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This article studies the extent to which educational services and schooling outcomes of local children are influenced by the presence of a refugee camp in or near their community. Investigating Congolese refugees in Rwanda and relying on a mixed‐method approach, we examine schooling rates and access to school‐based feeding programmes in communities closer to and further away from three refugee camps. We conduct cohort analyses to compare the schooling outcomes of Rwandans residing at different distances from each of these camps. Our results highlight that children residing closer to the camps have better schooling outcomes and that locals residing closer to the camps have mostly positive views regarding the effects of refugees on local education. These results contribute to the literature on the effects of refugees on host communities and inform policy debates on how refugees need not be a "burden" if a long‐term vision shapes educational investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to analyze how reception practices and the meaning of a "worthy" reception of refugees and migrants are negotiated in encounters between various receiving actors in times of shifting Swedish migration policies. The analysis is grounded in ethnographic methodology and draws on data collected in 2016. The aim of the study was to document experiences of the so-called "refugee crisis" in Europe and Scandinavia from a bottom-up perspective among professionals and volunteers narrated during reference group meetings. The reference groups consisted of representatives from state and municipal agencies, the private sector, and civil society organizations. The actors represented in the mixed reference groups were diverse, but all were involved in reception activities. In the analysis we have combined political philosophy about willingness versus ability to receive refugees and migrants with postcolonial theoretical perspectives on concurrent claims and voices. We identified three themes that are central in the negotiation of the practice and meaning of a "worthy reception": first, the overlooked existential needs of refugees and migrants; second, the lack of gender- and diversity-sensitive reception practices; and third, ambivalences in relation to various refugees groups in times of shifting migration policies. We recommend that in order to promote a worthy reception of refugees and migrants, existential needs must be taken care of and gender- and diversity-sensitive practices must be developed. Another recommendation is to recognize how migration policy limits a society's ability to receive refugees and migrants, but also affects the willingness among those actors who receive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many refugees will face unique socio-emotional stressors before, during, and after resettling in their new home country. The program presented herein focuses on the use of para-professionals, peer educators, from within refugee communities to build upon the Center for Torture and Trauma Survivors Clubhouse model. Group leaders seek to provide supports that will: 1) decrease feelings of isolation; 2) build community networks and; 3) increase feelings of empowerment within the community. To accurately represent the fluidity of the refugee population in this metropolitan region, background is presented on an established refugee population from Iraq and a more recent influx of refugees of Bhutan (ethnic Nepali). The juxtaposition of the two groups underscores the importance of presenting a dynamic program that is peer-led to provide the supports necessary to acclimate to their new environment. Program evaluation results from groups run in 2016-2017 indicate that the groups have been successful in helping participants make friends, get information, become more independent, and feel better about life in America. Additionally, participants report a significantly higher number of individuals who they can "talk to about problems or worries" and connect to with a sense of trust within their ethnic community. Finally, the utility of other therapeutic and support processes, such as horticultural and expressive arts therapies, are discussed apropos work with refugee populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes specific challenges to family unity and child welfare among children in immigrant families resulting from immigration enforcement. Surges in immigration activity over the past decade have resulted in family economic hardship, psychological trauma to children, and difficulty accessing social services. Children whose parents are detained/deported are at risk of unnecessarily entering the child welfare system, and encounter significant barriers to family reunification. In recent months, the scope of enforcement priorities that previously safeguarded many parents now target a much larger group of immigrants for deportation, increasingly disregarding the needs of children. Immigration raids have terrorized communities across the country, and repercussions are being felt by the child welfare system and social service providers. Within an anti-immigrant political climate, there is a desperate need for social workers to lead initiatives to respond to immigrants' needs. Strategies include: (1) development of social work expertise in working with immigrants; (2) cross-systems and cross-disciplinary collaborations; (3) leveraging existing resources and supports; (4) documentation/collection of data; and (5) focused advocacy efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work practice with marginalized populations not only requires intervention to address individuals' immediate service needs, but also requires intervention to address the larger structural context that impacts well-being. Critical theoretical frameworks, such as Structural