Engaging interdisciplinary service providers to enhance collaboration to support refugee families whose children have special health care needs

ABSTRACT

This article reports on the early stages of a community-based participatory action research project aimed at understanding how medical, educational and social service providers in our community partner with refugee families whose children have special health care needs, what challenges they face, and how we might collaboratively address identified needs through forming a community of practice and collaboratively conducting action research. In this manuscript, we detail the methods used to gather interdisciplinary professionals from our community in focus groups centered on how participants collaborated and supported refugee families of children with special health care needs and how we could join together to engage in action research to benefit their work. Findings reveal strengths, barriers, and needs related to interdisciplinary collaboration and ideas for community-engaged action research projects on which the community of practice could focus moving forward. An implication of this study is the importance of participatory processes for initiating action research projects within the community. We also offer guidance around potential areas for improved practice across school, medical and community settings when serving refugee families whose children have special health care needs.

KEYWORD:

• Action research
• health care
• special education
• refugees
• family partnership
• communities of practice

Acknowledgments

We’d like to acknowledge the support we received from the Office of the Vice President for Research’s Faculty Activity Network program at the University of Vermont. We would also like to acknowledge the many community partners who participated in the focus groups and formed a community of practice who will continue to shape the next phases of this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.