Beneath the Surface: how asylum seekers understand and evaluate their well-being.

[Report]

Origins and aims of research
A group of volunteers at The Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers (SCDAS) undertook research into the wellbeing of clients at the centre (see introduction). The group of volunteers included experienced researchers and newly trained volunteers who already worked at the centre providing advice and support. The idea for the research came from the SCDAS co-ordinator and staff, who were keen to understand more about the wellbeing of clients and how the centre might better enable clients to ‘move on’ in terms of their wellbeing.
The aims of the research were:
• To establish how SDCAS clients understand and evaluate their ‘wellbeing’ using a range of qualitative research methods
• To identify the personal resources and skills that clients already possess
• To train clients in qualitative research methods in order to help further develop their sense of wellbeing and to enable them to support other clients
• To identify how SDCAS might better provide opportunities and preparation for clients to feel more empowered in their sense of wellbeing and better able to move on
The definition of wellbeing used for the research was developed from work done by Dodge et al (2012:230). The see-saw representation of wellbeing (Dodge et al 2012: 230) allowed us to interpret wellbeing as a dynamic phenomenon