Asylum-seeking Children Research Articles

Understanding and addressing the needs of refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people

Abstract Issue/problem Europe is home to an increasing number of refugee and asylum-seeking children at risk of health and wellbeing needs due to their life experiences. They are frequently marginalised, impoverished, and face barriers accessing the healthcare and support they need. Bevan, an English social enterprise providing health and wellbeing services to Inclusion Health populations, carried out a needs assessment of migrant children registered at one of its General Practices to determine challenges and opportunities to ensuring their right to health. The knowledge and learning generated is relevant across sectors; organisations and geographical boundaries. Description of the problem The assessment included a literature review, audit of child new patient health checks, service mapping, multi-agency stakeholder interviews and a consultation event with unaccompanied minors. Findings informed Bevan’s Migrant Children and Young People (CYP) Strategy, local service development and system-wide recommendations. Results Key areas of concern identified included mental health; safeguarding; development; nutrition; and inter agency working. Challenges to meeting needs were complex and included national policies, poor provider understanding of rights and entitlements, language and cultural barriers, health service waiting lists, housing and silo-working. Lessons Responding to findings Bevan invested in an in-house CYP mental health service and CYP social prescriber, opened a drop-in clinic and wellbeing service for unaccompanied minors, and initiated orientation and health information sessions for new arrivals with peer advocate support. Bevan now hosts a city-wide cross-sector Migrant CYP stakeholder group and collaborates with regional and national partners to develop resources to promote the health of migrant CYP. Key messages • The needs assessment enabled development of a responsive integrated service for migrant CYP that meets their health needs and addresses their social determinants of health. • The Migrant CYP stakeholder group has improved inter-agency working, helped identify service gaps, increased advocacy opportunities, and facilitated co-creation of solutions to meet population needs.

What factors are associated with children being taken into care by the state after initial contact with services? A survival analysis of Children’s Social Care data in Liverpool

BackgroundIncreasing numbers of children in the UK are being taken into care, with adverse consequences for children and unsustainable costs for local government. It is crucial that local authorities better...

Council Regulation (EU) 2019/1111 and its scope of application on the protection of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

Council Regulation (EU) 2019/1111 and its scope of application on the protection of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

Digital emotions and emotional labour among professionals supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children

This article examines the intersection between voluntary sector work, emotions, and remote service provision among frontline staff supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children online during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the findings of two interrelated projects, we consider how frontline workers experienced and managed digital emotions and emotional labour. Like professionals in other sectors, staff in the refugee sector experienced stress and overwhelm due to challenges faced during the rapid digitisation of the sector at a time of crisis. The findings also highlighted nuanced emotional experiences that were distinct to staff working remotely with unaccompanied refugee children, such as role dissatisfaction and empathy. Emotional labour was particularly intense for staff working in the refugee sector who needed to establish online boundaries with the young people due to their heightened vulnerabilities. The study also demonstrated that training on how to cope with digital emotions was beneficial to staff’s self-esteem and knowledge.

Research on Asylum-Seeking Preschool Children In Turkey: A Systematic Review

This study was conducted with the systematic review method to determine the studies conducted on children who are asylum-seekers in preschool period in Turkey and their results. Systematic reviews are important research projects that should be conducted by examining all studies conducted on a certain subject within a certain protocol. For this reason, the current study was carried out with the studies searched in Google Scholar and YÖKTEZ database by using the keywords "asylum-seeking children", "asylum-seeking child", "refugee children", "refugee child" without any date restriction in the research process. While the inclusion criteria for the systematic review were determined as studies conducted with children in the 0-6 age group, the exclusion criteria were determined as studies on children over the age of 6. Because of the keywords determined, a total of 2039 studies were reached and all of them were analyzed one by one. From these studies, 43 studies that were suitable for the study were identified. After removing duplicate studies, 29 studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. When the studies were analyzed, it was seen that the problem of asylum-seekers is not limited to adults. Children are most affected by this situation.

Social work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people: resisting the rhetoric

Social work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people: resisting the rhetoric

‘Firm but fair’? Migrant children’s rights through dramaturgy and nation branding in Norway and the UK

Applying nation branding literature and the work of Erving Goffman on dramaturgy to the situation of asylum-seeking children in Norway and in the UK, this paper develops a comparative framework for understanding why child rights appear to be de-prioritised in the current climate of ‘migration control’. The paper identifies historically grounded differential approaches towards child rights and children in the two countries, which currently appear to merge into a common trajectory of migration control, framed in terms of national security and economic productivity. It explores similar tensions in both countries between the discourses of national migration management on the one hand and children's welfare and rights on the other. It finds that universal rights which should protect the welfare of all children are limited and fragmented by ideas of nationalism and foreignness. Despite a more robust legal framework for child rights, Norway is on a similar pathway as the UK; a worrying indictment of how nations fulfil their obligations towards children.

The Influence of “The Little Prince” on Communication Between Asylum-Seeking Children and Their Host Community Peers

Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Syrians have sought refuge in various nations, with Türkiye notably emerging as a prevalent destination. Due to Türkiye’s “open door” policy, rougbly 3.5 million Syrians have been conferred temporary protected status, with nearly half being children. Given the recent mass migrations, enduring migration flows, and substantial numbers of asylum-seeking children, fostering respect for diversity among children has become crucial. This research, therefore, was conceptualized to offer solutions within school social work aimed at promoting peace for asylum-seeking children facing segregation/discrimination. The study focuses on transforming the attitudes of host community children toward asylum-seeking children through literary works specifically “The Little Prince.” Utilizing a Parallel Mixed Methods Design, 30 participants were selected via purposive sampling. The study investigated: “How does the implementation of school social work through literary works influence respect for differences, tolerance and love among children?” The findings suggest that integrating school social work practices with artistic mediums, particularly literary works, should be considered for social work interventions targeting children and their social environments within educational programs in Türkiye.

