Presentation by Gudbjorg Ottosdottir, University of Iceland on Asylum seekers and refugees in South East of England: Caring relations in families and with professionals in health and social care, as part of Participation Lab workshop on Migration, Care, Language & Identity: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, University of Reading, 3 November 2016.

1. Asylum seekers and refugees
in South-east of England:
Caring relations in families and with
professionals
in social care and health
Dr. Guðbjörg Ottósdóttir
Faculty of Social Work
University of Iceland
gudbjoro@hi.is
Guðbjörg Ottósdóttir 3 November 2016 1

2. Context
• Disabled asylum seekers - policy and services
barriers (Harris and Roberts, 2004; Ward et al.,
2008; Ottosdottir and Evans, 2014)
• Lack on research on family carers and family
relationships
• Family caring practices shaped by policy and
services available, family roles, traditions,
community values, ethics of care, events and
transitions in family lives (Bowlby et al. 2010,
Evans, 2011)
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3. Research locations and sample
Qualitative semi structured
interviews in Slough,
Reading, London:
15 adults with diverse
impairments
(8 females, 7 males, aged 25 to
84)
13 kin and non-kin carers (7
females, 6 males aged 13 to 78)
• Different national
backgrounds
• Diverse legal statuses
• Diverse households
– 17 professionals
statutory and third sector
of social care
Aim: to explore everyday
experiences of asylum
seekers and refugees with
disability and care
Shelter for asylum seekers in South London
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4. Findings
Disabled people
• Complex impairments – pre and post migration
• A range of diverse needs (ADL and IADL)
• Influenced by:
– Poor support contexts
– Lack of entitlements, high thresholds in local authorities and limited professional
approaches
– Language and information needs
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5. Significant family caring roles
Influenced by:
– Onset of impairment
– Changes in households and family structures – Migration and
settlement
– Gendered and intergenerational roles
– Family traditions of care
– Love and affection
– Stigma of impairment
– Poor support contexts
– Community values of care, shared identities and
membersships
– Limited knowledge about rights and services
– High thresholds to support and limited professional
approaches
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6. Impact on carers and family relationships
Challenges:
• Emotional, physical, social
• Difficulty negotiating own needs and responsibilities with caring
• Difficult feelings and tensions in family relations
• Performing transnational family caring relationships
• Legal status and young adults´transitions into adulthood
Benefits:
• Closer relatinonships based on trust and care New ´family type relationships´
• Maturity and skills Friendships based on trust and care
• Reciprocal caring Protectice social spaces in communities
• Caring relationships and young people´s aspirations
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7. Relationships with professionals
• Funding and policy pressures trickle down into professional practice and relationships
• Families felt a ´lack of care´
• Highly valued professionals who made efforts and advocated on their behalf and had
„their interest at heart“
• Professionals in both sectors felt ´ethical tensions´ in their roles
• Trusting and supportive relationships formed with third sector professionals
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8. Implications for policy and practice
• Refugee and BME organisations need to better identify disabled people and family carers
in their communities and target them for support, including children and young adults in
caring roles
• It may be important for policy to strengthen the role of refugee organisations and BME
organisations, including more funding and training in using holistic approaches
• Current split between asylum policy and welfare policy greatly hinders family approaches
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9. Acknowledgements
• Thanks to all the women, men, children and young people, professionals and volunteers who
participated in the study and gave their time and efforts to make this study possible
• Special thanks to Slough Refugee Support who helped facilate access to participants and to
Reading Refugee Support Group, Thames Valley Positive Support, Africa Advocacy Foundation
in Catford, London and the Refugee Health Team with NHS Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham,
London.
• I am also extremely grateful for the research supervision and encouragement provided by Dr. Ruth
Evans and Dr Sally Lloyd Evans at the University of Reading.
• My thanks go to the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science at University
of Reading who funded this study
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10. References
• Harris, J., & Roberts, K. (2004). Not our problem: The provision of services to
disabled refugees and asylum-seekers. In D. Hayes & B. Humpries (Eds.),
Social work, immigration and asylum (pp. 151-161). London: Jessical Kingsley
Publishers.
• Ward, K., Amas, N., & Lagnado, J. (2008). Supporting disabled refugees and
asylum seekers:opportunities for new approaches. Retrieved 2 February,
2011, from https://www.metropolitan.org.uk/images/Disability-Report.pdf
• Bowlby, S., McKie, L., Gregory, S., & MacPherson, I. (2010). Interdependency
and care over the lifecourse. London and New York: Routledge.
• Evans, R. (2011). Young caregiving and HIV in the UK: caring relationships and
mobilities in African migrant families. Population, Space and Place, 17(4), 338-
360.
• Ottosdottir, G., & Evans, R. (2014). Ethics of Care in Supporting Disabled
Forced Migrants: Interactions with Professionals and Ethical Dilemmas in Health
and Social Care in the South-East of England. British Journal of Social Work,
44(1), 53-69.
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