Search

This paper presents an overview of the arts-based methodology used in a research project that aimed to explore the impact of the lived experiences of racism on 10- and 11-year-old children in the United Kingdom. The research responds to the relative lack of literature concerning the racialised experiences of young children. We discuss how we developed the arts-based method of body mapping as an ethical approach to foregrounding the children's voices. We consider that this approach contributes to knowledge and understanding about exploring the nuanced and complex relationship between the children's external worlds and their internal feelings, and supporting them to process and communicate this. We suggest that the method presented is transferable, and present our ethically engaged, arts-based planning framework that can be used if others wish to adopt this way of working.

COVID-19 immediately and radically necessitated changes in the way we worked as social researchers; not only in terms of fieldwork, but also in terms of collaboration. In this paper, we outline the rationale, processes, and potential of a collective of 14 research teams both inside and outside of academia working together across the UK to synthesise findings on the experiences of over 4,000 families parents and carers living on a low-income during the pandemic. Drawing on an approach based on meta-ethnography, our collective body of work comprises novel evidence and insights generated with a major cohort of families living on a low-income, through which we examine the impacts of the pandemic, and implications for social policy. This paper focuses on the practical, ethical, and methodological learnings and reflections on the processes of research synthesis in the pandemic context, and beyond. We set out the underpinning principles that guided our collaborative efforts before we explore the possibilities and challenges of working together to produce coherent, timely, and relevant findings that were shared with policy makers and those in power. Finally, we emphasise the significant potential of working collaboratively, and stress the importance of continuing to do so in a post-pandemic context.

Gender inequality in the workplace remains a persistent issue that impacts upon women from their first point of entry into the labour market. In this paper, we explore the experiences, of 20 women in the UK as they take their initial steps onto the career ladder upon graduation. Adopting an interpretive methodology that uses a Bourdieusian framework based on habitus, capital, and field, we highlight that women continue to face structural and individual barriers that influence, and in many cases limit, available career opportunities. By intersecting gender with social class and ethnicity, intra-gender differences are identified that demonstrate the deep-seated nature of disadvantage faced by working class and ethnic minority female graduates in securing employment in comparison to their white, middle-class peers. We conclude by recommending that careers support and guidance should be introduced earlier in the education system to raise aspirations and challenge the perpetuation of gender inequality.

There is increasing interest in the role sports coaches are expected to play in supporting the mental health of elite and sub-elite athletes. This paper presents the first single-sport, mixed-methods, study of UK athletics coaches' mental health literacy (MHL). We extend previous quantitative survey-based UK studies by incorporating the qualitative lived experiences of coaches into the analysis. We explore coaches' knowledge of mental health and illness, experience of mental health training, and willingness to support athletes with mental illness. An online survey of 184 UK athletics coaches revealed that MHL was highest among women, younger coaches, and coaches with less experience. No statistical differences were found between MHL score and disability, sexuality or region in which coaches worked. Interviews held with a sub-sample of 25 survey respondents revealed a lack of clear consensus about what constitutes mental health and mental illness, and that coaches' everyday views of these did not always correspond with formal definitions or conceptualisations. Coaches' views were instead typically characterised by dominant psychological and psychiatric understandings of mental health and illness, while the significance of social relations and inequalities were often overlooked. There was a general willingness among coaches to support athlete mental health as an aspect of their duty of care, but most lacked the relevant training and understanding to do so effectively because such training was not implemented systematically within their organisational practice. Coaches' call for mandatory athletics-specific mental health training was one strategy thought to better enhance coaches' skills, knowledge and intentions to provide and seek mental health support. Important though MHL training and other sources of support is, we conclude that this is likely insufficient on its own and that there is a parallel need for multi-level, systems-wide, approaches in sport and wider society to better support the mental health of everyone.

Research involving young people is a challenging process that requires managing relationships with diverse individuals and groups, including the young participants and their various gatekeepers. While it is normally assumed that the researcher is in overall control of their research, by using a Foucauldian conception of 'power as effects' that operate in the form of relations and through discourse as the articulation of norms, this paper discusses how, in practice, the researcher can lose control over their research and so be forced into making substantial compromises concerning the nature and extent of the data they can collect. I do this by reflecting on my experience of conducting research involving UK secondary school students using online data collection methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. I identify several factors that generated power effects which influenced the conduct of the research, including: an ethics review that relied on a simplistic discourse concerning young participants' (in)competence; my own self-regulation of my conduct in respect of 'ethical' research; my 'positionality' in the field; and a researcher's general dependence on participants and gatekeepers to complete their research. I conclude by reflecting on how these factors may impact upon the conditions for viable social research involving young people.

Background: People who have communication difficulties may benefit from using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Understanding and measuring outcomes from the use of AAC is an important part of evaluating the impact of devices and services. Outcome measurement needs to reflect the changing nature of the impact of using AAC on an individual's ability to participate in activities of daily life. There is a limited understanding of the concepts that should inform the evaluation of outcomes from AAC device provision, nor how people's expectations from AAC may change over time. Aims: To inform the development of a patient-reported outcome measure for AAC by understanding more about people's expectations from AAC and how these change over time. Methods & Procedures: A longitudinal qualitative research study was designed and carried out with seven participants over a period of 2 years. Participants were recruited from a regional specialist assessment service for AAC in the south-west of the UK. Four semi-structured interviews were carried out: (1) before assessment for AAC, (2) after assessment, (3) directly after provision of an AAC device and (4) between 6 and 12 months after provision. An original analytic method was used in this study that built on the principles of longitudinal interpretative phenomenology analysis, applied with a dialogic theoretical lens. This approach enabled the inclusion of a range of multimodal and embodied data collected to this study and allowed the research team to draw out salient themes across the cohort group while attending to the influence of time and context on experience. Outcomes & Results: The results confirm and extend the three core concepts that were used to guide analysis: changes; contexts; future possibilities. The contextual and temporal influences on outcomes attainable from AAC for this cohort were also identified and illustrated through cross-case comparison. Deeper, analytic, and conceptual engagement with theory, which was then applied to analysis of the data, provided methodological rigour in the study. The results enhance our understanding of people's hopes and expectations from AAC and how these change over time. Conclusions & Implications: This qualitative longitudinal research study provides new insights into the journeys of people who experience communication disability, and the shifting nature of their sense of identity as they engage with, and learn from using, AAC. The study is significant as it attends to the dynamic nature of experience and how contextual and experiential factors influence people's hopes and expectations from AAC. The paper presents an original application of longitudinal qualitative research methodology with people who use AAC which can be further applied and tested in the field of communication disability research.