Social Work (SSW) theory, are essential in helping social workers to develop a comprehensive understanding of the manner in which social systems are intentionally designed to oppress marginalized populations, including immigrant and refugee communities. SSW serves to both understand how society's structure causes social problems and to identify how these structures must be changed in order to alleviate harm. Focusing specifically on Latino immigrants, this article presents an overview of SSW theory and discusses its relevance to social work practitioners. This SSW framework will then be applied to analyze two U.S. social systems, the labor regulatory and mental health systems, that are integrally connected to Latino immigrant well-being. Finally, drawing from two case examples of research conducted in Chicago, alternative models of practice in the realms of labor and mental health are presented. Findings from these case examples illustrate how social workers can engage in antioppressive practice when they implement interventions that promote personal healing while simultaneously challenging oppressive elements of social systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dutch immigration and integration policies are being interpreted and implemented by local street-level bureaucrats. We carried out 28 semi-structured interviews with integration coaches, integration teachers and client managers in order to understand the dilemmas they face, and to explain their subsequent behaviour. The results show that although organizational characteristics such as the bureaucratic burden made street-level bureaucrats reluctant to enlarge their discretionary space at the expense of policy rules, their willingness to help clients often transcends these boundaries under a combination of three conditions: high client motivation, extreme personal distress of the client, and negative assessment of existing policies and policy instruments (both in terms of fairness and practicality). Furthermore, street-level bureaucrats were found to be constantly reinterpreting and revising their roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although generally an immigrant-friendly country with high immigration levels, Canada also had racially-motivated policies of discrimination, as seen in the mass internment of Japanese Canadians (JCs) during the Second World War. Today, JCs constitute a relatively small ethnic group, mainly made up of descendants of pre-war immigrants, as well as post-war immigrants and their offspring. With the highest rate of mixed unions among any ethnic group in Canada, JCs and the issues that they face are very diverse. Drawing from the experience of the Japanese Social Services in Toronto, a reconstituted case of a JC senior is presented and discussed. Implications for social work practice are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to analyze how social workers frame the social problems of immigrant clients in Sweden. The study is based on in-depth interviews with 20 social workers in three different Swedish municipalities. While Swedish social work often assumes a discourse of color-blindness and universalism, this study indicates that Swedish social workers not only see cultural differences but also regard these differences as central when they frame, assess, and formulate their interventions. The discourse of culturalization not only produces and reinforces the ideas of cultural hierarchy and Swedish superiority, but it also tends to obstruct non-European immigrants from equal participation in the Swedish society since they are not allowed to enjoy their full citizenship. Consequently, there is a need for social work in Sweden to rethink its culturalist framework and go beyond cultural reductionism and take into consideration other issues such as unemployment, housing conditions, poverty, social isolation, marginalization, and ethnic discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main reasons of emigration of young people is a lack of opportunities to realize their own potential, to state themselves as full valued individuals. In this aspect, problems of emigration appear in the areas of social work and socio-educational support. Problems of social or socio-educational support are discussed and presented not enough, concerning young job immigrants in theoretical and practical levels, as well. In the most cases the respondents have mentioned friendly and positive relationships with people of the same nationality and with people of different nationalities as well: together organized leisure activities, celebrations, holidays. Research data analysis shows that mostly job centres help immigrants to deal with job search and with consultations as well. On the other hand, it is obvious that young job immigrants are coming to other country to their relatives or friends who have emigrated earlier and have organized their living conditions quite well. Generalizing the research results the activities of a social worker or social pedagogue that are needed for young job emigrants during integration process in changed socio-cultural environment could be defined: it is support during adaptation period, support in the process of job search, legal, educational and health support, as well as organization of cultural activities for immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is in response to the increasing pro-integration role played by social services in the implementation of integration activities in areas of working with immigrants in the Czech Republic. The authors are looking for an answer to the question of whether the regional distribution of immigrant-specialised social services corresponds to the number of foreigners living in individual regions of the Czech Republic. The authors will try to conceptualise the relevant terms of the research issue, which involves immigrants