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Purpose In recent years, the number of refugees and migrants entering Europe has increased dramatically. Such trauma may affect not only refugees themselves, but also care givers and rescue workers. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the intensity and psychological impact of the refugee crisis, with a view to suggesting ways of moving forward.Design/methodology/approach Based on recent literature, this paper briefly looks at the importance of attention to health and social issues, before discussing the psychological trauma of refugees and potential emotional trauma of those involved in rescue operations.Findings The provision of psychological support which is both compassionate and culturally competent should be viewed as essential. Furthermore, the development of resources and tools to assist with the current refugee crisis could enable care givers, rescue workers, and healthcare professionals to provide psychological support to migrants and refugees. Such resources could also encourage, and support, frontline responders in caring for their own personal psychological well-being.Originality/value The content of this paper could help to encourage further research in this field, including research into the emotional trauma of rescue workers. Furthermore, it is intended that this paper could contribute to an on-line knowledge base when considering the development of tools and resources to assist with the current refugee crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internationalization of universities and the aging of the global population are two current issues that converge and challenge undergraduate gerontology curriculum development in Canada. One response to this challenge is to envision an intercultural gerontology curriculum. What might this curriculum encompass? How might it be taught? An exploratory study was undertaken to address these two questions. This paper presents findings from this study based primarily on interviews with university-based stakeholders from Canada, the United States, and Europe. Thematic analysis of the interviews resulted in five themes: multiple perspectives on cultural diversity; the dynamic nature of cultural diversity and aging; flow of an intercultural curriculum; institutional culture and intercultural curricula; and principles and practice for intercultural gerontology. Framed by principles of gerontology theory and educational approaches, this paper focuses on the principles and practice suggested by study participants. Scaffolding learning, active learning strategies, experiential learning opportunities, teacher modelling, and internet-based learning are discussed as key to intercultural learning. An appendix includes a list of resources that may be useful to developing an intercultural gerontology curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The cultural and language diversity across many European countries presents a range of challenges and opportunities for speech and language therapists and other practitioners working with children with developmental language disorders (DLD) and their families. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore practitioners' perceptions of cultural and linguistic differences in response to children with DLD across different countries. Methods: A survey was developed by practitioners and researchers working with children with DLD across Europe and beyond as part of the work of Cost Action IS1406. Data from 1,358 practitioners from 8 European countries – Ireland, UK, Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia, Spain, Norway and Sweden – and 2 neighbour countries – Turkey and Lebanon – were included in the present analyses, which address two groups of questions. The first focuses on practitioners' perceptions of the way that parents think about cultural differences and their relationship to language development in their children. The second concerns the extent to which practitioners consider themselves to have the skills to work with children from other cultures and using different languages. Results/Conclusions: Most countries present a similar profile with intermediate results about their perception of cultural issues, but Lebanon and Turkey are the group with the most positive responses. In terms of bilingual issues most practitioners indicated that they only worked in their country's primary language. The only country where this was not the case was Lebanon. Professionals from Spain and Lebanon form a subgroup in terms of their confidence to work with different cultural/language groups. The paper highlights both the universal importance of cultural and linguistic competence in managing young children's needs and indicates that in most cases professionals do not think they have the necessary expertise to work with cultural and linguistic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europe is undergoing rapid social change and is distinguished by its cultural superdiversity. Healthcare is facing an increasing need for professionals to adapt to this environment. Thus, the promotion of cultural competence in healthcare has become a priority. However, the training being developed and their suitability for the European context are not well known. The aim of this qualitative study has been to map the scientific literature in order to comprehend the current state of research on this topic. