MIG-H Training

Training for health professionals, law enforcement officers and trainers on migrants' and refugees' health - communicable diseases and mental health aspects

Supporting Member States in addressing the health challenges linked to migration is an important objective of EU Health policy. In this context, the EU has committed to improve integration of migrants and health as an important determinant for and of integration.

In previous years, the EU Health Programme has developed training modules for health professionals and front line professionals working occasionally with migrants and refugees. The EU-funded service “Development of specific training modules for health professionals, law enforcement officers and trainers, on migrants' and refugees' health, addressing communicable diseases and mental health problems” (MIG-H Training), which is currently implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER), complements these training modules with specific training packages on the areas indicated by evaluators as needing further development.

MIG-H Training has developed and piloted training modules for health professionals and law enforcement officers in touch with migrants and refugees, specifically targeted at closing knowledge gaps in the fields of communicable diseases and mental health issues. Pilot trainings were implemented in Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia and Spain over the summer 2018.

Training materials are available on EU Health Policy Platform’s Agora Network.*

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/hpf/network/agora

* User registration with an institution e-mail required

For detailed instructions on registering with the Agora Network and on finding the MIG-H Training materials, follow the link.

https://www.aspher.org/mig-h-agora-instructions.html

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TRAIN4M&H

PROVISION OF TRAINING FOR FIRST-LINE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WORKING AT LOCAL LEVEL WITH MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

Funded by the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission (DG SANTE) and the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (Chafea), “Provision of training for first-line health professionals and law enforcement officers working at local level with migrants and refugees” is implemented within a tendered initiative coordinated by GIZ in collaboration with IOM as the overall Technical Team Lead and implementer of the majority of the activities, the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), École des hautes études en santé publique (EHESP), The Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto (ISPUP), the Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive – Università Sapienza Roma and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER).

The objective of the tender is to support European Union (EU) Member States (MS) in reducing knowledge gaps of different categories of health professionals, law enforcement officers, social workers and coach trainers for health and other professionals in respect to health-related border policies and health challenges faced by migrant populations.

The projects will develop or reinforce the skills of professionals working with migrants and refugees, promote understanding, positive attitudes, and promote a holistic approach in the work with migrants and refugees at first point of arrival, transit and destination of 33 European countries (all EU/EEA countries plus the participating in the Public Health Programme countries - Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova).

Four training programmes will be compiled out of existing training materials developed and implemented within the recent years in order to enhance the capacity of health professionals, social workers, law enforcement officers in “first line” countries Group 1 (Southern European countries used as entry point by migrants and refuges, countries on the Balkan route and two each Central,Western countries with substantial migrant population) and coach trainers for health professionals in the remaining countries Group 2, that could replicate and disseminate the training when and where needed.

The principal objective of the training is to improve the knowledge of “first line responders”, specifically health professionals, social workers and law enforcement officers, on the public health implications of migration and strengthen the responsiveness of health services to migrants’ needs.

The training of trainers (ToT) will be organized by IOM, in collaboration with the consortium partners and national authorities responsible for the education and training of health professionals, social workers and law enforcement officers, in the selected countries participating in the EU Health Programme. ToT sessions will take place between September and October 2018 for each of the four target groups and two sets of countries: a) Countries Group 1 for health professionals, social workers and law enforcement officers for first line countries; and b) Countries Group 2 for a Regional ToT for coach trainers for health professionals for the non-first line countries.

Roll out Training sessions for health professionals, law enforcement officers, and social workers in Member States that are most exposed to the current influx of migrants and refugees (Country Group 1) will be carried out between November 2018 and March 2019, following the implementation of the ToT, the subsequent translation, review and adaptation of the modules, and the selection of trainees in countries of first point of arrival for migrants and refugees, and those most exposed to the current influx of migrants and refugees (Country Group 1).

Further Training of Coach Trainers in non-first-line countries (Country Group 2). Subsequent to the Regional ToT, additional sub Regional ToTs will be implemented to consolidate the training and the network/pool of trainers in collaboration with European entities and relevant associations.