The Barriers and Enablers to Implementing Child and Family Health Hubs for Migrant Families
By: Michael Hodgins, Katarina Ostojic, Karen Edwards, Kenny Lawson, Nan Hu, Kim Lyle, Michelle Jubelin, Amit Arora, Kathleen Baird, Ann Dadich, Valsamma Eapen, Amanda Henry, Nick Hopwood, Jane Kohlhoff, Grainne O’Loughlin, Raghu Lingam, Helen Rogers, Shanti Raman, Tania Rimes, Sue Woolfenden and On Behalf of the FDCC Collaborative Group
References
- World Health Organization.
Common health needs of refugees and migrants: literature review . Geneva: IGO LCB-N-S; 2021. - Rogers HJ, Ao CSH, Henry A. Perspectives of women and partners from migrant and refugee backgrounds accessing the Cross Cultural Worker Service in maternity and early childhood services—a survey study. BMC Health Services Research. 2023;23(1):
1233 . DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-10194-3 - Rogers HJ, Hogan L, Coates D, Homer CSE, Henry A. Cross Cultural Workers for women and families from migrant and refugee backgrounds: a mixed-methods study of service providers perceptions. BMC Women’s Health. 2021;21(1):
222 . DOI: 10.1186/s12905-021-01368-4 - Iqbal M, Walpola R, Harris-Roxas B, Li J, Mears S, Hall J, et al. Improving primary health care quality for refugees and asylum seekers: A systematic review of interventional approaches. Health Expect. 2022;25(5):2065–2094. DOI: 10.1111/hex.13365
- Pangas J, Ogunsiji O, Elmir R, Raman S, Liamputtong P, Burns E, et al. Refugee women’s experiences negotiating motherhood and maternity care in a new country: A meta-ethnographic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2019;90:31–45. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.10.005
- Fellmeth G, Fazel M, Plugge E. Migration and perinatal mental health in women from low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BJOG. 2017;124(5):742–752. DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.14184
- Council of Australian Governments Health Council. The Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy: 2019 and Beyond; 2019.
- Goldfeld S, D’Abaco E, Bryson H, Mensah F, Price AM. Surveying social adversity in pregnancy: The antenatal risk burden experienced by Australian women. Journal of paediatrics and child health. 2018;54(7):754–760. DOI: 10.1111/jpc.13860
- Gallegos A, Dudovitz R, Biely C, Chung PJ, Coker TR, Barnert E, et al. Racial Disparities in Developmental Delay Diagnosis and Services Received in Early Childhood. Acad Pediatr. 2021;21(7):1230–1238. DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.05.008
- Woolfenden S, Eapen V, Jalaludin B, Hayen A, Kemp L, Dissanyake C, et al. Prevalence and factors associated with parental concerns about development detected by the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) at 6-month, 12-month and 18-month well-child checks in a birth cohort. BMJ open. 2016;6(9):
e012144 . DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012144 - Hirai AH, Kogan MD, Kandasamy V, Reuland C, Bethell C. Prevalence and variation of developmental screening and surveillance in early childhood. JAMA pediatrics. 2018;172(9):857–866. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.1524
- Almeida LM, Caldas J, Ayres-de-Campos D, Salcedo-Barrientos D, Dias S. Maternal healthcare in migrants: a systematic review. Maternal & Child Health Journal. 2013;17(8). DOI: 10.1007/s10995-012-1149-x
- World Health Organization.