To date, there is a lack of suitable assessment tools specifically for the looked after child population. Such assessments, often completed by foster carers, help to provide an overview of a child's presenting level of emotional and behavioural need, and are evidential in offering a pathway to further provision and services for young people in care. This study explores perspectives of foster carers working at one UK-based independent fostering agency, Five Rivers Child Care (FRCC). The twofold study, conducted in 2017, involved understanding foster carers' perceptions both of routine assessments and subsequent feedback procedures; activities which are mandatory to facilitate foster carers' understanding of the wellbeing needs of the young people within their care. In Study 1, an online quantitative survey established foster carers' (n = 42) experiences of assessment and intervention, over a six-month timeframe. Study 2, conducted with a subsample of carers (n = 6) used telephone interviews to provide additional qualitative insight. The findings of both studies were consistent, highlighting the need for enhanced relevance of assessments, active involvement in the assessment process, more knowledge of the process; greater support with assessments; and further opportunity to self-reflect. The paper reflects on how the findings resulted in developments within the FRCC assessment process in 2018, including adaptations and additions to its protocol, with the aims of improving outcomes for children in care services, increasing collaboration and support, and enhancing reflection and practice. These findings have allowed for assessments to be tailored or changed, with carers being far more involved and informed of the process, resulting in improved practice and enhanced learning about this population. Furthermore, this study has wider implications beyond FRCC: the extracted themes are likely to be highly pertinent and applicable across similar populations, with assessment protocols enhancing understanding about the expectations and challenges that might emerge within this population.

Primary care health checks, screenings and GP consultations are often the gateway for people with intellectual disabilities to access their physical and mental healthcare. For a population who experience greater levels of health difficulties alongside significant health inequality, improving care quality and access is of major importance. This meta-ethnographic, qualitative review aims to explore people with intellectual disabilities experiences of health checks, screenings and GP visits, while assessing the quality of the current literature and synthesising findings to consider clinical and research recommendations based on third order constructs. A systematic search identified 20 studies that met inclusion criteria. Quality assessment of each paper was conducted. Meta-ethnography methods were used to analyse and synthesis findings. One overarching concept was identified: Include Me, along with seven core concepts; Empowerment and Disempowerment, Communication and Interpersonal Factors, Access and Adaptations and Biased Narratives and Shifting Perspectives. Implications for practice and future direction are discussed.

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) were introduced in 2014 to improve provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Some service users have found this change positive, but there is also dissatisfaction among service users with the EHCP process. This was captured in the recent Education Select Committee report, which took evidence from a range of stakeholders, representatives and service users examining the context, support and barriers associated with SEND (House of Commons, 2019). This review identifies and appraises research concerning service users' experience of the EHCP process, to establish key barriers to improving SEND provision. Papers evaluating the experience of children, young people, parents and professionals with EHCPs were included to assess levels of user satisfaction. A total of 25 studies were reviewed in-depth. Five key themes were revealed: lack of integration with health and social care; insufficient knowledge and understanding; involvement of children, young people and parents; increased expectations and demands for professionals; and need for greater parity and clarity. Most service users were dissatisfied with the process and expressed a need for greater funding and time spent disseminating knowledge of the EHCP process. This paper summarises key limitations of, and potential improvements to, the current EHCP process. Structural reform is required to ensure accountability of service failures. Further research is required focusing on the experience of additional professional groups, such as educational psychologists and social workers, whose experiences are under-represented.

The abrupt emergence and spread of the COVID-19 virus compelled institutions worldwide to swiftly suspend face-to-face instruction in favor of a remote teaching mode. This extraordinary shift of instructional delivery created one of the biggest infrastructural, pedagogical and operational challenges for universities in recent history. As institutions that traditionally have been slow to respond to sudden external influences, universities struggled to respond effectively to COVID-19. Using the Human Systems Dynamics approach as conceptual framework, this paper retrospectively explores how academic staff adapted their Emergency Remote Teaching strategies and became more learning-agile to respond to such challenges in the future. This exploratory case-study article summarizes the results of a survey of teaching staff's readiness, experience and struggles with Emergency Remote Teaching during COVID-19 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, at the height of the pandemic. A total of 73 usable responses were received between July 17 and August 7, 2020. The results were classified into four categories: (1) Preparation and training; (2) Faculty impressions of own teaching; (3) Faculty experience; and (4) Faculty impressions of student experience.

This specially themed ""Getting of Wisdom," Learning in Later Life" Edition of the "Australian Journal of Adult Learning" ("AJAL") is not so much concerned with the issue of ageing itself, but more about quality of life regardless of age. It is about taking, but also giving back as best as possible at any age. This special issue is a result of the one week "The Getting of Wisdom Exchange", a collaboration between around 100 adult education practitioners and researchers from ten countries from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe. In this issue, papers are presented from Sweden, Ireland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, Slovenia, Poland, Germany, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Papers cover different topics and open questions about various issues in older people's learning.

Although theories around Communities of Practice have gained significant ground in recent years and have become an important focus for organizational development, there is a gap in studies that investigate what members gain from participation in these communities. This paper explains how the value creation framework was implemented in a transnational research and development project in autism education by examining cycles of value creation and drawing on two types of data identified by Wenger and colleagues. The value creation framework is a theoretically driven framework to assess social learning in communities. Participants involved in the learning space were co-researchers engaged in a process of investigating, sharing and reflecting on their practice. The paper discusses the methodological challenges and strengths of using the value creation framework, with a particular focus on how insights and interactions led to subsequent changes in the practice of the participants. This work has the potential to make an important contribution to methods and analysis in assessing social learning and pathways to impact in participatory research and development projects more broadly.

