Addressing barriers to healthcare access for Roma: A community development approach

Land is the most valuable asset for people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) because a majority of them depend on it for income generation, food security and poverty alleviation. The culture of the people, which is interwoven with land tenure practices, forms a critical part of their everyday life. Their culture encapsulates their common experiences, values, heritage, gender structure, class systems and worldview (Chigbu 2015a). Together, land and culture are two of the most important threads that bind SSA societies together. That is why land and cultural issues are important aspects of community development in SSA. Community development—being a way of injecting change in societies—requires a critical understanding of the dynamics of land and culture in SSA. The purpose of this chapter is to present the importance of land and culture in community development in SSA. It discusses historical and contemporary issues concerning community development in SSA. Much has been written about loss of community and its implications in societies (Putnam 2000). However, little has been written about loss of culture and how it affects community development. This chapter also identifies culture loss as a key challenge to community development in SSA and suggests the Land and Culture-based Community Development (LCCD) approach as a means of improvement. LCCD is a community development approach that focuses on the enhancement of cultural heritage and development-oriented land tenure practices as a way of improving the living conditions of communities.

In discussions of development, community development is an important phenomenon. It entails raising people's standard of living through teamwork and in consideration of development objectives. Researchers and some prevailing conditions have noticed that the application of community development's basic ideals and principles has not been able to impact or accomplish development goals in developing nations. Utilizing secondary data, a range of relevant literature was examined in order to pinpoint the obstacles that community development ideals and principles face as they work to create a new Nigeria and to determine the causes of those obstacles. In order to accomplish this goal, this study traces the history of community development and examines the underlying values and principles of community development as well as, the growth of community development, and its impact on modern approaches to community development practice are traced in this study, which also analyzes and explores the underlying ideals and principles of community development. The political, security, corruption, ineffective monitoring and execution, and assessment of development initiatives are among the difficulties that have been cited. The article came to the conclusion that the variables impacting the influence of values and principles of community development will be overcome when traditional and cultural values of communities are recognized in the development planning and appropriate capacity building programs are localized.

The question of universal literacy was given fresh impetus by the United Nations' designation of 1990 as the International Literacy Year. In this paper, a community development approach to literacy is outlined. There are two generic models of literacy education: motivation/immersion and social structural. The first is individual centered and isolates the problem of literacy from its contexts. The second model regards literacy as a function of social structure–this model is in harmony with the principles of community development. The community development approach must begin with an analysis of the society concerned. The elements of such an analysis are presented, and an argument is offered for a community-centered literacy program that is respectful of the culture and idiom of the community.

This chapter highlights background and context of the charity known locally as Murray Hall and the history of a community development approach in end of life care and to developing Compassionate Communities. Murray Hall's values are rooted in the principles of community development, and it aims to make a positive impact over the challenges of inequalities, to promote and support people in improving their health and wellbeing from early years to end of life through a community development approach. Sandwell Primary Care Trust (PCT) Public Health organises a Compassionate Communities conference to promote the public health perspective to end of life care. Several training courses were delivered jointly between Murray Hall and St Giles Hospice Education to a cross-section of professionals supporting people at end of life from across health and social care organisations. The chapter pilots an extension to discussions with individuals to better understand their social networks and explore how we could encourage support to be fully utilised.

Conducting effective and culturally sensitive dog health education programs in Aboriginal communities requires an understanding of appropriate adult education and community development principles. Finding relevant material can be difficult, given that many of the available resources are in the 'grey literature'. To critically review publications addressing the principles governing dog health education in remote Aboriginal communities. A critical review was performed by searching English language peer-reviewed and grey literature databases for papers published between 2010 and 2018. Besides a small number of peer-reviewed papers, there was an extensive list of reports, educational material, guidelines and posters and pamphlets that illustrated the principles. Only a small amount of this grey literature was selected for the review. Selection was based on the publication illustrating a specific principle of dog health education. The material was organised around educational themes highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of these publications. Findings suggested that although relevant literature is scattered, there are clear processes for conducting culturally appropriate and effective dog health programs in Australian Indigenous communities. Two major principles were identified: acknowledging the effect on education of the ambiguity around the status of dogs in Aboriginal communities, and embedding programs within a social determinant of health framework or community development approach. These two principles provide guidance on negotiating educational sessions, the preparation of culturally appropriate materials, teaching sessions and what learning styles to foster and the use of a health promotion approach. Some contradictions exist within the literature, particularly around the use of images, and consistent with the first principle, a hesitancy to engage with Aboriginal people around the issue of dog health.