Promoting the health of refugees and migrants: Framework of priorities and guiding principles to promote the health of refugees and migrants . Geneva: WHO Secretariat; 2017. p. 1–4. - Higginbottom G, Morgan M, Alexandre M, Chiu Y, Forgeron J, Kocay D, et al. Immigrant women’s experiences of maternity-care services in Canada: a systematic review using a narrative synthesis. Syst Rev. 2015;4(13):
13 . DOI: 10.1186/2046-4053-4-13 - Correa-Velez I, Ryan J. Developing a best practice model of refugee maternity care. Women Birth. 2012;25(1):13–22. DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2011.01.002
- Henderson S, Kendall E. Culturally and linguistically diverse peoples’ knowledge of accessibility and utilisation of health services: exploring the need for improvement in health service delivery. Aust J Prim Health. 2011;17(2):195–201. DOI: 10.1071/PY10065
- Heslehurst N, Brown H, Pemu A, Coleman H, Rankin J. Perinatal health outcomes and care among asylum seekers and refugees: a systematic review of systematic reviews. BMC Medicine. 2018;16(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12916-018-1064-0
- Boyle JA, Willey S, Abbasova G. Supporting better outcomes for migrant and refugee women. O&G Magazine [Internet]. 2018;20(1). Available from:
https://www.ogmagazine.org.au/20/1-20/better-outcomes-migrant-refugee-women/ . - Small R, Roth C, Raval M, Shafiei T, Korfker D, Heaman M, et al. Immigrant and non-immigrant women’s experiences of maternity care: a systematic and comparative review of studies in five countries. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2014;14(152):1–17. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2393-14-152
- Woolfenden S, Posada N, Krchnakova R, Crawford J, Gilbert J, Jursik B, et al. Equitable access to developmental surveillance and early intervention – understanding the barriers for children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Health Expectations. 2015;18(6):3286–3301. DOI: 10.1111/hex.12318
- Council of Community Pediatrics., Chilton LA, Handal GA, Paz-Soldan GJ, Granado-Villar DC, Gitterman BA, et al. Providing Care for Immigrant, Migrant, and Border Children. Pediatrics. 2013;131(6):e2028–e2034. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2013-1099
- Council on Community Pediatrics.
Committee on Native American Child Health. Health Equity and Children’s Rights . Pediatrics. 2010;125(4):838–849. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-0235 - The Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
Inequities in Child Health Position Statement . Sydney, Australia; 2018 May. - National Academies of Sciences E, Medicine.
Integrating Social Care Into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation’s Health . Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2019. - Moore T. Using place-based approaches to strengthen child wellbeing. Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal. 2014;40:
40 . - World Health Organization.
Integrated health services—what and why? Technical Brief No.1. World Health Organization; 2008. - Glover J, Samir N, Kaplun C, Rimes T, Edwards K, Schmied V, et al. The effectiveness of place-based interventions in improving development, health and wellbeing outcomes in children aged 0–6 years living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in high-income countries – A systematic review. Wellbeing, Space and Society. 2021;2. DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2021.100064
- Edwards B, Mullan K, Katz I, Higgins D. The Stronger Families in Australia (SFIA) Study: Phase 2; 2014.
- Edwards K, Rimes T, Smith R, Fernandez R, Stephenson L, Son J, et al. Improving Access to Early Childhood Developmental Surveillance for Children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Background. Int J Integr Care. 2020 Apr;20(2). DOI: 10.5334/ijic.4696
- Edwards K, Fernandez R, Rimes T, Stephenson L, Smith R, Son J, et al. Happy, healthy, ready – working with early childhood non-government organisations for developmental surveillance for vulnerable children. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2020;37(4):37–46. DOI: 10.37464/2020.374.277
- Hodgins M, Ostojic K, Hu N, Lawson KD, Samir N, Webster A, et al. Study protocol for a real-world evaluation of an integrated child and family health hub for migrant and refugee women. BMJ open. 2022;12(8):
e061002 . DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061002 - May C, Finch T, Mair F, Ballini L, Dowrick C, Eccles M, et al. Understanding the implementation of complex interventions in health care: the normalization process model. BMC Health Services Research. 2007;7(1):
148 . DOI: 10.1186/1472-6963-7-148 - Skivington K, Matthews L, Simpson SA, Craig P, Baird J, Blazeby JM, et al. A new framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions: update of Medical Research Council guidance. bmj. 2021;374. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.n2061
- Hodgins M, Ostojic K, Rimes T, Edwards K, Lawson K, Fonseka M, et al. The Building Blocks for Successful Hub Implementation for Migrant and Refugee Families and Their Children in the First 2000 Days of Life. Health Expectations. 2025;28(1):
e70082 . DOI: 10.1111/hex.70082 - Calik A, Liu HM, Montgomery A, Honisett S, Van Munster K-A, Morris T, et al. Moving from idea to reality: The barriers and enablers to implementing Child and Family Hubs policy into practice in NSW, Australia. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2024;22(1):
83 . DOI: 10.1186/s12961-024-01164-0 - Australian Bureau of Statistics. Cultural diversity: Information on country of birth, year of arrival, ancestry, language and religion; 2021.
