interpersonal and structural levels.
An Exploration into the Impact of the Resettlement Experience, Traditional Health Beliefs and Customs on Mental Ill‐Health and Suicide Rates in the Ethiopian Community in London
Authors: Palmer David
Published: August 2011

Forced migration and the resettlement experience combine to produce a set of social, cultural, economic and psychological challenges for forced migrants which may affect integration, mental and physical health, and access to health and social care. There is very little research on the resettlement experience of Ethiopian forced migrants in London, particularly on causes of mental illness and access to mental health care. Few studies have examined whether and how traditional beliefs and customs affect the experiences of this group in health care. The paper reports on a pilot study consisting of interviews with an Ethiopian priest, community leaders and Ethiopians working in the community health sector with the aims of improving our understanding of the issues, and to inform further study. Initial analysis suggests that this group faces multiple forms of disadvantage which affect mental health. A further interesting dynamic is the relation between lack of ‘help seeking behaviour’, due to cultural expectations and norms, and lack of access and engagement with Western treatments. Religious mechanisms and activities were also reported as bolstering coping mechanisms. Perhaps most significant was concern about the increasing suicide rate among this group, many respondents suggesting a direct causal link between suicide and maladjustment in exile.
Social Capital, Ethnicity and Children's Well‐Being: Aspects of Social Capital in the Everyday Lives of British Punjabi Children
Authors: Hossain Rosa , Watters Charles , Brown Rupert , Cameron Lindsey , Landau Anick , LeTouze Dominique , Nigbur Dennis , Rutland Adam
Published: August 2011

This paper discusses the relationship between minority ethnicity, well‐being and children's social capital in the light of data from a qualitative study on social capital among 32 British Punjabi primary school children. Through a broad overview of social capital literature on ethnic minorities and children's welfare, the case is made for placing children's well‐being in a contextual framework that acknowledges the variety and wealth of children's everyday experiences. Looking at the children's social networks and future aspirations, the discussion will draw out ways in which social capital processes interact with other aspects of children's identity, including ethnicity and gender, from a child‐centred perspective. Finally, some exploratory ideas are offered as to how bonding processes may affect children's psychological well‐being, and how they may be viewed through the concept of ‘emotional capital’.
Demographic Changes among Ethnic Minority Elders in England and Wales: Implications for Development and Delivery of Old Age Psychiatry Services
Authors: Shah Ajit
Published: August 2011

The black and ethnic minority (BME) elderly population in England and Wales is increasing. As dementia is an age‐related disorder and the prevalence of depression in old age is high, the absolute number of cases of dementia and depression will increase among BME elders. This has implications for the development and delivery of old age psychiatry services (OAPSs) for BME elders. Demographic data pertaining to the elderly from BME groups in the 2001 population census were analysed in detail to evaluate the implications for development and delivery of OAPSs for BME elders. The demographic changes identified have important future implications for the development and delivery of OAPSs for BME elders. Unless they are addressed systematically, BME elders will continue to harbour untreated, hidden psychiatric morbidity. Strategies to ensure that this vulnerable group of elderly are identified and provided with accessible, acceptable and culturally sensitive OAPSs should be developed.
‘I was Independent since I was Born’: Pre‐Immigration Traumatic Experiences and Pathological Gambling in Four Chinese Canadians
Authors: Lee Bonnie , Solowoniuk Jason , Fong Mary
Published: August 2011

Trauma and adverse childhood events are found in the pre‐immigration histories of a cohort of four Chinese Canadian pathological gamblers. The nature of their traumatic experiences, consisting of loss and abandonment, neglect and deprivation, physical and emotional abuse, socioeconomic and political oppression, is elucidated and described. The impact of pre‐immigration trauma and its relationship to the development of pathological gambling post‐immigration are discussed. Upon further corroboration of the existence of pre‐immigration trauma among Chinese and Asian immigrants in future studies, training of counsellors to incorporate an in‐depth pre‐immigration history in the assessment and treatment protocol of immigrants manifesting pathological gambling is recommended.
(Dis‐)Empowering Immigrants in Canada: Political Advocacy of Immigrant and Minority Organisations Promoting Cultural Diversity in the Health Care Sector
Authors: Schmidtke Oliver
Published: August 2011

