Towards more equitable education: meeting health and wellbeing needs of newly arrived migrant and refugee children—perspectives from educators in Denmark and Sweden

Abstract

Purpose -In 2015, Scandinavia experienced the arrival of many refugee children. Research has documented a higher prevalence of mental health problems among refugee compared to non-migrant children. Education and schools play an important role in the health and wellbeing of children, especially those who are vulnerable, and equity in education may help combat social and health inequalities. This study investigated educators' views on the health and wellbeing needs of migrant children in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Malmö, Sweden, and how schools may address these issues. Methods -We carried out 14 semi-structured interviews with education professionals in both cities and conducted a thematic analysis inspired by the Street Level Bureaucracies theory. Results -Most interviewees recognized NAMR pupils had specific migration-related needs but some expressed being unable to cope with more complex issues due to a lack of vital health and wellbeing services within schools. Recent policies in Denmark further devolved migrant education to municipalities; while in Sweden new policies centralized and standardized procedures. Conclusion -To summarize, educational leaders and staff we interviewed in both countries felt that the lack of resources, professional training, standardized procedures and accountability measurement, together with inflexible systems, inhibited them from providing equitable education, thus possibly reinforcing migration-related health inequalities.

Schools’ and teachers’ roles and challenges in supporting the mental wellbeing of refugee youths: a qualitative study with Swedish teachers

“…A further belief of teachers was that the strong relationships they feel responsible for developing with students should remain non-therapeutic. This is consistent with other reports from Swedish teachers that educators do not provide healthcare for mental health problems but that mental healthcare needs exist for refugee children in the classroom (Mock-Muñoz de Luna et al, 2020 ). However, in our own data we observed a contradiction: while teachers said they believe they should not be providing therapy-like support, they often described situations where they appeared to be doing just that.…”

“…Notably, teachers in our study all felt developing relationships was a necessary role. This is in contrast to Mock-Muñoz de Luna et al’s ( 2020 ) interviews with Swedish teachers that found a subset avoided learning about their refugee students’ background because it was emotionally difficult and instead chose to construe this information as outside their professional responsibilities.…”

Supporting languages: The socio‐educational integration of migrant and refugee children and young people

“…This is well supported in the literature citing age at onset of second language learning as a strong predictor of ultimate attainment in second language learning (Stevens, 2012). Despite policy‐makers identifying important curricular and teacher support developments, and evidence of a strengths‐based view of bilingualism from educators, there is clear evidence that teachers and school principals on the ground are often faced with poor resourcing and inflexible centralized structures as obstacles to integration, something also evident in other partner countries (Mock‐Muñoz de Luna et al, 2020). Furthermore, the homogeneity of teaching staff in Ireland might impact the roll out of some of these curricular innovations.…”

Experiences and Perceived Barriers of Asylum Seekers and People with Refugee Backgrounds in Accessing Healthcare Services in Romania

“…Complementary to the healthcare system, education is a key to socio-economic success and overcoming disadvantages [ 64 ]. It offers opportunities to rebuild social networks and fosters a sense of coherence, agency, and hope, having been placed next to housing and employment in third place for facilitating integration [ 65 ]. On the other side of the spectrum, researchers showed that lower levels of education result in increased separation and marginalisation [ 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 ].…”