International student mobility (ISM) has emerged as an important field of study that various nations and organizations have been attaching great importance to. This paper studies the drivers of international student mobility, using a competing destinations model for the international student flows among 35 OECD countries in the period 2004-2018, by integrating the motivations for ISM. We find that OECD students are motivated by both career orientation and personal and cultural experience when decide to move abroad for study. Nonetheless, remarkable differences emerge when considering country subgroups (origin countries, wealthier, English-speaking top destination (namely US, the UK, Canada, and Australia), and European countries, students search for personal and cultural experience, valuing the lifestyle of the destination country. Students seeking for education quality are instead polarised in the rest of the OECD countries.

In this paper, we examine the use of creative methods for understanding the experience of young adults aged between 16 and 30 years over a year following a cancer diagnosis. Exploring the renegotiation of identity, the narrative, longitudinal research design of the study demonstrated the unfolding process of the narrative work between participants and researcher. We used a combination of visual, spoken and reflexive psychosocial approaches to understand emergent narratives, many of which do not always find symbolisation in language. Our methodological approach focused on the difficult and sometimes 'unspeakable' nature of the young adults' narratives, demonstrating the importance of different modes of communication in articulating complicated relations with uncertain futures. In this respect the links between narrative, social action and the imagining of possible futures are precarious. In this paper, we explore how untellable issues were explored, and the challenges of doing so.

Introduction: To contribute to addressing diagnostic health inequalities in the United Kingdom, this review aimed to investigate determinants of diagnostic service use amongst people experiencing high deprivation in the United Kingdom. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using three databases (EBSCO, Web of Science and SCOPUS) to search studies pertaining to diagnostic service use amongst people experiencing high deprivation. Search terms related to diagnostics, barriers and facilitators to access and deprivation. Articles were included if they discussed facilitators and/or barriers to diagnostic service access, contained participants' direct perspectives and focussed on individuals experiencing high deprivation in the United Kingdom. Articles were excluded if the full text was unretrievable, only abstracts were available, the research did not focus on adults experiencing high deprivation in the United Kingdom, those not including participants' direct perspectives (e.g., quantitative studies) and papers unavailable in English. Results: Of 14,717 initial papers, 18 were included in the final review. Determinants were grouped into three themes (Beliefs and Behaviours, Emotional and Psychological Factors and Practical Factors), made up of 15 sub‐themes. These were mapped to a conceptual model, which illustrates that Beliefs and Behaviours interact with Emotional and Psychological Factors to influence Motivation to access diagnostic services. Motivation then influences and is influenced by Practical Factors, resulting in a Decision to Access or Not. This decision influences Beliefs and Behaviours and/or Emotional and Psychological Factors such that the cycle begins again. Conclusion: Decision‐making regarding diagnostic service use for people experiencing high deprivation in the United Kingdom is complex. The conceptual model illustrates this complexity, as well as the mediative, interactive and iterative nature of the process. The model should be applied in policy and practice to enable understanding of the factors influencing access to diagnostic services and to design interventions that address identified determinants. Patient or Public Contribution: Consulting lived experience experts was imperative in understanding whether and how the existing literature captures the lived experience of those experiencing high deprivation in South England. The model was presented to lived experience experts, who corroborated findings, highlighted significant factors for them and introduced issues that were not identified in the review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the experiences of eight Muslim women academics (MWA) within a range of sciences and humanities disciplines. The data draws from my doctoral study which examined the experiences of men and women Muslim academics at UK universities. Findings from in-depth interviews with participants highlight the intersectionality of religio-gendered identities as central to their experiences. Being hijabed in academia triggered gendered-Islamophobic micro-aggressions, whose potential impact on the participants was buffered by their resilience, positive outlook, and belief. Further, they capitalized on their visible faith to demystify negative perceptions about Muslims and to advance their career-through utilizing the diversity logic within academia, while recognizing its tokenistic nature. Despite facing challenges, the participants share certain qualities that facilitate success, with agency being the uppermost quality.

This paper explores possibilities for more democratic approaches to researching learning in and through everyday workplace practices. This links with a concern with who is able to speak in representations of learning at work, what is able to be spoken about and how knowing, learning and experience are inscribed in theories of workplace learning. I propose that Rancière's notion of "the distribution of the sensible," which draws attention to an aesthetic dimension of experience, knowledge and politics, provides a useful way of exploring learning in and through everyday workplace practices. The approach points to the possibility of knowledge without hierarchies and a shift from a knowledge-ignorance binary. An understanding of experience as aesthetic enables accounts of learning which counter the story of destiny in literature on learning in and through everyday practice. It also points to a very different way of doing academic research. The presupposition of equality is the point of departure in this approach and the purpose of research is the verification of equality (rather than the verification of oppression). The paper makes a significant contribution to literature on learning in and through everyday workplace practices by disrupting a prevailing view that knowledge is necessarily tied to identity.