This article starts from the theoretical assumption that successful multicultural integration of immigrants and ethnic minorities is critically dependent on providing them with opportunities to engage in public debate and in policy‐making. Empowering cultural groups is important in particular to the traditionally vulnerable individuals in these groups, such as women. The argument is applied to Canada, a country whose turn to multicultural policies and an accompanying ethos of appreciating cultural diversity have created new opportunities for immigrant and minority groups to advocate for a pluri‐cultural opening of the health care system. These opportunities can be found in state‐monitored forms of community outreach and partial inclusion in the policy process, as well as in grassroots initiatives from immigrant or minority associations or professional networks. Promoting cultural diversity in the Canadian health care sector and empowering minorities in the system are depicted as challenging and, in spite of considerable progress over the last decade, successful primarily with respect to some exemplary practices and initiatives. Examples are drawn from the complex political fight of women with an immigrant or minority background for inclusion, diversity and social justice in the health care system.
Migrant Women in Greece: Cultural Diversities and Health Care
Authors: Ioannidi‐Kapolou Elisabeth
Published: August 2011

Greek society is in a transition period, because it has become host to nearly a million immigrants in less than a decade. The increasing inflow and settlement of migrants and refugees with diverse socio‐economic and socio‐cultural backgrounds have led to a growing need for services that will meet the needs of migrant populations. The country has to adapt to the demands of a multi‐cultural society, and at this stage the health sector ‐ and more specifically health practitioners ‐ appear to lack awareness of the complex needs of these populations, particularly the cultural diversity among migrant women and the crucial role of health staff in promoting integration of these social groups. This paper will discuss the challenges faced by health care providers in Greece and a pilot intervention in Greek hospitals to address cultural diversity for women.
Practice Report: Integration of Trafficked Women in Destination Countries: Obstacles and Opportunities
Authors: Stephen‐Smith Sarah
Published: August 2011

The physical and psychological effects of human trafficking1 can be severe and long‐term (Zimmerman et al, 2006). Yet with appropriate support at all stages of the trafficking process women can be rehabilitated and re‐integrated within society (Zimmerman et al, 2003). This article highlights the unique needs of trafficked women and explores the work of the POPPY Project (the sole UK government‐funded dedicated service for women trafficked into prostitution) in helping trafficked women integrate into UK society successfully.
The Extent of Collection of Information on Migrant and Asylum Seeker Status in Routine Health and Social Care Data Sources in England
Authors: Aspinall Peter
Published: August 2011

While efforts to mainstream collection of ethnicity in routine health datasets have gathered pace since the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, relatively little attention has focused on the capture of migrants, and data on asylum seekers and refugees are even more sparse. There is negligible coverage in the key datasets for primary and secondary care, and only a few of the new contract datasets to support the National Service Frameworks accord importance to the migrant population. Some of the communicable disease data collections record country of birth, but its incompleteness is a drawback. Given the growing size of the non‐UK‐born population and the accumulating evidence on the health and health care needs of the migrant population, country of birth merits a place alongside other access variables such as age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and place of residence in routine data collection. While record linkage studies offer some scope, and there is currently a focus on obtaining improved migration statistics in the forthcoming census and other data flows, health and social care sources remain a neglected area.
Human Rights and Access to Psychiatric Care for Adult Asylum Seekers: Guidelines to Improve Care
Authors: Ginsburg Bengt , Bäärnhielm Sofie
Published: August 2011

Psychiatric care for adult asylum seekers has been an area of conflict and turbulence in Sweden over the last 20 years. Sweden has been criticised for being one of the most restrictive EU countries in providing health care for asylum seekers. Mental health care for asylum seekers is characterised by short‐term emergency measures and inequality. The complex regulatory framework tends to be interpreted in a rather arbitrary fashion, which in many cases may lead to unnecessary restrictions. In this paper we present guidelines for care givers and decision makers aiming to improve psychiatric care for adult asylum seekers in Stockholm, Sweden. In this context it is necessary to highlight and discuss the importance of understanding and implementing human rights among health professionals. The overall goal for these guidelines is mental health care for asylum seekers on the same terms, as far as possible, as for Swedish citizens.
Refugees, the UNHCR and Host Governments as Stake‐holders in the Transformation of Refugee Communities: A Study into the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana
Authors: Dzeamesi Michael
Published: August 2011

In general, refugee camps are enclosed areas restricted to refugees and those assisting them. These camps are supposed to be temporary, and often lack even very basic social infrastructure and economic development. In many cases, however, they have become permanent homes for refugees, lasting in some cases over ten years. Using empirical evidence from the Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana, this article examines the possibility and the practicalities of transforming refugee communities from their initial undeveloped state into more developed and modernised societies. It explores the role of the principal stake‐holders ‐ the refugees, the UNHCR and the host government ‐ in the practical transformation of the refugee community. The article concludes that refugees themselves can be instrumental in any substantial transformation of their communities, and that effective transformation is possible through concerted efforts by the various stake‐holders.
Estimating the Absolute Number of Cases of Dementia and Depression in the Black and Minority Ethnic Elderly Population in the United Kingdom
Authors: Shah Ajit
Published: August 2011