in the Czech Republic and the immigrant-specialised social services. The authors found that even if the state and the regions (administrative units) provide social services which specialise in working with immigrants, they lack any systematic tools to monitor, at a minimum level, the distribution and coverage of the services with respect to the number of immigrants in any given locality. This may lead to serious regional problems in the availability and use of social services intended for immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos de Trabajo Social is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid 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 examines majority-immigrant relations through the prism of welfare provision to glean insight into the extent to which the welfare system influences the integration of immigrants into Greek society. Does welfare provision help lead to social cohesion between the majority society and immigrant minorities? Are existing majority-immigrant tensions abated, or exacerbated, by the welfare system? What is the role of welfare provision in relation to other integration factors such as labour market participation, naturalization and broadening conceptions of host society identity? These questions are addressed through in-depth qualitative research conducted in a Greek town. The research indicates that immigrant integration is largely influenced by local level policies and by immigrants’ daily encounters with people who carry these out. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a research on how social work authorities in the United States treat immigrant children from Puerto Rico. Particular focus is given to social agencies' efforts to provide protection, safety, quality of life and nondiscrimination to the immigrants. Also mentioned are the study's objectives, methodology and participants.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the rates of receipt of welfare for immigrants and natives in Ireland, to see if the outcome is consistent with the operation of a policy which was designed to limit immigrant access to welfare. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use micro-data from the Irish component European Union Survey on Income and Living Conditions for 2008, also published data on the numbers of people claiming unemployment related payments in Ireland. Descriptive statistics and results from probit regressions are presented. Findings – The analysis generally shows that in the years preceding the recession, immigrants were less likely to be in receipt of welfare payments, whether one looks at adjusted or unadjusted data. The recession, and the consequent job losses among immigrants, gave rise to a possible surge in the numbers of immigrants receiving welfare benefits. While this seemed to happen at the outset of the recession, the more recent trends in the numbers receiving payments would suggest that the numbers of non-nationals stabilised, even as the number of nationals claiming payments continued to rise. Research limitations/implications – As the data used do not give an indication of the length of time an immigrant has been in Ireland, the authors are unable to assess whether the observed patterns change with length of stay. Social implications – The results suggest that Ireland's policy of limiting access to welfare for immigrants has been successful in its primary goal. Originality/value – No other papers have considered the issue of immigrant welfare receipt in Ireland in the context of the massive migratory inflow after EU expansion in 2004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper's main purpose is to evaluate immigrants' demand for social assistance and services and identify the key barriers to social and labor market inclusion of immigrants in the European Union. Design/methodology/approach – An online primary survey of experts from NGOs and public organizations working on immigrant integration in the member states of the European Union was carried out. The data is analyzed using simple comparative statistical methods; the robustness of the results is tested by means of logit and ordered logit statistical models. Findings – The authors find that the general public in Europe has rather negative attitudes towards immigrants. Although the business community views immigrants somewhat less negatively, barriers to immigrant labor market inclusion identified include language and human capital gaps, a lack of recognition of foreign qualifications, discrimination, non-transparent labor markets and institutional barriers such as legal restrictions for foreign citizens. Exclusion from higher education, housing and the services of the financial sector aggravate these barriers. Changes in the areas of salaried employment, education, social insurance, mobility and attitudes are seen as desired by members of ethnic minorities. The current economic downturn is believed to have increased the importance of active inclusion policies, especially in the areas of employment and education. These results appear to be robust with respect to a number of characteristics of respondents and their organizations. Research limitations/implications – The authors' findings are not limited to the sample studied, which is supported by their robustness analysis. However an extended opinion survey of the ethnic minority population is required to more accurately examine the problems faced by diverse groups of immigrants across EU member states. Practical implications – The findings of the study call for more effective diversity management and integration strategies to ensure non-discrimination and better integration of ethnic minorities into the labor markets of member states. Originality/value – There are few studies using primary survey data that have identified a wide range of barriers and challenges to economic