Co-Design Workshops to Develop a Psychosocial Support Service Model for Refugees in Sweden Affected by Gender-Based...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Social Work
• Refugee Studies

Background:

• Gender-based violence (GBV) disproportionately affects refugees, exacerbated by intersecting oppressions.
• Barriers to support exist for refugees experiencing GBV, despite their underrepresentation in service development.
• Involving refugee victim-survivors in designing services is crucial for effective psychosocial support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To co-design a psychosocial support service model with refugee victim-survivors and stakeholders in Sweden.
• To improve the development, planning, and adaptation of services and policies for refugees experiencing GBV.
• To address the unique needs and barriers faced by refugees seeking psychosocial support.

Main Methods:

• Formative research utilizing iterative co-design workshops.
• Partnership between public contributors (refugee victim-survivors) and academic researchers.
• Scoping of existing literature to complement co-design activities.

Main Results:

• A two-level empowerment and support service model was developed, including community-based interventions and specialist clinic group support.
• Survivor co-researchers and stakeholders identified key psychosocial service system needs.
• Project outcomes included perceived benefits for participants, direct service changes, and secured funding for further research.

Conclusions:

• Effective psychosocial support for refugees experiencing GBV in Sweden necessitates safe peer connection spaces and accessible information on services, laws, and rights.
• Strengthened inter-sectoral collaboration is vital to address the multifaceted needs of this population.
• Co-design workshops proved effective in driving service delivery model changes for psychosocial support for refugees affected by GBV.