The proportion of those over the age of 65 years in black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in England and Wales is increasing. The prevalence of dementia and depression among BME elders from different groups in the United Kingdom is generally similar to or higher than in indigenous white British elders. Two methods were used to provide a conservative estimate of the absolute number of cases of dementia and depression among BME elders. Data on prevalence from published studies of different BME elderly groups and the number of those over the age of 65 years from different BME groups in the general population in the 2001 population census were used for analysis. The most conservative estimates of the absolute number of cases of dementia among BME elders were 7270 and 10,786 for the two methods of analysis; the corresponding figures for depression were 33,559 and 52,980. There is a significant amount of psychiatric morbidity among the elderly from BME groups. A multi‐faceted approach is needed to ensure that commissioning, design, development and delivery of culturally capable, appropriate and sensitive old age psychiatry actually occurs and improves the equity of service access by BME elders.
Now and Then ‐ Diasporic Identity Processes Among South Asian Young Adults in Scandinavia
Authors: Singla Rashmi
Published: August 2011

This paper explores some social‐psychological aspects of South Asian young adults in Denmark, including identity processes through social relations across geographical borders and psychological diaspora consciousness, and is a follow‐up of a project conducted in the mid‐nineties, in Denmark (N = 14). Diasporic conceptualisations focusing on human‐centredness and processes in migration, combined with a lifecourse perspective, provide the theoretical framework for this study. The method used is in‐depth interviews, analysed through condensation and meaningful categorisation of the narratives. The young adults are perceived as active actors in relation to their life situation. The results show the young adults', as well as the parental generations', re‐interpretation of the self, other and home. They also show that the young adults' diasporic identities involve the countries of origin as well as the Scandinavian welfare societies. However, the myth of return is not supported, although the countries of residence have adopted increasingly restrictive migration policies in the past years.
Introduction: From Practitioners to Researchers
Authors: Verschoor Cathy
Published: August 2011

The European Network for Asylum Reception Organisations (ENARO), representing II European countries, has organised staff exchange visits since its establishment in 2002. Although the exchange programme has been successful in itself for more than five years, new dynamics are necessary to keep the programme vital and geared to the future. To achieve this, the University of Kent and ENARO have joined forces in an EU‐funded project called the ENARO Knowledge Transfer Hub, hereafter called the HUB. The aim of the HUB is to provide benefit to the staff exchanges on several levels. The project included the two exchanges in the year 2007.
The Paradox of Integration: Iraqi Women and Service Support in Regional Australia
Authors: Vasey Katie , Manderson Lenore
Published: August 2011

The lives of refugee and immigrant populations have become central to often intense debates about cultural differences and their implications for multicultural societies. The cultural practices assumed to be characteristic of such populations are the object of media comment and policy initiatives, and preoccupy social service practitioners daily. Drawing on an ethnographic examination of the everyday experiences of Iraqi refugees in a small regional town in Victoria, Australia, this article explores how social service practitioners address cultural difference as they seek to assist and support integration. The wider implications of emphasising cultural difference as a defining feature in determining and evaluating refugee integration are also explored. We argue that this emphasis fails to address structural inequalities that contribute to common forms of exclusion and marginalisation experienced by refugees and immigrants in Australia. This emphasis also risks contributing to what, in recent times, has become a dangerous stereotyping of refugees.
Transcultural Clinical Work with Immigrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees at Avicenne Hospital, France
Authors: Sturm Gesine , Heidenreich Felicia , Moro Marie
Published: August 2011

This article presents and critically analyses an approach that is part of a specific context of health care ideologies and services in France: the ethnopsychoanalytic consultations that are practised at the Avicenne Hospital. It is one of the few places where a specific approach for immigrant clients is offered in a university hospital. We give some background information both on the history of the hospital and on the ethnopsychiatric consultation. We then discuss some of the basic principles of the French ethnopsychoanalytic approach, and describe the work in a multicultural group setting. We also give some information about the indications for this kind of therapy, on the population served and on the way the transcultural consultation co‐operates with other services. A short case presentation will illustrate the description of the French ethnopsychoanalytical approach and lead to a critical conclusion analysing the strengths and weaknesses of this model.
Intentions and Motivations of Nurses to Migrate: A Review of Empirical Studies
Authors: Gray Jennifer , Johnson Leigh
Published: August 2011

