Occupational Therapy and Asylum Seekers: A Prime Opportunity for Engagement via Role Emerging Practice

Background: This topical project formed part of a non-traditional occupational therapy placement in University of Limerick AccessCampus, where educational opportunities for those living with disadvantage and marginalisation... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
This topical project formed part of a non-traditional occupational therapy placement in University of Limerick AccessCampus, where educational opportunities for those living with disadvantage and marginalisation are promoted. Over 4,000 asylum seekers currently live under the Irish Direct Provision system (Department of Justice and Equality 2015), where they face a high risk of occupational injustice and deprivation due to prolonged restriction of opportunities for meaningful occupational engagement (Whiteford 2004; Davies 2009).

Method:
Interagency focus groups, a literature review, and a site-visit to a local Direct Provision centre provided the basis for exploration of a needs analysis for residents living in the centres. Potential opportunities for increased occupational engagement between the agencies involved (including education training boards and community development partnerships) were scoped via inter-agency communication platforms and think-tanks.
Results: A report titled ‘AccessCampus and Direct Provision – Opportunities and Recommendations for Engagement’ outlining key suggestions, such as the development of a community garden, educational outreach, use of creative occupations to promote identity re-establishment through occupational storytelling, and use of holistic theoretical models in addressing challenging contextual issues, was presented at an inter-agency discussion forum. A key theme to emerge was the impact of political constraints on service provision.

Conclusion: Collective and collaborative partnerships between service providers offers a unique opportunity to reduce instances of injustice for people living in Direct Provision.

Application to Practice: Occupational therapists have a responsibility to support increased occupational participation, highlight issues of occupational injustice, and to promote occupational engagement for all (WFOT 2006).