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Asylum seekers access to social care services

Exploring the structural barriers often faced by marginalised groups, including asylum seekers, in accessing adult social care services

Key Messages:

  • Dignity in service delivery: The framework focuses on embedding dignity into service delivery for individuals facing crises, such as those impacted by homelessness, health crises, or other emergencies.
  • Person-centred care: It emphasises person-centred care, recognising individual and community needs, particularly the importance of psychosocial support and cash assistance to maintain dignity during crises.
  • Collaborative practices: The framework advocates for integrating efforts from various sectors and actively engaging communities in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of support services.
  • Training for frontline staff: Training and tools for frontline staff are highlighted as essential for understanding and applying dignity principles effectively.
  • Role of government and organisations: The report stresses the role of government and organisations in creating a culture of respect and understanding to reduce stigma and ensure inclusive, accessible service delivery.

Commentary:

The “Delivering with Dignity” framework plays a key role in advancing social care equity by promoting inclusive, person-centred care approaches. It addresses the structural barriers and stigma often faced by marginalised groups, including asylum seekers. The framework’s focus on dignity is critical in reducing disparities caused by systemic inequities, especially in contexts where discrimination or cultural misunderstandings limit access to appropriate care.

By emphasising the importance of training for frontline staff, collaborative practices across sectors, and community engagement, the framework offers actionable strategies to reshape care environments. These recommendations aim to ensure equitable access to dignified support, aligning with broader social care equity goals. The integration of dignity principles into service delivery fosters an environment where all individuals, regardless of their background, can receive respectful and effective care.

Gaps/limitations:

There is a lack of intersectional research on the experiences of subgroups, such as disabled or LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning) asylum seekers. These groups’ specific barriers and enablers remain under-researched, often due to challenges in engaging such populations in research, leaving gaps in the evidence base.

Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) unpaid carers

Exploring the challenges Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) Unpaid Carers face in accessing adult social care services

Key statistics:  

  • 626,985 UK unpaid carers are from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds 
  • 21% of BAME carers provide over 50 hours of unpaid care per week 
  • 32% of BAME carers reported that the services in their local area did not meet their needs. 

Key messages: 

  • Barriers to support: Many Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) carers face challenges such as cultural stigma, language barriers, and financial anxieties, which often prevent them from identifying as carers or accessing support services. 
  • Service gaps: Mainstream care services frequently lack cultural competence, leading to feelings of exclusion and misunderstanding among BAME carers. 
  • Good practices: Recommendations include cultural competence training for carers’ organisations, establishing community partnerships, and co-designing resources with input from ethnic minority groups. 
  • Case studies: Local council initiatives have shown improvements in engaging with BAME carers through culturally tailored programmes. 

Commentary 

This briefing highlights the inequities faced by Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) carers within social care, driven by cultural, linguistic, and systemic barriers. These challenges highlight a failure to provide equitable access to support, as BAME carers are disproportionately excluded from services that should meet their needs. 
 
The recommended practices, such as cultural competence training, community partnerships, and co-designed resources, are positive steps towards fostering inclusivity. However, the absence of robust quantitative evidence limits the ability to gauge how effectively these measures close the equity gap. Care equity requires not just good intentions but demonstrable improvements in outcomes for carers and care recipients alike. 
 
The case studies are encouraging but insufficient to ensure systematic change. Research is essential to evaluate the scalability and impact of culturally tailored approaches. Without this, the risk remains that good practices stay isolated rather than transforming the broader social care landscape into one that genuinely supports all carers equitably. 

Further reading 

Asylum and refugee support in the UK

The role of civil society in addressing gaps in welfare provision for asylum seekers and refugees

Key Messages:

  • Asylum seekers in the UK are excluded from the labour market and rely on welfare support, which is significantly below standard poverty thresholds. 
  • Civil society organisations, including charities and community groups, play a key role in providing essential support, filling gaps left by inadequate government provision. 
  • The current policy framework creates extreme poverty among asylum seekers, leading to breaches of fundamental human rights. 
  • The third sector response varies geographically, leading to disparities in support depending on location and available resources. 
  • Without structural policy changes, civil society will continue to carry a disproportionate burden in mitigating the effects of restrictive asylum policies.

Commentary:

This research highlights the structural inequities in the UK’s asylum and refugee support system, showing how restrictive policies create poverty and social exclusion. The inability of asylum seekers to work legally forces them into dependency on minimal welfare payments, which are set well below the standard poverty line. A key contribution of this study is its mapping of civil society responses to these gaps, illustrating how charities and local organisations provide critical support that the state does not. However, this reliance on third sector provision creates further inequities, as support availability depends on local capacity rather than consistent government policy.

The findings raise serious concerns about the human rights implications of current asylum policies. By creating conditions of extreme poverty, the system effectively limits access to adequate social care and basic services, leading to long-term social and health inequalities. While the research effectively critiques the gaps in state provision, further work is needed to explore the long-term sustainability of civil society-led support. Without systemic policy change, these organisations will continue to bear an increasing burden, further entrenching social care inequities for asylum seekers and refugees. 

Barriers to dementia care services in Europe

Challenges in accessing and utilising dementia care across European countries

Key Messages 

  • Individuals with dementia and their carers face significant barriers in accessing care services, including: 
  1. Lack of awareness about available services. 
  2. Complexity and fragmentation of care systems. 
  3. Stigma associated with dementia. 
  4. Financial constraints limiting access to private care options. 
  • Cultural factors and language barriers further hinder access, especially among minority ethnic groups. 
  • There is a need for integrated care approaches to improve service accessibility and coordination. 
  • Cross-country variations in service provision lead to inequalities in dementia care across Europe. 

Commentary 

These studies highlight the multifaceted challenges faced by individuals with dementia and their carers in accessing appropriate care services across Europe. The identified barriers, such as lack of awareness, system complexity, and cultural factors, highlight the need for tailored interventions to promote equitable access to dementia care.

The research suggests that integrated care models and culturally sensitive approaches are essential to address these disparities. However, the effectiveness of such interventions requires further evaluation to ensure they meet the diverse needs of dementia patients and their carers across different European contexts.

Addressing these barriers is crucial for promoting social care equity, as current inequities contribute to poorer health outcomes among individuals with dementia. Policymakers and health and social care providers must prioritise inclusive practices to ensure that all individuals can access the care they need without facing systemic obstacles.