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic scoping review of the empirical publications focused on cultural competence interventions for healthcare professionals in European countries. The search was conducted in eight thematic (PsycINFO, MedLine, and PubPsych) and multidisciplinary databases (Academic Search Ultimate, E-Journals, Scopus, ProQuest, and Web of Science) to identify relevant publications up to 2023. Results were presented qualitatively. Out of the initial 6506 records screened, a total of 63 publications were included. Although the interventions were implemented in 23 different European countries, cultural competence interventions have not been widely adopted in Europe. Significant heterogeneity was observed in the conception and operacionalización of cultural competence models and in the implementation of the interventions. The interventions have mostly aimed at improving healthcare for minority population groups and have focused on the racial and ethnic dimensions of the individual. Future research is needed to contribute to the conceptual development of cultural competence to design programs tailored to European superdiversity. This scoping review has been registered in OSF and is available for consultation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technical communication is a new field of work compared to other professions, and therefore it does not have a standardised curriculum. In Europe, many technical communicators do not have qualifications in the area. TecCOMFrame, a project funded by the European Union, aims to develop an academic competence framework and higher education prototype curricula at various levels that correspond to the European Framework of Qualifications. The project team has developed the competence framework, comprising six dimensions and 22 subjects. The team is currently developing prototype curricula, including one curriculum which is a focus of this paper, a specialisation stream in technical communication in a Master's in Translation Studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Language & Intercultural Communication is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Health care organizations need to be responsive to the needs of increasingly diverse patient populations. We compared the contents of six publicly available approaches to organizational responsiveness to diversity. The central questions addressed in this paper are: what are the most consistently recommended issues for health care organizations to address in order to be responsive to the needs of diverse groups that differ from the majority population? How much consensus is there between various approaches?Methods: We purposively sampled six approaches from the US, Australia and Europe and used qualitative textual analysis to categorize the content of each approach into domains (conceptually distinct topic areas) and, within each domain, into dimensions (operationalizations). The resulting classification framework was used for comparative analysis of the content of the six approaches.Results: We identified seven domains that were represented in most or all approaches: organizational commitment, empirical evidence on inequalities and needs, a competent and diverse workforce, ensuring access for all users, ensuring responsiveness in care provision, fostering patient and community participation, and actively promoting responsiveness. Variations in the operationalization of these domains related to different scopes, contexts and types of diversity. For example, approaches that focus on ethnic diversity mostly provide recommendations to handle cultural and language differences; approaches that take an intersectional approach and broaden their target population to vulnerable groups in a more general sense also pay attention to factors such as socio-economic status and gender.Conclusions: Despite differences in labeling, there is a broad consensus about what health care organizations need to do in order to be responsive to patient diversity. This opens the way to full scale implementation of organizational responsiveness in healthcare and structured evaluation of its effectiveness in improving patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the nature and extent of learning attained as a result of unaccompanied-by-faculty clinical nursing study abroad experiences and to answer the research question 'what is the nature and extent of learning during study abroad?'. Following the Covid-19 restrictions, international placement opportunities for student nurses are now resuming. In light of this, it is an opportune time for nurse educators to reflect and consider the effectiveness of clinical study abroad placements as contexts of learning, especially in relation to attainment of desired learning outcomes such as personal and professional growth and the development of culturally competent global graduates. This is an important area to research as specific understanding in relation to the extent of learning and variations in learning between students is limited. The study was situated within the interpretivist paradigm to elicit experiences of study abroad. Aligned to this, a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology was applied to ensure these experiences emerged from the subjective horizon of student nurses. Following ethical approval, two semi-structured interviews per student (post-return and follow-up) were conducted with student nurses who had undertaken a study abroad experience. Phenomenological hermeneutical data analysis for multiple context research was undertaken and a change-transformative learning theory lens was additionally employed to the analysis to differentiate between the extent of and variations in, learning attained. Twenty UK and European student nurses, who were registered onto a study abroad programme prior to the Covid-19 restrictions participated. Variations between participants were identified in relation to the nature and extent of learning. Participants experienced personal and professional growth and they experienced transformation in relation to self as a person, learner and nurse. However, variations existed when considering the attributes of global graduateness and cultural competence development. Whilst participants changed by expanding their knowledge in relation to global and cultural issues, some participants also appear to have concurrently experienced a reinforcement of ethnocentric frames of reference. Analysis revealed that study abroad offered opportunities for students to experience change and transformation. Whilst students demonstrated learning in both the domains of change and transformation, transformative learning in all identified outcome areas was not