The recent persecution of Rohingyas, a Muslim ethnic minority group of Western Rakhine state, by state military has forced more than half a million people to take refuge in Bangladesh. It has sparked tension between Muslims and Buddhists in Bangladesh as different research and mass media reports illustrated the role of Buddhist nationalist groups in the massacre of Rohingyas. Thus, Bangladesh is vulnerable to communal violence not only based on religion but also based on ethnic, class, race, and national identity. This paper reviews existing community development theories to assess potential approaches’ capability of ensuring communal peace in Bangladesh. The assessment includes the analysis of major community development theories and approaches and their applicability to a given context. The analysis argues that due to the scarcity of assets and resources community development approaches in a humanitarian crisis need some external intervention and bureaucratic supervision. Otherwise, it would be difficult to deploy any community development approach to ensure communal peace leading to sustainable development.

The Role of Creative Placemaking

Principles of community development are vital for community practice and for social work practice in general. They are grounded in ethical standards and values, and we might notice that there is a consensus about their content. In general, we might say that there are following groups of principles of community development and community practice: holistic sustainable community development, development based on local resources and capacities, participation in community development, strengthening social capital and community relations, adhering to human rights and social justice and eliminating inequalities, inclusion, nurturing diversity and a culture of non-violence and community ownership and autonomy towards the surrounding environment. However, it is a challenge to pursue these principles in deprived communities. Deprived communities have specific dynamic both within its structures and also with its environment. These challenges are connected with the oppression of the community; they are related to oppressive relationships within the community and social disorganisation, reduced social cohesion and insufficient community participation and reduced sense of belonging to and experiencing the community. In this chapter, authors will elaborate more specifically these challenges and underpin the arguments with empirical data. Finally, authors suggest more specific principles of community development specifically referring to deprived communities. These principles demonstrate necessity to establish a balance between trust and change as crucial for leading development further.

Background: Community development is a multi-faceted process which generates individual and community empowerment and can contribute towards reducing health inequalities, particularly in marginalised communities. Community development approaches refer to interventions, frameworks and programmes which work with communities to help them to identify their collective needs and challenges, and mobilises them to utilise available assets to generate long term change within the community. Funding for community development is typically provided on a short term ‘one off’ basis which limits its potential benefits. Continued investment, so that community development becomes normalised, is needed. Embedding community development within local systems, such as primary health care, local authorities and housing associations, is one way to achieve continued investment and to maximise benefits. However, there is little research on how to embed community development approaches within such systems. The research presented is part of a PhD project which aims to address this research gap. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with Key Informants, who have experience embedding community development approaches within systems, are currently being conducted and shall be completed in December 2022. Participants are being recruited through purposive sampling. The interview topic guides were reviewed by a Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) panel in June 2021 and were developed around the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Data analysis is being undertaken also using the five domains of the CFIR (intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting, individual characteristics and intervention processes) in NVivo. Results: Preliminary results have shown that all five domains of the CFIR impact the embedding process. Funding is frequently described as a barrier to implementation, but some participants believe that funding is incorrectly identified as a barrier, with only limited funds needed to embed this way of working. It is frequently mentioned that a strong belief in the purpose of the project and key individuals driving systemic change within the organisation are key to long term implementation. Other current emerging themes include the significance of the political setting at both a local and national level, as well as a multidisciplinary and inter-sectoral approach being adopted being a facilitator to change. Future Implications: The results of this research will be collated with other parts of the PhD research project on embedding community development approaches in systems to improve health and reduce inequalities, to generate guidelines on how systems can embed community development approaches into their way of working. A panel of community members will contribute towards the generation of these guidelines, which will be made available to any local system considering adopting a community development approach.

This article discusses bionic vision through the author's experiences as Australia's first research participant in an early prototype bionic eye trial. During her two-year participation, she drew on various theoretical perspectives, including critical and community development approaches that not only influence her professional social work perspective, but extend to her personal worldview. In a rapidly emerging biotechnological age, this article contributes a holistic perspective, bringing into focus theory and practice; issues of human experience, human rights, and oppressive relationships; tensions between agency and structure (particularly relating to disability from a social model of disability and the medical model); and practical applications of artificial vision. Beyond its practical applications, illuminated is the relevance of community development values and principles such as a sense of connectedness, participation, and empowerment, which are understood in terms of an antioppressive perspective. The article concludes by recognizing the potential benefit of bionic vision for vision-impaired and blind people in their everyday lives.