integration faced by ethnic minorities in an enlarged European Union. The cross-national opinion survey uniquely reflects views and suggestions of practitioners and immigrant minorities themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine interethnic differences in the degree of participation in social assistance, disability, and unemployment benefits during the working-age period. Design/methodology/approach – Using individual register data of the entire immigrant population for 2005 from Statistics Netherlands, the paper employs standard probit models to estimate differences in welfare use between immigrant groups that are divided into the first and second generations. Findings – The analysis shows that migrants from non-western countries, both first and second generation, have a higher probability of participation in social assistance and disability-benefit programs and to a lesser extent in unemployment-benefit programs. A large part of migrants' welfare dependence can be explained by their background characteristics and immigration history, but a significant unexplained residual is still left. Strikingly, the degree of dependence of second-generation non-western migrants on social assistance is similar to their parents'. Practical implications – A higher welfare dependency of non-western immigrants is probably related to the admittance policy. Most immigrants from developing countries are allowed to enter The Netherlands on humanitarian grounds, as family or asylum migrants. Originality/value – This study is the first scholarly investigation of welfare use by immigrants and their descendants in The Netherlands. An additional novel feature is that the study covers three major social-welfare benefits for those aged between 19 and 64 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined parenting practices as mediators of changes in child conduct problems in ethnic minority families participating in Parent Management Training-Oregon Model (PMTO). The participants included 96 Somali and Pakistani immigrant mothers and their children living in Norway. The families were randomized to PMTO or a waiting-list control group. Self-report assessments were made at baseline and after the intervention using standardized measures. A path model suggested that improvements in the child conduct problems were fully mediated by a reduction in harsh maternal discipline and an increase in positive parenting. When the mediation pathways were tested separately, both the reduction in harsh discipline and the increased positive parenting functioned as mediators of the reduction in child conduct problems. These findings emphasize the importance of including components that address the parent's use of both harsh and positive parenting practices when implementing parenting training among ethnic minority families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Migraciones is the property of Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Instituto Universitario de Estudios sobre Migraciones 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 study using California Health Interview Survey 2005 Child Survey data presents disparities among three major immigrant groups' child care preferences. Asian immigrant families used a grandparent or a relative care and a preschool more than Latino and European immigrant families. Latino immigrant families used child care from a nonfamily member in the provider's home and Head Start more than Asian and European immigrant families. To understand the predictors of time spent in child care by California's immigrant children, a multiple regression analysis was run. Being a child from an Asian immigrant family, child's age, being a girl, and being a child from a single mother-headed immigrant family emerged as predictors explaining 17.2% of the variance in the amount of time spent in child care. Variations in child care usage among immigrant groups warrant concern and suggest a need for culturally sensitive child care programs for immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using semistructured interviews and participant observation, this two-year pilot study of male Mexican migrants in Freehold, New Jersey, explored how day laborers perceive their struggles to support families despite escalating anti-immigrant legislation at virtually all levels of government. In particular, the author looks at efforts by Mexican migrants to contest characterizations of them as "illegal," a term that has clear connotations of criminality, and to distance themselves from others who commit crimes. Migrants questioned the moral legitimacy of U.S. immigration laws, an indicator that vigorous legal efforts to thwart their arrival could prove fruitless. This finding is critical for social work, which must find the means to serve this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the cultural norm of the way gifts are wrapped, unwrapped, and exchanged as a metaphor for interpersonal connections, this paper presents the way therapists can establish therapeutic relationships with East Asian clients who do not express emotions openly. We first discuss the ways in which emotions are conceptualized, experienced, and expressed in East Asian cultures. We then present vignettes of our work with older Chinese and Japanese immigrant women to illustrate the importance of therapist authenticity and co-construction of the therapeutic relationship. Using the framework of relational/cultural theory, which posits that healing takes place in the context of mutually empathic growth-fostering relationships, we illustrate the importance of establishing mutuality between therapist and client as a form of cultural empathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After Katrina, the Bush administration suspended Department of Labor workplace regulations throughout the Gulf, a move consistent