Suchergebnisse

The aim of this article is to characterise policies regarding the right of access to health care for undocumented migrants in the 27 member states of European Union and to identify the extent to which these entitlements are congruent with human rights standards. MethodsThe study is based on a questionnaire sent to experts, non-governmental organisations and authorities in the member states between April and December 2009, as well as on available reports and official websites. Primary sources were also consulted as regards legislation. ResultsRight of access to health care differs considerably between member states. States can be grouped into three clusters: in 5 countries undocumented migrants have the right to access care that is more extensive than emergency care; in 12 countries they can only access emergency care; and in 10 countries not even emergency care can be accessed. These variations are independent of the system of financing or the numbers of undocumented migrants present. Rather, they seem to relate to the intersection between practices of control of migration, the main types of undocumented migrants present, and the basic norms of the welfare state – the 'moral economy' of the work society. ConclusionInternational obligations articulated in human rights standards are not fully met in the majority of member states. A more complete understanding of the differing policies might be obtained by considering the relationship between the formal and informal economy, as well as the role of human rights standards within the current 'moral economy'.

Undocumented migrants' access to healthcare is subject to national regulations, which differ across the EU member states, and practice models which follow different logics. The research project, NowHereland - Health Care in NowHereland – Improving Services for Undocumented Migrants in the EU, approaches this complexity. The project work package, Policy Compilation, delivers a report for each member state focusing on policy, introduces comparative reflections in relation to undocumented migrants' right to healthcare and offers a preliminary clustering of the member states based on collected data. The term used in this project is thus, "undocumented migrants", which may be defined as third-country nationals without a required permit authorising them to regularly stay in the EU member states. The type of entry (e.g. legal or illegal border crossing) is thus not considered to be relevant. There are many routes to becoming undocumented; the category includes those who have been unsuccessful in the asylum procedures or who have violated the terms of their visas. The group does not include EU citizens from new member states, nor migrants who are within the asylum seeking process, unless they have exhausted the asylum process and are thus considered to be rejected asylum seekers.

This research seeks to explore the experiences of social work educators and students working and learning from home. The findings, from an international survey sample of 166 educators and students, showed that the respondents faced issues with private and personal boundaries, felt the impact of working and learning from home on both physical and emotional levels, and experienced challenges to what was expected of them. The respondents primarily used two types of coping mechanisms to manage these challenges. These findings contribute to a broader discussion of the impact of working and learning from home and are relevant for education administrators responsible for their employees' and students' well-being.

The project focused on the emergency management systems in the five Nordic countries. It investigated whether local social services have a formal role in the contingency planning of the systems. The project was part of The Nordic Welfare Watch research project during the Icelandic Presidency Program in the Nordic Council of Ministers 2014-2016. The council financed the project.The main findings show that Finland, Norway and Sweden specifically address the role of social services in times of disaster in their legal frameworks on emergency management. Finland and Norway also address the role in the law on social services. In Sweden, the role is more implicit as the social service act applies regardless of circumstances. All countries expect all authorities to make a contingency plan. This means that even if the law in Denmark and Iceland does not address the roles of social services, the services are legally obligated to make contingency plans. Furthermore, Finland, Norway and Sweden have prepared special guidelines on contingency planning for social services.In recent years the Nordic countries have all faced disasters due to natural, technical and man-made hazards. The frequency of such disasters is on the rise according to forecasts. In order to enhance resilience and preparedness of those most vulnerable in disasters, the involvement of local social services in the emergency management system is of vital importance. The literature shows how social services can enhance social and human investment, the citizen's economic participation and political empowerment. Furthermore, the literature shows that the co-operation between social services and the voluntary sector during the emergency and recovery phases is crucial, and the Red Cross is usually the largest voluntary organization providing social services during disasters in all the countries.The following recommendations build on the results of the project. Their purpose is to make the Nordic Welfare States more resilient and better prepared for future ...