guaranteed. Whilst transformative learning was apparent when considering personal and professional growth, less extensive learning was demonstrated when considering development of the attributes of global graduateness and cultural competence. The paper therefore recognises the complex nature of study abroad experiences and recommends continued investigation in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes several of the excellent practices currently taking place in Europe where intercultural, multicultural or transcultural mediation is implemented in the system of education. The modern challenges of globalization, war and other geo-political crises demand new kind of international education. The principles of intercultural mediation and counselling could be effectively implemented in education and communication with culturally diverse clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptualising feedback as dialogue places even greater importance on successful interpretation of the message as a crucial step leading to the uptake of feedback. This interpretation is not always straightforward as it takes place through a cultural and linguistic lens that international students bring to feedback conversations. This research explored the role that sociocultural competence plays in students' uptake of feedback, unpacking the broader role of language and culture in feedback. Interviews with 13 European science, technology, engineering and medicine (STEM) students uncover the variety of experiences and conceptualisations that influence their interpretation of feedback messages. At a theoretical level, the findings call for a greater consideration of the cultural dimension in feedback literacy discourse; at a practical level they call for a greater consideration for developing sociocultural competence for students transitioning to new cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, there has be a close relationship between the nursing services and spiritual care provision to patients, arising due to the evolvement of many hospitals and nursing programmes from faith-based institutions and religious order nursing. With increasing secularism, these relationships are less entwined. Nonetheless, as nurses typically encounter patients at critical life events, such as receiving bad news or dying, nurses frequently understand the need and requirement for both spiritual support and religious for patients and families during these times. Yet there are uncertainties, and nurses can feel ill-equipped to deal with patients' spiritual needs. Little education or preparation is provided to these nurses, and they often report a lack of confidence within this area. The development of this confidence and the required competencies is important, especially so with increasingly multicultural societies with diverse spiritual and religious needs. In this manuscript, we discuss initial field work carried out in preparation for the development of an Erasmus Plus educational intervention, entitled from Cure to Care Digital Education and Spiritual Assistance in Healthcare. Referring specifically to post-COVID spirituality needs, this development will support nurses to respond to patients' spiritual needs in the hospital setting, using digital means. This preliminary study revealed that while nurses are actively supporting patients' spiritual needs, their education and training are limited, non-standardised and heterogeneous. Additionally, most spiritual support occurs within the context of a Judeo-Christian framework that may not be suitable for diverse faith and non-faith populations. Educational preparation for nurses to provide spiritual care is therefore urgently required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Review of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose was to capture the experiences of cultural, personal and professional development during International Clinical Placement (ICP) among nursing students from three European countries. The paper presents findings based on the analysis of 23 reflections written by students immediately after returning from their ICP. The design builds on a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach and meaning condensation inspired by Kirsti Malterud. The analysis revealed four themes: Communication and barriers to be overcome, Culture as a serious business, Personal and professional achievements and Challenges and the importance of preceptorship. The ICP impacted on the participants' personal as well as professional way of understanding themselves as students and future nurses. A profound difference was seen between the achieved learning outcomes of participants completing an ICP in a high- or low–income country, respectively. Language barriers, the local culture and different nursing cultures were often challenging and pushed participants out of their comfort zone. All participants developed their cultural understanding in accordance with the Papadopoulos, Tilki and Taylor Model for Developing Cultural Competence. Findings indicate that educational institutions should establish well-planned exchange opportunities that adopt a two-way reciprocal (Erasmus) exchange programmes and be aware of the value of an appointed preceptor in the host country. • Professional understanding of themselves as nursing students and future nurses. • The participants were pushed out of their comfort zone. • All participants advanced on their way to become a culturally competent. • This study suggests recommendations two-way reciprocal Erasmus exchange programmes. • Appointment of a preceptor was highly valuable for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this discursive exploration that is influenced by ethnography and autoethnography is to present how Western-based music therapy intersects with the pluralistic healthcare culture in Malaysia. We will first be situating music therapy as a Eurocentric-based healthcare practice. We will then introduce the history of Malaysia and healthcare culture through a pluralistic lens, drawing inspiration from a popular Malaysian