Voluntary Sector's Roles and Relevance as Alternative Arenas for Promotion of Health and Social Inclusion of Migrant Parents and Families of Children With Special Health and Welfare Needs in Norway

Abstract

Migrant families of children with special health and welfare needs such as mental, developmental, and physical disabilities face significant barriers to health and welfare services. This could result in social inequalities and exclusion. The aim of this article was to explore the role and relevance of voluntary sector in promoting health and social inclusion of migrant families of children with special health and welfare needs in Norway. The study is based on a qualitative participatory research design using co-production and interdisciplinary research methodologies. A total of 15 voluntary sector employees participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews. We found three major themes to summarise the role of voluntary sector: 1) Providing arenas for social inclusion and belonging; 2) Facilitating access to public health and welfare services; and 3) Provision of complementary health and welfare services. Results indicate that voluntary services use more informal community centered caring approaches and are supplementary to public health and welfare services. An exploration of more opportunities for participation of migrant families of children with special health and welfare needs in the development of services and collaboration between voluntary services and public welfare providers may foster inclusion and could be of relevance to future welfare research and practice. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.