This article explores the impact of the 'hostile environment' on racialised migrant women's experiences of pregnancy and childbirth in England, arguing that the 'hostile environment' functions as a technology of 'stratified reproduction.' First coined by Shellee Colen, the concept of stratified reproduction describes the dynamic by which some individuals and groups may be supported in their reproductive activities, while others are disempowered and discouraged. This paper locates the stratified reproduction produced by the 'hostile environment' as intertwined with wider gendered and racialised discourses around British citizenship which have been 'designed to fail' racialised residents of the UK. Drawing on interviews with racialised migrant mothers in the north of England, this paper analyses how the proliferation and intensification of immigration controls interacts with gender, race, class, and other social regimes to differentially allocate the resources necessary for a safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth, and how this is experienced materially by pregnant migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The UK Mental Health Act (MHA) Reform (2021) on race and ethnicity promotes new governmental strategies to tackle inequalities faced by ethnically racialised communities detained under the MHA. However, there is a scarcity in personality disorder and ethnicity research. This study aims to investigate what is available in the UK in relation to prevalence, aetiology and treatment provisions of personality disorder for ethnically diverse patients, and to understand their interconnectedness with mental health and criminal justice service provisions. Three key areas of investigations were reviewed, (1) UK prevalence of personality disorder amongst ethnically diverse individuals; (2) aetiology of personality disorder and ethnicity; (3) treatment provisions for ethnically diverse individuals diagnosed with personality disorder. Design/methodology/approach: A scoping study review involved a comprehensive scanning of literature published between 2003 and 2022. Screening and data extraction tools were co-produced by an ethnically diverse research team, including people with lived experience of mental health and occupational expertise. Collaborative work was complete throughout the review, ensuring the research remained valid and reliable. Findings: Ten papers were included. Results demonstrated an evident gap in the literature. Of these, nine papers discussed their prevalence, three papers informed on treatment provisions and only one made reference to aetiology. This review further supports the notion that personality disorder is under-represented within ethnic minority populations, particularly of African, Caribbean and British heritage, however, the reasons for this are multi-facetted and complex, hence, requiring further investigation. The evidence collected relating to treatment provisions of personality disorder was limited and of low quality to reach a clear conclusion on effective treatments for ethnically diverse patients. Originality/value: The shortage of findings on prevalence, aetiology and treatment provisions, emphasises the need to prioritise further research in this area. Results provide valuable insights into this limited body of knowledge from a UK perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programmes for sexual violence prevention have focussed historically on university, school or college students rather than staff working at these institutions. The "Universities Supporting Victims of Sexual Violence project" (USVreact), co-funded by the European Commission, worked across universities in Europe to address this gap in the provision and knowledge of programmes aimed at staff. Each institutional partner in the project designed a programme to enable staff to respond appropriately to disclosures of sexual violence. This paper focuses on one UK university to explore the use of and reception to education principles and feminist pedagogy with staff from across the institution. These diverse pedagogical approaches were significant to the design of the university's innovative programme. The findings demonstrate the importance of a process of sexual violence pedagogy, as opposed to training, and highlight its positive implications for the whole university community.

Despite ever-strengthening political rhetoric to the contrary, there can be little doubt that the holistic value of an undergraduate degree is far greater than merely its potential for employability enhancement. However, what is less clear is the extent to which fee-paying students perceive broader aspects of value, and how such value perceptions are formed. This paper outlines findings from an exploratory case study comprising six life history interviews in which past and present law students from a post-92 university in the UK were asked to explore how they perceive the value of their degree, specifically focusing on how and when such value perceptions might have been shaped by their life experiences. Through analysis of the resultant data, a wide range of possible 'generative mechanisms' were identified which may influence student value perceptions in this context. Generative mechanisms are not direct causes but things which have the potential to have a real-world impact given the right conditions. By understanding such mechanisms, legal education providers -- and to a lesser extent also providers from other disciplines -- can more effectively design and market their programmes to ensure that they deliver maximum value that is perceived within their markets.

International scholars have argued that parental engagement in education is influenced by social class inequalities. Goffman's definition of stigma has been applied to interpret working-class mothers' experiences of stigma when attempting to engage in their children's education. However, this paper also draws on recent extensions of 'stigma' -- by considering how and by whom the concept is developed in practice. Selective case studies have been used to illustrate how some working-class mothers feel judged negatively by teachers and the school system, based on their marginalised (and sometimes multiple) social identities. Perceptions of stigma were recalled by parents, who felt this negatively impacted upon their engagement in their children's education. They expressed feelings of powerlessness and in some cases internalisation of stigmatised traits. Recommendations to inform engagement strategies for schools to enable a more inclusive educational experience are made and areas for future research identified.

This paper investigates the phenomenological experiences of academic acculturation of selected non-British post-doctoral academics with a retrospective focus on their experiences as PhD students. The participants came from different disciplines and countries of origin to pursue several years of postgraduate research in different British higher education institutions. The typical, yet distinct, experiences of an exceptional group of early career academics offer invaluable insight into the joys, excitement, puzzlement and challenges that international students often encounter as they embark on studying and living in a foreign country such as the UK. Using Urie Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological theory of human development, our paper presents a theoretical perspective that can help elucidate and offer a greater understanding of what appear to be complex incidences in international students' experiences. These incidences can, arguably, be crucial to the success or failure of students' sojourns.

The discourse of deservingness has been mobilised against certain groups in the UK society navigating UK labour markets, among them refugees and asylum seekers. These discourses, leading to the stigmatisation of the unemployed are coupled with an emphasis on the importance of individuals taking responsibility to develop their 'employability'. Little attention has been paid to scrutinise the contrast between the deservingness rhetoric and policy making with the actual conditions newcomers, and in particular refugees and asylum seekers, are confronted with when seeking employment. Our paper fills such a gap by indicating key contradictions at the heart of labour market integration in the UK. On the one hand, the emphasis on deservingness is coupled with policy discourses that construct an environment shaped by welfare and labour market chauvinism. On the other hand, the policy architecture is fundamentally flawed in a number of ways in terms of the support mechanisms necessary to ensure that newcomers can successfully integrate into the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver disease is a growing health concern and a major cause of death. It causes multiple symptoms, including financial, psychological and social issues. To address these challenges, palliative care can support people alongside active treatment, and towards the end of life, but little is known about the care experiences of individuals with liver disease in the United Kingdom. This review aimed to explore the palliative and end‐of‐life care experiences of people with liver disease in the United Kingdom. Method: A systematic review was conducted using a five‐stage process and following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses guidelines. Searches were across Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO and grey literature until 10 May 2023. The review was registered through International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). NVivo 12.5 was used to facilitate data analysis (systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022382649). Results: Of 6035 papers (excluding duplicates) found from searches, five met the inclusion criteria of primary research related to adults with liver disease receiving palliative and/or end‐of‐life care in the United Kingdom, published in English. Reflexive thematic analysis of the data was conducted. The themes identified were the experiences of people with liver disease of relating to healthcare professionals, using services, receiving support, and experiences of information and communication. These were connected by an overarching concept of disempowerment versus empowerment, with the notion of person‐centred care as an important feature. Conclusion: This review has found variations in the care experiences of people with advanced liver disease towards the end of life and an overall lack of access to specialist palliative care services. Where services are designed to be person‐centred, experiences are more empowering. Further research is needed but with recognition that it is often unclear when care for people with liver disease is palliative or end‐of‐life. Patient and Public Contribution: An online public involvement workshop was held on 18 April 2023 through Voice (2023). This included four people with liver disease and four carers to discuss the review findings and to design a qualitative research study to further explore the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates from their perspectives, the educational experiences of twelve autistic young people (aged 11-17 years) for whom mainstream was, or is, challenging. This paper focuses on one theme from this study and presents how these young people experience, define and conceptualise inclusion. A flexible qualitative participatory approach was used incorporating a range of methods, including: one-to-one semi-structured interviews; draw and write activities; a beans and pots activity; and, diamond ranking activities. These methods, and the topics discussed, were developed by an advisory group of three young people. Outcomes of this study suggest that mainstream school is not suitable for all autistic young people. Inclusion, for them, is not synonymous with mainstream and can occur in any school. They defined inclusion as belonging, being valued and wanted as a person by teachers, of fairness and of being afforded the necessary support to access and thrive in education. In short, inclusion is a feeling (a sense of belonging), not a place (mainstream or otherwise).