street food— rojak , a form of salad. We use rojak as an analogy to honor Malaysia's food culture while drawing similarities between the diverse flavors and textures between the distinct components of rojak, with the unique pluralism that exists throughout Malaysian culture and healthcare practices. Through this rojak pluralist lens, we will share several unique Malaysian vignettes to explore the different ways we consider Eurocentric music therapy as a potentially colonial practice, ranging from postcolonial theory perspective to a pragmatic, inclusive perspective. As Malaysia has maintained its pluralistic culture as a uniquely multiracial Asian country despite the lengthy history of colonization, we offer these Malaysian, post-British-colonial music therapy vignettes in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To explore how communication in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) between immigrant mothers and nurses take place without having a common language, and how these mothers experience their NICU stay. Background: Admission of infants to NICU affects both parents and infants. Immigrant mothers constitute a vulnerable hospital population in need of culturally, linguistically and individually tailored information. Design and methods: The study had a qualitative design reported according to the COREQ criteria. Eight mothers who spoke neither Scandinavian nor English went through individual semi‐structured interviews. Six mother–nurse interactions were observed, and eight nurses' experiences were explored through focus‐group interviews. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The analysis was thematic and hermeneutic in character. Results: Interpreters were present during the consultations with the physicians, but rarely during the daily nurse‐mother interactions. Nurses focused on daily routines, infant care guidance and mother–infant attachment. The mothers learned through demonstrations and hands‐on guidance. Language barriers made it difficult to assess the mothers' understanding, but the mothers expressed that they felt adequately included in the care of their infant and well informed and guided. Even so, both mothers and nurses expressed desire to use interpreters more regularly. The pictorial communication boards available lacked important vocabulary needed in neonatal nursing contexts and their use furthermore interrupted the mother–nurse conversation. Conclusion: Body language, simple words, guesswork, trial and error characterised the nurse–mother interaction. The nurses adopted various communication strategies to help the mothers understand and give them a voice. Competent interpreters were used during meetings with physicians, but not during daily bedside guidance and information giving by nurses. Relevance to clinical practice: Knowledge of immigrant mothers' and nurses' communication strategies and how both parties think, feel and act to overcome communication problem is necessary to improve clinical practice and reduce communication barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of GMS Journal for Medical Education is the property of German Medical Science Publishing House gGmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Developing culturally appropriate diabetes nutrition interventions for immigrants could be facilitated knowing what is successful in the home country and other relevant countries. The primary purpose of this scoping review was to identify the design and delivery methods of nutrition interventions for Chinese populations with type 2 diabetes, in their home countries and as immigrants to western countries. A total of 14 articles was retrieved and included. Overall, the approaches used in China often were modelled on intensive lifestyle programs although alternative strategies were also identified. Most interventions were not focussed solely on nutrition, and only a few were conducted in community settings. Most of the interventions were delivered in a group format, while those conducted in China also included individual counselling, particularly for nutrition. In addition, the diabetes and nutrition-related outcomes, cultural relevance and acceptability, and other factors that influenced protocol compliance were considered. Improvements in blood glucose control were observed in participants in all interventions where it was measured. Participants reported increased nutritional knowledge but nutritional behaviour was generally not well documented. Trials conducted in the United States emphasized the importance of cultural adaptation of intervention programs, particularly with respect to dietary patterns and specific foods. Practice-transferable characteristics are highlighted. Research gaps included trials conducted in community settings with pragmatic implementation and evaluation, comparative trials of interventions to gauge relative effectiveness, and measuring and reporting dietary outcomes for better understanding of the impact on dietary behaviours and their relationship to health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential benefits of increased international experience abound, ranging from enriching cultural understanding to an improvement of language skills and intercultural competence. At the same time, empirical evidence is mixed, particularly with regards to how well international experience translates into individual returns on the labour market. This article examines the association between studying abroad and early labour market outcomes in a comparative perspective aiming to shed light on why labour market returns differ across countries. We expect labour market returns to vary with specific country characteristics such as demand for international experience and competition among graduates at labour market entry. In our empirical analyses, we use data from 13 European countries that provide information on graduates' early labour market outcomes. We find a large variation in the impact of studying abroad on both wages and attaining a higher service class position. Generally, the labour market returns