with their general emphasis on voluntary workplace protection programs rather than government oversight. This approach left many workers in hurricane reconstruction jobs unprotected, especially Latino immigrant day laborers who, facing language barriers and legal constraints, were least able to negotiate workplace safety or other labor conditions. Fifty-three immigrant workers and 28 key informants from community, union, church, and relief organizations in Louisiana and Mississippi were interviewed at job hiring sites and relief organizations using an inductive, exploratory approach. In this multihazard and changing work environment with a new and fluctuating workforce, enforceable policies mandating worker protection and education were sorely lacking. Free market conditions, driven by incentives to work as fast as possible, and the preponderance of unregulated small contractors and individual home owners as employers contributed to the unsafe environment. Although workers and home owners attempted to take precautions, they usually lacked adequate education about hazards, access to protective equipment, and training in its proper use. However, the labor conditions during the hurricane recovery in the Gulf Coast are likely to be duplicated throughout the country in workplaces employing Latino day laborers unless workers' health is given greater priority by regulatory agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arrival of Latino immigrant workers and the weakening of federal labor regulations after Hurricane Katrina raised concerns about labor conditions and workers' rights. We carried out a survey of workers at 212 randomly selected addresses in the city of New Orleans, successfully interviewing 212 out of 351 workers approached (40% refusal rate). Workers were asked about their demographic, employment, and health characteristics, as well as violations of human rights they may have experienced. The survey was supplemented with in-depth qualitative interviews with Latino workers and key informants in Louisiana and Mississippi. Our study showed that Latino workers, particularly undocumented workers, experienced lower wages, more nonpayment of wages and/or overtime wages, and fewer worker protections than non-Latino workers. The poorer treatment of Latino and undocumented workers is thought to reflect employers' perception of them as a disposable labor force. Indeed, few of the workers who arrived after Katrina, and especially low percentages of Latinos and undocumented workers, intended to settle in New Orleans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study investigates the discriminatory and exploitative housing practices that contributed to the social marginalization of Latinos in the Gulf Coast Recovery Zone following Hurricane Katrina. Discriminatory practices (such as denial of available units or rejection of Latinos from homeless shelters) leave migrants vulnerable to homelessness and economic exploitation. The most vulnerable Latinos are those who hold an undocumented legal status, have marginal occupational status, or have limited English ability. These vulnerabilities are magnified following a disaster when housing is in short supply, group tensions are high, employers are heavily involved in allocation of housing, and government oversight is lacking. Using 25 interviews with established and newly arrived Latino immigrants on the Gulf Coast, the author finds that these four factors-legal status, occupational status, limited English language ability, and the disaster context-contributed to the exploitation of and discrimination against Latinos in the housing market following Katrina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asylum remains an important means for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) immigrants to stay in the United States. Social workers providing services for immigrants must understand the key aspects of the asylum process. This author extends the seminal work of Yoshino (2006), who explores the ways society forces oppressed groups to downplay or cover aspects of their identities. Yet, LGBT asylum-seekers must prove the authenticity of their sexual identity by reverse-covering, emphasizing traits based on stereotypes of sexual minorities. Reverse-covering demands made by the asylum process, challenge LGBT immigrants, particularly given the influence of race and culture on sexual identity. This article presents micro- and macro- practice implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization and the transnational movement of people have intensified the migration of highly educated people from developing countries to the industrialized countries of the North. While causing a serious 'brain drain' or 'talent shortage' in developing countries, these migrations have also produced profound ethnic, cultural and racial diversity in receiving countries. Even as developed countries lure and vie for high-calibre immigrants in order to gain or maintain a competitive advantage in the 'knowledge-based' global economy, structural barriers in the labour markets of these countries exclude and deny immigrants access to occupations and jobs commensurate with their training and expertise. Denying people access to hiring opportunities for reasons unrelated to their abilities or industry is discriminatory, oppressive and unjust. This paper argues that anti-oppressive practice is an effective social work practice tool for gaining a better understanding of the oppression, marginalization and exclusion of skilled immigrants of colour in Western societies. In working with visible minority immigrants, anti-oppressive practice becomes a powerful instrument of resistance and for advocating for structural change that would emancipate and, empower immigrants in Canada and other immigrant-receiving countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]