This paper investigates computing students' entrepreneurial intentions, motivations, recognisable barriers and encouragements towards entrepreneurship, with a focus on gender. Two universities, one in Australia and one in the UK (n = 247), were used as locations for the research to consider two distinct contexts. In each university there were similarly high levels of interest in entrepreneurship among computing students, however some significant differences in responses were found, especially between male and female participants. Job flexibility was a strong motivation for the UK-based female participants; while female participants at the Australian university identified internal barriers (such as lack of confidence and experience). Enablers to entrepreneurial activity were identified, including access to incubators and academic support. Directing such support towards computing students, while recognising gender differences, could increase interest in, and take-up of, entrepreneurship. Recommendations are made regarding how universities can best support would-be entrepreneurs and encourage inclusive entrepreneurship into the future.

Copyright of Social & Cultural Geography 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.)

This paper provides an ethnographic account of the lived experiences of Further Education (FE) lecturers (N = 4) who are engaged in the transmission of pedagogic knowledge within a Foundation Degree. To further understand the experiences of the lecturers the paper draws upon Stones' quadripartite cycle of structuration. This conceptual and methodological approach has informed an understanding of how the transmission of pedagogical knowledge is shaped through connections between the external structures of FE and the embodied practices of agents. The paper draws its empirical perspective from an ethnographic case study exploring relations and experiences of agents within one FE college, Hope (pseudonym). The data highlights the numerous in-situ practices of the lecturers, reflecting how their embodied experiences and resulting agency continually influence the transmission of conjunctural-specific forms of pedagogic knowledge. The data draws attention to the knowledgeability of agents in evolving and reproducing forms of pedagogic knowledge socially, intellectually and corporeally and how this begins to shape the student experience. The paper concludes by reflecting upon the complexity of their role and the outcomes of this for the transmission of pedagogic knowledge within the context of FE and the need to reflect upon how FE supports lecturers within this context.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to find out what role intermediaries have in facilitating communication with victims and prisoners at Parole Board (PB) oral hearings. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was designed and administered to 39 PB members to find out their perceptions of, and experiences with, the use of intermediaries. Frequency tables and verbatim quotations are used to report the results. Findings: Overall, participants had not experienced any use of intermediaries with victims or family members presenting victim personal statements at an oral hearing. Further, there had been limited use of intermediaries for prisoners attending oral hearings. Nevertheless, there was a good recognition of a range of communication needs that a prisoner might present with at a hearing. There was also general support for the use of intermediaries with some caution about possible delays to procedural fairness. Practical implications: The early identification of communication support needs for prisoners and victims attending an oral hearing is essential. The PB should raise awareness with the PB Membership about the role of intermediaries. The PB should continue to develop guidance and policy surrounding intermediaries. Prison lawyers and HM Prison and Probation Service may require specialist training in identifying communication needs in vulnerable prisoners and identifying when a communication specialist might be required for an oral hearing. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first published paper examining the role of intermediaries at PB oral hearings. It builds on the evidence base of the use of intermediaries in other criminal justice contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This systematic review aims to explore the lived experiences of young gang members to explore the processes that mediate gang membership and offending. Rationale: Gang membership disproportionately effects young people (Home Office, 2016). The link between gang membership and inordinately high levels of severe offending characteristics is well represented in research (Thornberry, 1998). However, the processes that mediate gang membership and offending are poorly understood (Melde & Esbensen, 2011). Young gang members are often passively conceptualised within research and need to have their voices uncovered to better elucidate the psychological processes that link gang membership to offending. Method: A systematic review of qualitative research was carried out following the Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement for reporting (Moher et al., 2009), Six papers were identified which represented samples from both the UK and US. These were reviewed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Checklist (2016) and were subsequently analysed using thematic synthesis. Findings: Young gang members associated offending with its role in reinforcing a community of belonging, providing material and non-material capital and as a response to living within an oppressive context. Conclusions: This research suggests that the internal psychological processes within a gang play an important interacting role with the external marginalised contexts they occupy. Implications of the need for policy, research and practice to better account for this are discussed.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the choices learners have in steering their way through the educational system in the UK. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on data from two studies, one conducted in a state secondary school and the other in a Further Education College, both based in the north-west of England. Both used interviews (either individual or focus-group) to collect data, which were then analysed using a grounded approach. Findings: In linking the two studies the authors highlight how the impact of symbolic violence and the relations between groups and classes at school continue into the "choices" the learners make during adulthood and also into the learner's working life, and that these "choices" are often a large-scale consequence of many "micro-choices" arising from day-to-day situations. The acts of symbolic violence described in the college group are not of themselves very different from those described by the school group, though the consequences for the school group cannot yet be known. Research limitations/implications: The participants in the two groups are unconnected in that they attend different institutions and are at very different stages of their education. However the authors contend that there is a connection in terms of the participants' experience of symbolic violence. Originality/value: The paper draws attention to the existence of symbolic violence in everyday school life, and highlights how these instances can have significant impact. (Contains 1 note.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore learning for and through retirement from the workplace. Design/methodology/approach: First, "retirement" is considered in the light of the existing literature, demonstrating a complex concept. The paper describes the research project from which a theme of retirement as a learning process has emerged. Case studies illustrate individuals' retirement transformations within the communities and cultures where they live and learn. "Learning lives" is a qualitative project in which the life histories and ongoing lives of over 100 UK adults were researched in interviews 2004-2008. The sample included many people approaching retirement or retired. Findings: Analysis showed retirement as being an ongoing process and learning as being integral to those transitions through which older people go before, during and after leaving paid work. It was found that learning is often informal and tacit, in anticipation, preparation and reaction to change. Learning interrelates with people's positions in society, time and place as they "become" retired. Research limitations/implications: Time and funding limited analysis of the large bank of data, which are deserving of further work. There are implications for workplaces and for the wider society in the need to recognise and understand the transition process through which retirees must learn their way. Formal course provision can be beneficial but is only part of, or possibly a trigger for, the life learning that occurs. Originality/value: There is limited work available looking at learning and retirement. What there is tends to focus on formal courses. The study adds to those, looking at learning more broadly and as an integral and reciprocal part of the process.