to international experience are larger in countries in Eastern and Southern Europe with poorer university quality, higher graduate unemployment, and fewer students abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the family experience of health and illness within the family's social and cultural context helps health professionals understand a family's stories. The purpose of this article is to present salient characteristics of the Western European family to extend understanding about family structure and values in relation to caring and intergenerational solidarity. The goal is to provide nurses and other health professionals with culturally competent knowledge that can inform practice with families. Evidence suggests that a family model, characterized by strong-family type societies consisting of coresidence, solidarity, and intergenerational relationships, stalwartly continues in Mediterranean countries. However, due to the recent economic crisis in Spain and other European countries, there is a trend toward the withdrawal of state responsibility toward the family, and an increasing weight on families' responsibility, particularly for women, toward the care of their old and chronically ill relative. Therefore, there is a need to make health and social systems more effective, sustainable, and focused on family care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a critical reflection on an international social work study programme at a Northern European university in 2015. This study develops a shared sense of the expectations and experiences of two academic staff and two students who took part in this social work programme. Interesting findings from this life-changing opportunity were ascertained and included awareness of own motivational learning as well as developing cultural competencies (including language and communication skills), intellectual competencies (including working with others to solve problems), social competencies (including increases in self-confidence and self-awareness) and professional competencies (via increases in professional networks). This supports national data regarding the importance of student mobility including study visits abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medical students need to be trained in delivering diversity-responsive health care but unknown is what competencies teachers need. The aim of this study was to devise a framework of competencies for diversity teaching. Methods: An open-ended questionnaire about essential diversity teaching competencies was sent to a panel. This resulted in a list of 74 teaching competencies, which was sent in a second round to the panel for rating. The final framework of competencies was approved by the panel. Results: Thirty-four experts participated. The final framework consisted of 10 competencies that were seen as essential for all medical teachers: (1) ability to critically reflect on own values and beliefs; (2) ability to communicate about individuals in a nondiscriminatory, nonstereotyping way; (3) empathy for patients regardless of ethnicity, race or nationality; (4) awareness of intersectionality; (5) awareness of own ethnic and cultural background; (6) knowledge of ethnic and social determinants of physical and mental health of migrants; (7) ability to reflect with students on the social or cultural context of the patient relevant to the medical encounter; (8) awareness that teachers are role models in the way they talk about patients from different ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds; (9) empathy for students of diverse ethnic, cultural and social background; (10) ability to engage, motivate and let all students participate. Conclusions: This framework of teaching competencies can be used in faculty development programs to adequately train all medical teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review was undertaken to identify lifestyle intervention studies in South Asian migrant populations to determine the effect on the components of the metabolic syndrome. A total of seven studies were identified, of which six focused on educational advice and the seventh on intensive exercise intervention. Four studies were Randomised Controlled Trials of which two studies reported significant reductions in waist circumference. One of these studies focused on home based education with cooperation of the home cook (adjusted waist reduction of 1.9 cm, 95 % CI 0.52-3.3 cm; p = 0.007) and the other entailed an intensive physical activity program (adjusted waist reduction 3.4 cm, 95 % CI 2.0-4.7 cm). The evidence whether lifestyle intervention studies in South Asians can improve components of the metabolic system is not clear. Further lifestyle interventions for South Asians should be culturally adapted, involve friends and family, especially those with cooking responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greater numbers of children are on the move than ever before. In 2015, the number of forcibly displaced people across the globe reached 65.3 million. Of the more than 1 million migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees who arrived in Europe in 2015, nearly one third were children, and 90,000 of these children were unaccompanied. Child migrants are among the most vulnerable, even after arriving at their destination. The health of migrant children is related to their health status before their journey, the conditions during their journey and at their destination, and the physical and mental health of their caregivers. These children may have experienced numerous forms of trauma including war, violence, separation from family, and exploitation. They may suffer from malnutrition and communicable diseases including vaccine-preventable diseases. Pregnant women, newborns, and unaccompanied minors are particularly vulnerable groups. Social isolation is a major risk factor for all migrant children that compound other health risks even after settlement in their new home. Lack of health information, language, and cultural differences serve as major barriers to