This research aims to understand the potential and impact of integrating the science of Islamic propagation (Ilmu Dakwah) within the context of Islamic Community Development (Pengembangan Masyarakat Islam - PMI) in a Community Development approach. It explores the fundamental concepts of Ilmu Dakwah PMI and Community Development and investigates how their integration can bring about positive change within Muslim communities. The study identifies several benefits, including increased community participation, sustainable development, and enhanced religious understanding, but also highlights challenges such as resistance to change, conflicting interpretations of religion, and logistical aspects in implementation. Additionally, it underscores the significance of a deep understanding of social and cultural contexts, as well as the role of information technology, especially social media, in the success of this integration. This research demonstrates how the integration of Ilmu Dakwah PMI with Community Development combines Islamic values, propagation methods, and community development principles to enhance the quality of life for Muslim communities. The advantages of this integration include increased community participation, sustainable development, and a better understanding of religion. However, challenges such as resistance to change, conflicting interpretations of religion, and logistical aspects must be addressed. A deep understanding of local culture and the effective use of information technology, particularly social media, also play pivotal roles in the success of this integration.

Roma are recognised as one of the European Union’s (EU’s) largest minority ethnic groups, with estimates that there are more than 10 million Roma residing across the EU (Council of Europe, CoE, 2011; European Commission, EC, 2012). Despite a commitment at a European level to address the continuing disadvantage of Roma, and the development of a number of policy initiatives, entrenched disadvantage, discrimination, prejudice and exclusion remain defining features in the lives of many Roma (Amnesty International, 2011; CoE, 2011b; EC, 2011). Indeed, it is widely acknowledged that Roma are one of the most socially excluded communities across contemporary Europe (Amnesty International, 2011; Bartlett, Benini, and Gordon, 2011; CoE, 2011b; EC, 2011; ERIO, 2010). The chapter begins by defining and clarifying our use of the term Roma and the concept of social exclusion. We then outline some of the key characteristics of the exclusion of Roma, with reference to the specific policy areas of housing, health, education and employment. We provide a discussion of the European and UK policy context, before exploring what is currently known about Roma communities who have migrated to the UK. The discussion includes a case study of a mediation project aimed at increasing interactions between Roma and non Roma communities. Finally, the chapter concludes by highlighting the issues that need considering in order to continue to address the exclusion of Roma.

Objective: The aim of this evaluation was to determine the cultural and educational appropriateness of a pilot asthma education programme developed for the Traveller and Roma community in Ireland. Design: A participatory multi-stakeholder and qualitative approach. Setting: Prevalence and inadequate control of asthma have been found to be high among members of the Traveller and Roma community. Barriers to health care among these groups have been reported. A train-the-trainer approach was undertaken to build capacity among Traveller Community Health Workers around specialist asthma knowledge. Method: A total of 29 Traveller community health care workers completed and graduated successfully with a certificate of attendance. Interviews were undertaken with key stakeholders ( n = 8) and focus groups ( n = 24) with participants. Results: The train-the-trainer approach was shown to be an effective, transferable and cost effective strategy to building capacity to outreach specialist asthma education to a wider population. There was a very positive response to the programme among the stakeholders, facilitators and the participants generally. Participants felt confident in their ability to teach other health care workers about what they had learned during the programme. Conclusion: The cascade provided by the pilot work offers an economical approach to building capacity and outreach specialist asthma knowledge to Community Health Workers and to families affected by asthma in the Traveller community. The use of energisers and the approach to local evaluation should be adapted to respond to the requirements of the group. It is recommended that regular evaluation and reporting of outcome indicators be undertaken.

Through focus group interviews, this study explores perceptions of practitioners participating in the community care for people with mental illnesses and analyzes the operation process and performance of the community care. The main contents are ① evaluation of the overall circumstances that have changed while promoting the community care project, ② public participation and its role in the service delivery process, ③ collaboration with various service delivery entities, ④ expansion of regional social network for providing multi-field services, and ⑤ changes in awareness of people with mental disabilities and mental health through the community care. In terms of changes in users, the major keywords include expansion of community services and user-centered service provision method. In regards to changes in the service delivery system, the major keywords are ① securing access to regional services, ② changes in service provision methods based on linkage and cooperation, and ③ general changes in community service provision and community perceptions of care. The results of the analysis serve as evidence in evaluating the changes in the service users and the service delivery system, and identifying the performance and limitations of the community care project for people with mental illnesses. This study provides basic knowledge necessary to develop a community-centered mental health service system and service delivery method in the future. This study will contribute to the establishment and expansion of a community-centered mental health service model that supports the mentally disabled to return to the community and normalized life.

The declining incidence of schizophrenia in a rural irish population of unusual homogeneity: Secular trend towards early onset and male preponderance