This paper reports key findings from a study of young people's engagement in "atypical" activities in their families. The project focused on young caring and language brokering as two roles that are not assumed to be "normal" activities for children and young people. The findings presented are from a survey of 1002 young people and from one-to-one interviews with a sample selected from the survey sample. The voices of young people in the interview study are used in the paper to illustrate the diverse range of childhood experiences. The paper discusses some of the ways in which pastoral systems in schools can take account of diverse childhoods and family needs more effectively than they have done in the past.

Disability research is conducted within a highly politicised "hotbed" of competing paradigms and principles. New researchers, who want to work within the social model, are soon faced with complex and challenging methodological and philosophical dilemmas. The social model advocates research agendas that are focused on the emancipation and empowerment of disabled people but, in reality, these are rarely achieved. To be successful researchers need to engage with innovative and creative methodologies and to share their experiences of these within environments that welcome challenge and debate. This paper focuses on Lifeworld and assesses its value as a tool for emancipatory research. Using examples from a study with parents, whose children were in the process of being labelled as having autism, the paper illustrates how the principles that "underpin" the methodology offered a supportive framework for a novice researcher.

This paper outlines the findings of a study of young people's and parents' experiences and perspectives of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from five positions: the 'symptoms' of ADHD and their consequences, the process of diagnosis and treatment, interventions, a personal diagnosis, and participation and voice. It questions the value and validity of diagnosing children and young people as having ADHD and highlights the possibility that apparent short-term benefits of treatment with medication might be outweighed by longer-term negative psychological effects. It further argues that the voice of the young person should be considered in assessment and intervention processes where behaviour might lead to a diagnosis of ADHD. The authors assert challenging behaviour should be interpreted and addressed from a broad theoretical perspective which takes into account biological, psychological, social and cultural factors, and warn that diagnosis and treatment with medication might limit such a perspective.

This paper challenges the dominant discourse that Higher Education (HE) choice is a consumer choice and questions assumptions underpinning government policy and HE marketing. HE choice is largely viewed as a rational, decontextualised process. However, this interpretivist study found it to be much more complex, and to be about relationships and managing a transition in roles. It focuses on parents, an under-researched group, who play an increasing part in their child's HE choice. It finds that they experience this process primarily as parents, not consumers and that their desire to maintain the relationship at this critical juncture takes precedence over the choice of particular courses and universities. The role of relationships, and in this context relationship maintenance, is the main theme. This is experienced in two principal ways: relationship maintenance through conflict avoidance and through teamwork. These significant findings have implications for the way governments and universities consider recruitment.

Purpose: This paper aims to use (in)visibility as a lens to understand the lived experience of six women managers in the headquarters of a large multinational organization in the UK to identify how "gender" is expressed in the context of organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers take a phenomenological approach via qualitative data collection with a purposeful sample--the six female managers in a group of 24. Data were collected through quarterly semi-structured interviews over 12 months with the themes--knowledge, interaction and gender. Findings: Organizations seek to build advantage to gain and retain competitive leadership. Their resilience in a changing task environment depends on their ability to recognize, gain and use knowledge likely to deliver these capabilities. Here, gender was a barrier to effective organizational learning with women's knowledge and experience often unseen and unheard. Research limitations/implications: This is a piece of research limited to exploration of gender as other, but ethnicity, age, social class, disability and sexual preference, alone or in combination, may be equally subject to invisibility in knowledge terms; further research would be needed to test this however. Practical implications: Practical applications relate to the need for organizations to examine and address their operations for exclusion based on perceived "otherness". Gendered organizations cause problems for their female members, but they also exclude the experience and knowledge of key individuals as seen here, where gender impacted on effective knowledge sharing and cocreation of knowledge. Social implications: The study offers further evidence of gendered organizations and their impacts on organizational effectiveness, but it also offers insights into the continues social acceptance of a masculinized normative model for socio-economic practice. Originality/value: This exploration of gender and organizational learning offers new insights to help explain the way in which organizational learning occurs--or fails to occur--with visibility/invisibility of one group shaped by gendered attitudes and processes. It shows that organizational learning is not gender neutral (as it appears in mainstream organizational learning research) and calls for researchers to include this as a factor in future research.