adequate, timely, and appropriate healthcare. In spite the challenges they face, migrant children demonstrate remarkable resilience that can be nurtured to promote good mental and physical health. Migrant children, irrespective of their legal status, are entitled to healthcare of the same standard provided to children in the resident population, as stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is imperative that the health sector includes informed health workers who are able to identify the health risks and needs of these children and provide culturally competent care. In order to achieve this and promote the rights of migrant children to optimal health and well-being, ISSOP recommends that Programmes and activities designed to promote and protect migrant child health and well-being must be designed in collaboration with all sectors involved, including the education and social sectors, and should always include the voices of migrant children and their families., Health services should be readily available and easily accessible for preventive, maintenance, and curative care regardless of the child's legal status. Care should be of the same standard as care provided to the local population., Health information should be provided that is culturally sensitive and readily available in a language that migrant children and families can understand., Medical interpreters and cultural mediators should be available during healthcare encounters, and personnel working with migrants should receive training in cultural competence., Health professionals should not participate in age determination until methods with acceptable scientific and ethical standards have been developed., Professionals working with migrant children and families should have access to emotional support services., Evidence-based best practices in the care of migrant children should be identified and made widely available to health workers., An observatory should be established to study the factors leading to poor psychosocial and mental health in migrant children and youth., Paediatricians and paediatric societies should work to improve the sensitivity of their respective populations towards migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MyHealth European project (2017–2020) was committed to elaborate on models to engage vulnerable migrants and refugees (VMR) in their health through community involvement. Low healthcare access and poor quality of healthcare services for VMR is a common reality in many European countries. The purpose of the present study, as part of MyHealth project, was the development of an agenda for actions and consequent recommendations to tackle the issue. A qualitative research design was applied at four study sites in Barcelona, Spain; Berlin, Germany; Brno, Czech Republic and Athens, Greece. The Metaplan® group discussions allowed the collection, organization and process of ideas and opinions elaborated in the collaborative groups. In total, 14 sessions took place: 4 with health and social professionals (n  = 41) and 10 with VMR (n  = 77). A participatory thematic analysis was performed at every session and overall for all sessions a thematic analysis synthesized the findings. The suggested actions were divided into two levels of recommendations: (i) local authorities at destination country-related, such as the investment in health professionals' cultural competences, and (ii) VMR-related, such as adaptation of help-seeking behavior patterns. Special attention was proposed to women survivors of violence and homeless minors. The study concluded to an agenda for action in Europe. We advocate for a public health paradigm shift where, while holding a bottom-up approach, VMR as well as professionals working with them are actively and meaningfully engaged in the decision-making process of access-enhancing and health promotion strategies in a given socio-cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative project is focused on the challenges that newcomer athletes revealed when they considered their earliest encounters with a receiving culture during general daily life. Conversational interviews with 24 national and international amateur newcomer athletes were subjected to interpretive thematic analysis and developed into a composite vignette. This vignette unearths three themes revealing hope (theme: opportunities abound); uncertainty and fear (theme: weighing the risks for the journey ahead); and anger, humiliation, and hardening (theme: public stonings). Understanding the fluidities within the vignette will permit practitioners to explore the uncertainties of acculturation and find entry points to support athlete acculturation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article defines the effectiveness of local service-delivery networks for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) and develops criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of such networks in Sweden. It also explores factors and conditions that enhance network performance and suggests that cultural and multicultural competences are required for such networks to be effective. Twenty-one evaluation criteria are developed for enhancing network performance generated from research into UASC, network governance theory, and the authors' own evaluation of the reception of UASC in a Swedish municipality. The evaluation and this article are based on 32 interviews with social workers, legal guardians, care-home staff, teachers and school personnel, a questionnaire, and 11 interviews with UASC. The article reanalyzes data from the authors' evaluation study finalized in 2014 and applies the criteria tentatively on this reception system. Experiences and findings include the importance of taking into account client needs and involvement in services when evaluating the effectiveness of service-delivery networks. The criteria can productively inform policy and practice when actors deliberate on how to assess and improve local reception-system and service-delivery-network performance in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]