Communication with Migrant Workers: The Perspectives of People Using Care Services in England

Abstract

There have been few studies of people’s experiences of receiving care from migrant workers. This is despite the growing move to employ migrants to provide care and support for older and disabled people in the developed world. This article reports empirical findings from a study of migrants working in social care in England conducted between 2007 and 2009. It focuses on the reported interactions between service users and carers with migrant workers. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 adults receiving social care services and family carers in home and residential settings who had a variety of needs for care and with support. Analysis highlighted the range of their experiences. An emerging theme arising from the interviews was that of communication and the difficulties experienced by people using care services, or family carers speaking on their behalf, of understanding and being understood by care workers whose spoken English was not easy for them to comprehend. Social workers will need to be alert to alert to the risks facing service users, carers and migrant care workers in such contexts. We conclude that the marginal position of both social care users and migrant workers is reflected in these micro encounters.