Young migrants, chronic illness and disability: The case of African children and young people with sickle cell disease who migrate to England

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We understand little about the experiences of migrant children and young people who have long-standing illnesses. This is explained by assumptions suggesting that migrants are young, healthy and able-bodied and rarely use health services. This project will examine the experiences of children and young people with chronic illnesses who migrate, using African migrant children and young people with sickle cell disease in England as an example. African migrant children and young people with sickle cell disease require prompt and life-long care from a range of different services. They contribute significantly to the number of people living with sickle cell disease in the UK. Little, however, is known about their experiences. The project will explore:o how African migrants children and young people with sickle cell disease experience and navigate the UK's health and social care, educational and social systems;o how they make sense of and give meaning to their illness when in a new homeland, including how they negotiate and present their identity within their social contexts; ando the current role of the NHS, educational and third sectors in supporting African migrant children and young people with sickle cell disease.The research will explore how they experience their illness from childhood to young adulthood in a new homeland. It will also explore how health, social and educational services interact and mediate the young migrants' illness experiences. The project will present a critical account of migrant health and explore how factors such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, immigration status, pre-migration experiences and expectations, along with the host country's culture and systems, intersect and mediates the African migrant children and young people experiences of sickle cell disease. This includes exploring how they manage their illness in a new homeland. This will be achieved by speaking with African migrant children and young people with sickle cell disease and the professionals and charities who support them through individual interviews and art-based focus group discussions.The research will identify ways to improve the experiences of African migrant children and young people with sickle cell disease. This will be achieved by bringing together African migrant children and young people with sickle cell disease and sickle cell disease-focused charities to review the findings and suggest how they might inform policy and practice. Outcomes from the discussions will be used to develop resources for disseminating the research findings to the sickle cell disease communities, care and support providers, policymakers, researchers and the wider society through presentations, publications, an animation, a video, an artwork exhibition, a staged drama, and social media campaigns.