- Stake R.
Case study research . Cham: Springer; 1995. - Yin RK.
Case study research and applications . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 2018. - Sibbald SL, Paciocco S, Fournie M, Van Asseldonk R, Scurr T. Continuing to enhance the quality of case study methodology in health services research. Healthcare management forum. 2021;34(5):291–296. DOI: 10.1177/08404704211028857
- Damschroder LJ, Aron DC, Keith RE, Kirsh SR, Alexander JA, Lowery JC. Fostering implementation of health services research findings into practice: a consolidated framework for advancing implementation science. Implement Science. 2009;4(1):
50 . DOI: 10.1177/08404704211028857 - Proctor E, Silmere H, Raghavan R, Hovmand P, Aarons G, Bunger A, et al. Outcomes for implementation research: conceptual distinctions, measurement challenges, and research agenda. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. 2011;38(2):65–76. DOI: 10.1007/s10488-010-0319-7
- Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. 2006;3(2):77–101. DOI: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
- Heath BWRP, Wise Romero P, Reynolds K.
A Standard Framework for Levels of Integrated Healthcare . Washington, D.C.: SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions; 2013. - Honisett S, Cahill R, Callard N. Child and family hubs: an important ‘front door’ for equitable support for families across Australia: National Child and Family Hubs Network; 2023.
- Lasker RD, Weiss ES. Broadening participation in community problem solving: A multidisciplinary model to support collaborative practice and research. Journal of Urban Health. 2003;80(1):14–47. DOI: 10.1093/jurban/jtg014
- Elliott IC, Sinclair C, Hesselgreaves H. Leadership of integrated health and social care services. Scottish Affairs. 2020;29(2):198–222. DOI: 10.3366/scot.2020.0316
- Roberts N, Jacmon H, Scanlon B, Battersby C, Buttrum P, James C. How can we meet the needs of patients, their families and their communities? A qualitative study including clinicians, consumer representatives, patients, and community members. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023;23(1):
809 . DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09814-9 - Harrison R, Walton M, Chitkara U, Manias E, Chauhan A, Latanik M, et al. Beyond translation: Engaging with culturally and linguistically diverse consumers. Health Expect. 2020;23(1):159–168. DOI: 10.1111/hex.12984
- Wolfe I, Forman J, Cecil E, Newham J, Hu N, Satherley R, et al. Effect of the Children and Young People’s Health Partnership model of paediatric integrated care on health service use and child health outcomes: a pragmatic two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. 2023;7(12):830–843. DOI: 10.1016/S2352-4642(23)00216-X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.9847 | Journal eISSN: 1568-4156
Language: English
Page range: 16 - 16
Submitted on: May 23, 2025
Accepted on: May 14, 2026
Published on: Jun 8, 2026
Published by: Ubiquity Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year
Keywords:
© 2026 Michael Hodgins, Katarina Ostojic, Karen Edwards, Kenny Lawson, Nan Hu, Kim Lyle, Michelle Jubelin, Amit Arora, Kathleen Baird, Ann Dadich, Valsamma Eapen, Amanda Henry, Nick Hopwood, Jane Kohlhoff, Grainne O’Loughlin, Raghu Lingam, Helen Rogers, Shanti Raman, Tania Rimes, Sue Woolfenden, On Behalf of the FDCC Collaborative Group, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.