Six empirical studies of nurse migration motivations and intentions were identified for review. The review revealed that motivations and intentions varied by country of origin and by individual nurses. Nurses from more developed countries migrated for personal reasons, while nurses from less developed countries migrated for economic, professional and family reasons. Country‐level studies are needed in resource‐poor countries to inform health system policies and workforce development. These policies must simultaneously protect the right of the individual nurse to migrate and create conditions conducive to retention of nurses. Additional research is needed to understand the decision‐making processes related to migration and the experiences of individual nurses who migrate to more developed countries.
Culturally Competent Health Promotion: The Potential of Participatory Video for Empowering Migrant and Minority Ethnic Communities
Authors: Chiu Lai
Published: August 2011

While the concept of cultural competence has emerged as a major contribution to improving migrants' and minority ethnic (MME) health, what constitutes culturally competent health promotion is less well understood. This paper explores the tension between the concept of cultural competence and community empowerment through an analysis of the author's recent experience of a participatory video project in which four ethnic/language groups were involved in the production of a breast‐screening video. It illustrates the engagement of migrants and minority ethnic communities in different stages of the video production process, and critically reflects on how this experience could be understood. It concludes that culturally competent health promotion requires us to go beyond language and cultural sensitivity to engage critically with communities to participate in health promotion activities. Participatory video has the potential not only to promote health messages in the communities, but also to strengthen capacity and cultural identities.
Health and Mental Health Needs and Experiences of Minority Clients in Portugal
Authors: Moleiro Carla , Silva Ana , Rodrigues Rute , Borges Vera
Published: August 2011

The paper addresses diversity, multi‐culturalism and mental health. It reports qualitative data from a larger project on multi‐cultural counselling competencies in Portugal which sought to meet the needs identified by specific minority groups by developing integrative, responsive and culturally sensitive treatments. A qualitative study is presented, with the aim of exploring the representations of mental health and illness held by ethnic minority groups in Portugal, as well as their specific needs and obstacles encountered in their interactions with health professionals. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted, and the results indicate that the meanings of health and mental health varied. Meanings of psychological health were related to general well‐being. Help‐seeking behaviours were associated with providing and receiving family and social support, mainly among participants of African descent. Although the great majority of participants had had no experience of counselling or psychotherapy, they expected psychologists to be multiculturally sensitive, as well as knowledgeable about diversity and multi‐culturalism. Implications for development of mental health services for minority clients are discussed.
Psychopolitical Validation of Health Promotion Research for Migrant Populations: Conceptualising Well‐being among Andalusian Moroccan Immigrants
Authors: Paloma Virginia , Herrera Isabel , García‐Ramírez Manuel
Published: August 2011

This study will show how social investigation requires psychopolitical validity in order to guarantee the efficiency of scientific practices, achieving symmetrical relationships between populations and researchers. We describe a guideline to develop a range of concepts ready to be used in health practices with minorities, according to their culture and needs. We illustrate this framework through a conceptualisation of well‐being for Andalusian Moroccans. Moroccan well‐being is a function of positive valuation of their migratory transition and a pool of positive emotions. The achievement of expectations is related to building up networks, progress in the quality of life and social acknowledgement, and fulfilled efforts are related to the acquisition of competences, progress and the investment required. The main indicators of positive emotion are happiness, consistency and social contribution.
Opportunity for Development or Necessary Nuisance? The Case for Viewing Working with Interpreters as a Bonus in Therapeutic Work
Authors: Tribe Rachel , Thompson Kate
Published: August 2011

This paper explores the central role a language interpreter can play in the process of the therapeutic relationship. Although others have described the changes to the therapeutic dyad that the presence of a third party (an interpreter) brings, little attention has been paid to the advantages and additional opportunities of this altered therapeutic situation. This paper details these gains and further argues that clinicians who are willing to gain experience of working with interpreters will find that benefits accrue at the micro and macro levels: at the micro level, through enhancement of their work with individual non English speaking clients, and at the macro level through learning about different cultural perspectives, idioms of distress and the role of language in the therapeutic endeavour. This is in addition to developing skills to fulfil legal and professional requirements relating to equity of service provision. Some ideas are offered to explain the negative slant than runs throughout the literature in this area and tends to colour the overall discussion of therapeutic work with interpreters and, before the final section, makes some specific suggestions which may help maximise the gains possible in such work while reducing difficulties.
Exploring the Three‐Way Relationship in Therapeutic Work with Interpreters
Authors: Tribe Rachel , Thompson Kate
Published: August 2011

