Considering the COVID-19 global public health crisis, this paper examines the socio-cultural, economic and psychosocial impact of the pandemic on urban refugees in Uganda. We analyse the living conditions of urban refugees that make it problematic for them to adhere to public health measures. Since COVID-19 is perceived as “imported”, refugees are assumed as its potential transmitters, consequently experiencing heightened stigma and isolation. Lack of culturally and linguistically accessible information and services excludes them from on-going efforts to prevent the pandemic. The lockdown has affected refugee livelihoods and increased income insecurity, sexual and gender-based violence and anxiety. Given the paucity of government-led services to contain the epidemic, we argue that contingency planning must involve refugees and their communities to access accurate and relevant information in appropriate languages. It is also important to build the capacity of frontline workers to understand the specific needs of refugees to deliver appropriate protection in the context of the pandemic.

Many HIV-positive asylum seekers have experienced multiple traumas and human rights violationscircumstances that engender posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This qualitative study examines the impact of PTSD symptoms among HIV-positive asylum seekers in Scotland. Data were collected from 19 participants, using open-ended interviews, and narrative analysis was used to develop significant themes. All respondents had significant traumatic experiences, such as physical and sexual assault, witnessing the beating and death of a loved one, and being forced to participate in the sex trade. Many experienced multiple symptoms of PTSD, including re-experiencing of intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, avoidance, and arousal. These symptoms met the duration and impairment requirements for DSM-5 diagnosis of PTSD. Their symptoms impacted their ability to tell their stories convincingly when interviewed by immigration officials. Legal processes for asylum seeking require individuals to tell their stories but ignore the impact of trauma on their ability to do so, thus increasing the likelihood of their applications being rejected. The findings indicate the need for asylum seekers to have routine assessment and treatment for PTSD and the provision of appropriate therapeutic and advocacy services.

Surrogacy in the context of cross-border care has hitherto received little attention from the international social work community. In India, the provision of surrogacy services for foreign couples may be seen as part of the country’s wider health tourism industry. This article overviews current evidence on surrogacy in India, and discusses the extent to which proposed legislation, the Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill and Rules 2009, satisfactorily addresses social workers’ concerns to ensure adequate protection of the interests of young Indian women engaged in surrogacy, as outlined in the International Federation of Social Workers’ policy on cross-border reproductive care.

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An important part of care home life is the support given to older residents by their families/friends through regular visiting. Social visits to residents by their families ceased in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and residents were confined to their rooms. This paper reports on how care home staff improvised to address this situation during the first wave of the pandemic. It focuses on steps taken to maintain communication between residents and families to support emotional well-being. We undertook in-depth café-style interviews with twenty-one staff to explore creative practices that they introduced. It was part of a wider Scottish study examining the effect of lockdown on families whose relative was living/dying in a care home (May-October, 2020). Findings reveal the enormous effort by care staff to maintain family connections and the rapid acclimatisation involved working with a number of different on-line platforms, the pulling together of staff from across the care home, and, the attention to emotional well-being of residents living and dying in the care home. Findings highlight the professionalism and commitment of the leadership and staff involved. Whilst some of the staff accounts need no further comment, we draw on some themes from the care home research literature to make sense of the findings in terms of what we might learn going forward. This in-depth qualitative study emphasises the importance of recognising, fostering and nurturing relational compassionate care within long-term care. There is however little evidence whether health and social care policies recognise the importance of this on-going relationship.

The protection of human rights and promotion of social justice is a shared spirit manifested within all social work. Islands of local concern are directly affected by global stresses and inequalities and the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development has created a space for repositioning social work globally in addressing these challenges. This article opens up definitions and examples of international social work, arguing the need for integrating an international outlook within social work education and policy in order that the emerging workforce, wherever they may be, are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values for international action.

Global forced migration rates are the highest since World War II. This article presents an overview of migration and presents an original argument as to the imperatives for social work. First, global trends are presented and forced migration is conceptualised as an international phenomenon. Second, global responses are explored with a focus on legal and protection frameworks. Finally, existing policy, practice and research gaps related to human mobility and forced displacement are examined, and recommendations for social work policy, research and practice are presented. The contextual influence of the Covid-19 pandemic is considered in this article.

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