I-CARE

Intercultural Care in the Social and Healthcare Sector

Communication between employees working in the social and healthcare sector and their clients with migration background is greatly influenced by the ability to deal with cultural diversity. In general, the work of the socio-health professionals with people of different national, ethnic, social and economic origins has created difficulties and perplexities in the relationship and in professional intervention.

Considering the increasing presence of immigrant users within social and healthcare services, a person-centred approach and diversity management are new elements to be included in the professional training path. Intercultural competences are considered to be an absolutely essential dimension of a new model of profession in the social and healthcare sector.

However, vocational education and training for people in the social and healthcare sector rarely include acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies to deal proficiently with clients with migration background and I-CARE addresses this challenge aiming at:

  • promoting communication and social skills in their interaction with clients with migration background
  • promoting social and emotional learning
  •  acquiring social and personal skills that are essential to their practice
  • achieving social understanding and active, confident social participation
  • achieving social cohesion and community involvement
  • developing a sense of social responsibility
  • supporting social diversity and reducing prejudices and xenophobia

I-CARE will be put into practice in national pilots with at least 120 trainers involved in continuous education, training, HR departments etc. and at least 120 members of the target group (employees in the social and healthcare sector. At least 150 more VET providers and trainers, HR managers, in-house trainers and multipliers will be informed about the project outputs and instructed how to use them in multiplier events. The main outputs will be continued to be offered online after the end of the project and designed in a way which makes it easy for VET trainers, HR managers and team leaders to embed I-CARE training materials in different VET education contexts.

  • Coordinated by Apricot, UK
  • Seven partners out of six countries (UK, DE, AT, GR, IT, DK)
  • Co-funded by the European Commission through Erasmus+ KA2
  • Duration: 12/2019 – 11/2021
  • Project website: http://www.i-care-project.net/