In a companion paper, we have argued that therapeutic work with interpreters has been viewed more negatively than is warranted, and that the inherent advantages of this way of engaging with the non English speaking client have been minimised or ignored. This paper seeks to explore the aspects that may underlie the reluctance of clinicians to engage with therapeutic work with interpreters. Difficulties often appear to be centred on the anxieties provoked by working in the three‐way therapeutic relationship rather than in the traditional therapeutic dyad. It is also possible that the highly traumatised nature of some clients, who may be refugees or asylum seekers fleeing from political violence, also complicates such work. The intention in this paper is to consider both the dynamics of the three‐way relationship and the impact of traumatic experience, when relevant, on therapeutic work with interpreters, and to suggest how the pulls inherent in such work might be managed. It is hoped that by exploring these problematic areas, some light can be shed on the difficulties that all clinicians can experience but can equally overcome.
A multi‐cultural transformative approach to learning
Authors: Enger Kathy , Lajimodiere Denise
Published: August 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the attitudes of students following the completion of an online doctoral level multicultural diversity course at a university in the Midwestern USA based on Banks' transformative approach to learning in an effort to determine if the online environment could successfully intervene to change student attitudes. Few studies examine the impact of a transformative approach to learning diversity in the online environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This mixed methods study employed the Munroe multicultural scale and phenomenological analysis. The Munroe multicultural attitudinal scale questionnaire (MASQUE) is based on Banks' approach to multicultural learning and was administered in a pre‐ and a post‐test, and 594 pages of student journals were qualitatively analyzed using phenomenology.

Findings

Of the 28 questions on the MASQUE scale, students showed a significant difference between pre‐ and post‐scores on two questions: “I am knowledgeable regarding differences among economic classes,” and “I react positively to cultural differences.” A phenomenological analysis of journal entries showed that students perceived benefits in rural living, understood privilege, and felt compelled to act on what they learned from the course. The students in this course came to understand cultural difference through the lens of dominant Euro‐American culture.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited in several ways. First, the discussion board was not analyzed. If the discussion board had been analyzed, it would have been possible to triangulate the data and further validate the findings. Second, longitudinal analysis would strengthen study findings. The study was limited to one snapshot of one course and would be stronger if future courses were analyzed over time, including long‐term analysis of student journals. Third, while phenomenology restricts qualitative analysis to one person, the study would be stronger if someone other that the professor teaching the course administered the survey, allowing more honesty from students in their responses. Inter‐rater reliability would be necessary for this approach.

Practical implications

The curriculum for this study was designed to be replicated and may be used in future courses to address prejudicial attitudes in students.

Social implications

Transformational learning that addresses prejudicial attitudes has far reaching implications for eliminating inequality and discrimination.

Originality/value

This study showed that transformative learning can take place in the online environment.
Investigating students' attitude and intention to use social software in higher institution of learning in Malaysia
Authors: Tajudeen Shittu Ahmed , Madarsha Basha Kamal , Suryani Nik AbdulRahman Nik , Badariah Tunku Ahmad Tunku
Published: August 2011

Purpose

Social software usage is growing at an exponential rate among the present generation of students. Yet, there is paucity of empirical study to understand the determinant of its use in the present setting of this study. This study, therefore, seeks to investigate factors that predict students' attitudes and intentions to use this internet‐base software.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey research was conducted among students of a higher institution of learning. A hypothesized model was developed through technology acceptance theory of Davis, from where hypotheses were postulated for the study. Structural equation modeling was used to ascertain the goodness of fit of the model of the study and to analysis all the hypotheses postulated therein.

Findings

The findings of the study revealed that all the independent variables (perceived usefulness, subjective norm, and perceived ease of use) predict the attitude of students toward social software adoption. Similarly, attitude was found to be the stronger predictor of students' intention to use social software. The data of the study fitted the model hypothesized for the study with goodness of fit indices of the model above the acceptable value of 0.90. The invariance analysis between the genders was found to be statistically insignificant.

Practical implications

The findings from the present study on students' attitudes to social software usage have made a confirmatory revelation to previous studies that has similar bearing to technology use and adoption. This study revealed that perceived ease of use is the stronger predictor of student attitude to the use of social software than perceived usefulness and subjective norms, while student attitude was stronger in determining intention to use social network site. This finding confirms that of Davis, which asserted that perceived ease of use of a system has an effect on its perceived usefulness and the behavioral intention of the users.

Originality/value

The study is an original work conducted in February 2010.