Utrecht
The second edition of the Care for Newcomers Symposium took place in Utrecht on 7 October 2025. After last year's successful congress, this edition once again brought more than 150 participants together, including healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers and representatives of civil society organisations. This year's symposium focused on the mental well-being of newcomers, approached from a broad, comprehensive view of health.
The symposium was organised by the Knowledge Centre Global Health (KCGH), the Netherlands’ Society for Global Health (NSGH), the College of Physicians Society and Health (KAMG), Doctors of the World, the Child and Adolescent Expertise Centre New in the Netherlands (EKANN), the Centre of expertise Care for Newcomers in the Netherlands (EZONN) and other partners. Together, they are committed to improving the accessibility and quality of care for vulnerable groups, including asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and labour migrants.
Focus on mental well-being in context
Migration, flight routes and settlement processes entail specific psychosocial and health risks. In addition, factors such as reception conditions, social exclusion and uncertainty about residence status strongly influence the mental well-being of newcomers. The symposium therefore explicitly approached mental health from a holistic perspective, linking mental, physical and social dimensions of health.
Led by chairman of the day Els Streefkerk, the day opened with a keynote by Majd Shneker (Doctors of the World), which was featured in I am Syrian, but not what you think combined a personal and professional perspective on migration and mental health. His contribution offered participants insights into how identity, stigma and systemic factors come together in healthcare practice.
The parallel sessions offered depth on a variety of themes. They considered political decision-making and the impact of asylum legislation on access to care, structural mental health services for children in asylum reception (with contributions by, among others Sara Sahba and AJN Youth doctors), and in trauma treatment for undocumented people from ARQ Centre’45. It also reflected on social and behavioural change in health contexts, labour migration and health inequalities, recovery-oriented work with refugees, and gender-specific MHPSS interventions.
In the afternoon, the Yordi Lassooy-Tekle (Migration Inc.) delivered a keynote on accessible and culturally sensitive care, in which he advocated for cross-border and inclusive approaches to healthcare for newcomers.
Multidisciplinary exchange and practical tools
This edition was characterised by a strong multidisciplinary approach. Professionals from GP care, youth health care, mental health care, public health care, policy and social organisations discussed both systemic questions and practical action perspectives. Between sessions, there was ample opportunity for meeting and networking.
The day ended plenary with a joint reflection on the main insights and next steps. The broad turnout and active participation underlined the urgency of the topic and the need for structural cooperation within and outside healthcare.
With this second edition, the Care for Newcomers Symposium confirmed its role as a national platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration around inclusive healthcare for newcomers in the Netherlands.
This symposium returns annually. More information on this topic and the event can be found at here back on our website.
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