The lived experiences of social workers working with refugees in Lebanon

Abstract

Refugee care in Lebanon

Understanding the lived experiences of social workers.

Summary

This mixed methods study examines the status of social work in its response to the refugee crisis within Lebanon, a country with the highest per capita refugee population in the world.

Findings

A structured interview guide and brief ordinal instrument were administered through interviews (n = 10) and 10 focus groups (n = 37) (N = 47). Participants were recruited with the help of Lebanese social work colleagues. We explored professional roles, greatest refugee needs, social worker coping, and recommendations for refugee social work trainers and educators. Qualitative results are presented as themes with examples of direct quotations. Culturally specific services accurately targeting needs are among the major themes identified. Quantitative results, primarily using descriptive statistics and one Pearson’s r correlation statistic, report on participants’ overall stress levels, sense of effectiveness in refugee practice, and connection of faith/religion to motivation for refugee work.

Applications

This work is applied as best practice recommendations for social work education and for front-line training of those in social work roles working with refugees in Lebanon. This work also raises awareness about one of the most critical humanitarian crises in history.