Publication details
Addressing the Educational Needs of Non-European Refugee Children in Czechia : Social Work Interventions
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | Fórum sociální politiky |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | article - open access |
| Keywords | Social worker; Refugee children; Educational needs; Systemic response; Interventions |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This study examines the extent to which social workers in Czechia understand and address the educational needs of non-European refugee children in a national context that is characterised by strong anti-refugee sentiment and limited policy support. Drawing on the holistic integration model and social origin of civil society theory, the findings reveal that social workers understand these educational needs as both complex and multidimensional. While language acquisition is seen as essential, participants emphasise that this factor alone is insufficient in a background of under-resourced schools with unprepared teachers and weak institutional coordination. In response, social workers adopt a compensatory approach involving the implementation of individual, familial and institutional interventions so as to mitigate the systemic shortcomings. The state does not directly fund the intervention of social workers. This empirical study is the first to highlight the crucial but often overlooked role of social workers in the education of non-European refugee children as intermediaries who bridge the various systemic gaps in the education of refugees. The study provides the first empirical analysis of social work interventions directed at non-European refugee children in Czechia and by underscoring the need for the strengthening of cooperation between schools, policymakers and practitioners so as to facilitate integration. |
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