To be or not to be: A meaning-making process for migrant Hong Kong social workers in England

Yeung, Echo Yuet Wah; Leung, Zeno CS; Kwok, Ngai Kuen Alvin

Abstract

This article examines the meaning-making experiences of migrant social workers from Hong Kong in England. Individual interviews were conducted with 22 migrant social workers. Family comes first, regaining confidence from self-doubt and persevering and keep fighting are the meanings they attributed to their resettlement experiences. García-Ramírez et al.’s acculturative integration framework offers insights into how migrant social workers can regain their sense of agency, activate and expand their support networks and mobilise collective resources to overcome systemic barriers. This approach enables them to adapt to their new lives and potentially restart their profession in a new country.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 1, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Mar 12, 2025
• Deposit Date: Mar 25, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 25, 2025
• Journal: International Social Work
• Print ISSN: 0020-8728
• Electronic ISSN: 1461-7234
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728251319490