The potential of the World Wide Web for rapid global communication is driving the creation of specifically tailored courses for employees, yet few practitioners have the necessary experience in on-line teaching methods, or in preparing documents for the web. Experience gained in developing six online training modules for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry sectors is informing the development by a partnership of academics and practitioners of seven online modules that will meet requirements for continuing professional development in the health sector. This paper highlights lessons for success.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic placed a huge strain on healthcare services around the world, including community services. Students also faced substantial disturbance to educational programmes. Student district nurses are usually employed members of staff and can be recalled to the workforce, whereas pre-registration students cannot. Aims: This paper explores the feelings and experiences of student district nurses during the first UK national lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. An interpretative phenomenological approach was taken. Method: A semi structured 1:1 interview and focus group was held via zoom in July 2020. A total of eight student district nurses, who were all registered adult nurses, took part. Data was analysed using the Braun and Clarke model to identify themes. Results: The findings related to their experience of being a community adult registered nurse on the frontline, while also being a student district nurse. Three themes were identified from the analysis: anxiety and uncertainty, management of risk and teamwork. Conclusion: This study highlights the contribution that community nurses made in the clinical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It adds to a paucity of literature available from this clinical setting and specifically from the viewpoint of a student district nurse. There is much written on the strains on hospital care, but it should be remembered that district nursing is the service that never shuts its doors because it has reached capacity. This study found that a lack of communication and uncertainty about their future as students contributed to heightened stress and anxiety. Teamwork and camaraderie are a vital aspect of any team and one that can support resilience in times of heightened stress. A lack of face-to-face interaction can lead to team members feeling isolated. Digital technology can be used to reduce this feeling when possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic led the United Kingdom (UK) into a national lockdown in March 2020. The UK government has acknowledged that children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) were left behind during the pandemic. This integrative literature review aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of CYP with SEND from parents’ experiences. The review included 14 papers: quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. Parents’ experience of the COVID-19 pandemic was mostly negative; CYP were left behind, experienced reduced or suspended services, and loss of social interactions and support networks. However, a few parents reported some positive effects; families could spend more time together, and children experienced reduced anxiety as strict routines were relaxed. Most papers identified were completed during or just after the first lockdown. Therefore, none of the papers included whether CYP’s development has been affected in the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To understand the complexity of the needs of people with delirium superimposed on dementia • To enhance your knowledge of second-generation activity theory • To recognise the consequences of the separation of physical health and mental healthcare. Background: Delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) affects the physical, mental and cognitive well-being of the person. The separation of physical health and mental health means that the care of people with DSD is at odds with the multifaceted aetiology and presentation of the condition. There is a lack of research on DSD from a mental health perspective. Aim: To explore UK mental health nurses’ experiences of providing care for people with DSD. Method: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven mental health nurses from one NHS trust in England. Participants’ experiences were considered through the lens of second-generation activity theory. Data were analysed using framework analysis. Findings: Six themes were identified: awareness of guidance and tools; guidance or tools as ‘paper exercises’; knowing the patient; the multidisciplinary team; care burden; and mental health versus physical health. Conclusion: When providing care for people with DSD, mental health nurses use their skills in knowing patients as individuals. However, this aspect of ‘knowing’ cannot be readily translated into the use of a numerical scoring tool. An integrated approach is required to support the care of people with DSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Within the context of sports coaching and coach education, formalised mentoring relationships are often depicted as a mentor--mentee dyad. Thus, mentoring within sports coaching is typically conceptualised as a one-dimensional relationship, where the mentor is seen as the powerful member of the dyad, with greater age and/or experience [Colley, H. (2003). "Mentoring for Social Inclusion." London: Routledge]. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the concept of a multiple mentor system in an attempt to advance our theoretical and empirical understanding of sports coach mentoring. In doing so, this paper builds upon the suggestion of Jones, Harris, and Miles [(2009). "Mentoring in Sports Coaching: A Review of the Literature." "Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy" 14 (3): 267-284] who highlight the importance of generating empirical research to explore current mentoring approaches in sport, which in turn can inform meaningful formal coach education enhancement. The significance of this work therefore lies in opening up both a practical and a theoretical space for dialogue within sports coach education in order to challenge the traditional dyadic conceptualisation of mentoring and move towards an understanding of "mentoring in practice". Method: Drawing upon Kram's [(1985). "Mentoring at Work: Developmental Relationships in Organisational Life". Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman] foundational mentoring theory to underpin a multiple mentoring support system, 15 elite coach mentors across a range of sports were interviewed in an attempt to explore their mentoring experiences. Subsequently, an inductive thematic analysis endeavoured to further investigate the realities and practicalities of employing a multiple mentoring system in the context of elite coach development. Results: The participants advocated support for the utilisation of a multiple mentor system to address some of the inherent problems and complexities within elite sports coaching mentoring. Specifically, the results suggested that mentees sourced different mentors for specific knowledge acquisition, skills and attributes. For example, within a multiple mentor approach, mentors recommended that mentees use a variety of mentors, including cross-sports and non-sport mentors. Conclusion: Tentative recommendations for the future employment of a multiple mentoring framework were considered, with particular reference to cross-sports or non-sport mentoring experiences.

Part-time teachers form a growing proportion of the global Higher Education (HE) workforce. Their backgrounds can vary from Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) teaching for the first time, to practitioners bringing workplace experience into HE and sessional teachers, all with differing professional development needs. This paper builds on previous research to consider structures and practices promoting sustainable, effective professional development for part-timers, to propose proactive holistic professional development, and raise institutional awareness of the challenges of reaching part-timers. A case study exploring the lived experiences of part-time staff illustrates key features of part-timers' preparation for their current work and future aspirations.

There has been little research on domestic violence (DV) within ethnic minority communities in high-income countries. This study reports on the findings of a meta-ethnography that examined the barriers and facilitators of help-seeking behaviors in South Asian women living in high-income countries who have experienced DV to inform practice, understand the limits of the evidence, and identify research gaps. Qualitative studies were identified which were available in English by electronic databases. After an initial search, 2,465 articles were reviewed by title and abstract and 135 articles were reviewed for full text. Thirty-five papers were included for this review and were synthesized using meta-ethnography. Key findings included barriers and facilitators of help-seeking behaviors: (1) Socio-cultural norms to prohibit help-seeking behaviors, (2) Fear of negative consequences, (3) Negative aspects of immigration status, (4) Insufficient support from statutory, and voluntary agencies, (5) Safety strategies and facilitators for surviving. Although this review investigated the perceptions of two different populations (survivors and service providers) both groups had similar views about the barriers and facilitators of help-seeking behaviors. It is crucial for the government and non-government organizations to understand the barriers for women who are DV survivors to seek help from their organizations and also from South Asian ethnicities. The awareness and understanding of these barriers and facilitators may help support the development of interventions to encourage effective help-seeking amongst South Asian women affected by DV. Suggestions for research, practice, and policies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article comprises some critical reflections on the teaching of a second year undergraduate module called "Children's Cultural Worlds" in which students are required to engage with original studies which are then used to stimulate self-reflection and engagement with wider issues relating to our understanding of children's place in the social world. It will be argued that when individual memories are shared, it is possible to identify continuities and discontinuities in childhood experiences as well as the intersections between childhood and other social divisions such as gender, class and ethnicity. The requirement that students recall and reflect on their childhood memories and share them with others is a way of students learning through their own experiences, reflecting on their views and values. Furthermore, as it will be shown, it opens up spaces for alternative values and viewpoints to emerge about how we might 'regulate' early childhood because 'When we tell stories and process them, using reflective dialogues, we create the possibility of change in ourselves and others'.

In this paper, we explore our use of a dialogical storytelling approach to alleviate some of the tensions involved in researching another person's embodied experience. These tensions concern the problems of (a) how to "access" another's embodied experience and (b) how to "represent" that experience. We consider these issues through sharing creative nonfiction stories, alongside theoretical reflections, drawn from our research into the meaning and value of an adapted sport and inclusive adventurous training course for military personnel who have experienced serious injury and/or trauma. In terms of accessing another's embodied experience, we observe how co-experienced physical movement seemed to allow taboo tales to be shared. In moments like these, there is a sense of "doing together" that supports story sharing--embodied interaction is the medium that allows it to happen. We suggest that evocative stories of personal embodied experience are unlikely to be shared or witnessed "without" an immersive embodied interaction. In terms of representation, we propose that faithful portrayals of embodied experience are most likely to be achieved through particular writing strategies. Because another's embodied experience can only be glimpsed tangentially, through a physical-emotional sensibility, it needs to be evoked, implied or rendered through aesthetic forms. We have found storytelling to be one way of writing that allows us to express and communicate complex and sometimes ambiguous forms of embodied knowledge, understanding and wisdom that we may not yet have fully grasped ourselves.

Background: People who have communication difficulties may benefit from using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Understanding and measuring outcomes from the use of AAC is an important part of evaluating the impact of devices and services. Outcome measurement needs to reflect the changing nature of the impact of using AAC on an individual's ability to participate in activities of daily life. There is a limited understanding of the concepts that should inform the evaluation of outcomes from AAC device provision, nor how people's expectations from AAC may change over time. Aims: To inform the development of a patient‐reported outcome measure for AAC by understanding more about people's expectations from AAC and how these change over time. Methods & Procedures: A longitudinal qualitative research study was designed and carried out with seven participants over a period of 2 years. Participants were recruited from a regional specialist assessment service for AAC in the south‐west of the UK. Four semi‐structured interviews were carried out: (1) before assessment for AAC, (2) after assessment, (3) directly after provision of an AAC device and (4) between 6 and 12 months after provision. An original analytic method was used in this study that built on the principles of longitudinal interpretative phenomenology analysis, applied with a dialogic theoretical lens. This approach enabled the inclusion of a range of multimodal and embodied data collected to this study and allowed the research team to draw out salient themes across the cohort group while attending to the influence of time and context on experience. Outcomes & Results: The results confirm and extend the three core concepts that were used to guide analysis: changes; contexts; future possibilities. The contextual and temporal influences on outcomes attainable from AAC for this cohort were also identified and illustrated through cross‐case comparison. Deeper, analytic, and conceptual engagement with theory, which was then applied to analysis of the data, provided methodological rigour in the study. The results enhance our understanding of people's hopes and expectations from AAC and how these change over time. Conclusions & Implications: This qualitative longitudinal research study provides new insights into the journeys of people who experience communication disability, and the shifting nature of their sense of identity as they engage with, and learn from using, AAC. The study is significant as it attends to the dynamic nature of experience and how contextual and experiential factors influence people's hopes and expectations from AAC. The paper presents an original application of longitudinal qualitative research methodology with people who use AAC which can be further applied and tested in the field of communication disability research. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: We did not know the impact that time has on the concepts that have been identified to represent important outcomes from AAC. The existing concepts used to define outcomes from AAC were not adequately conceptualized to develop a patient‐reported outcome measure. This study sought to extend our knowledge about outcomes from AAC. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: This study adds to the methodological toolkit available for qualitative inquiry in the field of communication disability research by presenting a longitudinal qualitative research methodology. It adds depth to our understanding of the concepts that underpin outcomes from AAC and highlights the dynamic nature of contexts and how this influences desired outcomes. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: This longitudinal qualitative research study provides a broader perspective on the experience of getting AAC. It will enable clinicians to better navigate the contextual and transitionary factors that influence people's experience of acquiring AAC devices. The enhanced concepts described will also support clinical conversations that consider the wider facets of communication and what AAC can add to existing communicative tool kits beyond getting a message across. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the dramatic evacuation from Kabul airport in August 2021, the UK government proclaimed its commitment to a 'warm welcome' for Afghans. In this paper we draw on original qualitative research to explore the emerging experiences of evacuees, and other recent arrivals, during their first year in London. Using the narratives of our Afghans participants, as well as insights from key stakeholders, we show how they navigated slow, opaque bureaucratic processes and lack of communication with official agencies. As a result of these lengthy processes, many thousands of evacuees remained in temporary hotel accommodation for protracted periods. Drawing on the concept of 'everyday bordering', we explore the extent to which Afghan resettlement policies are achieving their objectives. We consider how such policies are birthed within a punitive immigration system, which is designed to 'wear down' migrants in the UK, regardless of their reason for migration. Moreover, we argue that the ad hoc response of the Home Office and the Foreign Office has created 'false distinctions' between categories of Afghan refugees, reinforcing notions of 'deserving' versus 'underserving' migrants. This distinction allows the government to present itself as humanitarian, 'rescuing' people from Afghanistan, while simultaneously maintaining its commitment to the 'hostile immigration environment'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Refugees and asylum seekers worldwide face numerous barriers in accessing health systems. The evidence base regarding who and what helps refugees and asylum seekers facilitate access to and the navigation of the health system in the UK is small. This study aims to address this gap by analysing 14 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with refugees and asylum seekers of different countries of origin in the UK to identify where, when and how they came into contact with the health-care system and what the outcome of these interactions was. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were chosen as the key method for this study. In total, 14 individual interviews were conducted. A trauma-informed research approach was applied to reduce the risk of re-traumatising participants. Findings: The paper identifies key obstacles as well as "facilitators" of refugees' and asylum seekers' health-care experience in the UK and suggests that host families, friends and third-party organisations all play an important role in ensuring refugees and asylum seekers receive the healthcare they need. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first qualitative study in the UK that looks at comprehensive health journeys of refugees from their first encounter with health services through to secondary care, highlighting the important role along the way of facilitators such as host families, friends and third-party organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]