Asylum spaces as spaces of nonrecognition: the ambiguities of welcoming and educating asylum-seeking children in Norway

Asylum has historically been a refuge for the persecuted. However, it now faces a fundamental antagonism between asylum and law, which often overlooks the rights of children seeking asylum. This paper explores the historical concept of asylum law from its inception in antiquity and the Roman era and its entanglements with the education of children. It also examines asylum’s relevance to current conflicts over the educational rights of asylum-seeking children and how international conventions have neglected these rights. To contextualize the ambiguity of asylum and education, the paper presents a case study of Norway’s reception of asylum-seeking children from the 1930s to the present day and how the Norwegian welfare system, which was founded on child rights protection, has struggled with the entry of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The paper concludes with reflections on the potential impact of education for these children, considering their encounters as temporary educational moments. This exploration focuses on clarifying historical strands, turning points, and threads rather than taking a subjective historical perspective.

Interviewing Asylum-Seeking Children: A Scoping Review of Research to Inform Best Practices.

Immigration interviews with asylum-seeking youth have been largely understudied. In domestic legal settings, children interviewed about abuse and maltreatment provide more detailed, relevant responses when asked open-ended questions and when interviewed in a neutral environment, among other supportive practices. In asylum settings, guidance for interviews with youth derives from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is not clear to what extent best practices are employed during asylum interviews with youth. This scoping review was performed to (a) provide an overview of empirical literature on interviews with children in immigration settings, including border screenings, interviews with representatives, and asylum hearings, (b) explore whether best practices derived from forensic psychology and children's rights are observed in asylum interviews, (c) identify unique interview needs of asylum-seeking youth, and (d) derive implications for research and practice. A scoping review of three databases conducted in October 2023 yielded titles, of which 29 articles met inclusion criteria. These comprised quantitative and qualitative studies in English from 2003 to 2023. Three articles identified were quantitative, and 26 were qualitative. While several articles touched on interview practices and youth's experiences of interviews, only a few examined how asylum-seeking youth responded to different interview factors such as question type and interview setting. Key findings highlight inconsistent application of best practice principles, and several areas where best practices to support asylum-seeking children require clarification through further research.

Refugee and asylum-seeker children and health problems in the city of Duzce, Türkiye.

This study examines the health problems and healthcare needs of refugee and asylum-seeker children and aims to develop strategies for improvement. Based on quantitative data from 448 refugee and asylum-seeker children and 222 non-refugee local children, this study was conducted at Düzce University, Department of Paediatrics, between 2010 and 2021. The refugee children originated from three countries: Iraq (n = 304), Syria (n = 101) and Afghanistan (n = 43). The data were analysed using the SPSS data analysis program. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Düzce Üniversity. The results suggest that refugee and asylum-seeker children have significantly higher rates of acute illness or infection, malnutrition (p < 0.001) and anaemia (p < 0.001) than local children as a result of living in overcrowded families (p = 0.017) and unhealthy conditions. Adolescent pregnancy (p = 0.049) emerges as an important social problem as a result of child marriage among refugee children, mostly in the form of consanguineous marriages (p < 0.001). The rate of having at least two adolescent pregnancies (under 18) was highest among Syrian refugee girls (p = 0.01). Although refugee and asylum-seeker children have higher rates of health insurance (between 74% and 95%), they have lower rates of insurance compared to local children. This research also compares the data from three nationalities, including Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq children; Iraqi and Afghan children under the international protection (IP) system with limited social support and rights had worse health conditions compared to other groups. Although Iraqi children had the highest rates of health insurance on admission (p < 0.001), they also had higher rates of chronic diseases (p = 0.001), infections (p = 0.004), allergic rhinitis (p = 0.001) and malnutrition (p < 0.001). The youngest age of admission (p = 0.006) and the shortest length of stay (p = 0.004) were for Afghan children who also had higher rates of upper respiratory infections (p = 0.021). This study highlights the urgent need for improved screening programmes and the importance of collaborative efforts to address the specific health needs of these populations. Addressing the health status of child refugees is a complex and multifaceted task that requires the active participation of healthcare professionals, policymakers and researchers, each of whom has a crucial role to play.

Practical recommendations for addressing the psychological needs of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in England: A literature and service review.

Globally, there is an increasing trend of forcibly displaced people, of which over 40% are children. Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) are at risk of experiencing psychological distress and developing mental health difficulties. However, in the UK, the approach from statutory mental health services is inconsistent across different geographical areas. This report outlines recommendations for statutory mental health services in the UK in relation to working with UASC. A rapid evaluation method was adopted including interviewing fifteen key informants as well as reviewing existing clinical guidelines. Key informants included clinicians, service managers, social workers and commissioners from Local Authorities, National Health Services, and third sector partners. Recommendations were synthesised using narrative synthesis. Existing service provision and barriers to the implementation of interventions were summarised and compared against existing guidelines. The report presents recommendations on assessments, screening tools, and psychological interventions for developing a pathway for UASC within statutory services.

Realising the Right to Primary Education for Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Children in Cameroon: Appraising the Legal Framework, Compliance and Challenges

Realising the Right to Primary Education for Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Children in Cameroon: Appraising the Legal Framework, Compliance and Challenges

Towards the privileging of care-experienced children and young people’s educational and other ‘life chances’ within social work practice and education

Care-experienced children and young people frequently face adverse ‘life chances’ when compared to their peers. Their life-course trajectories typically include numerous personal, structural and culturally determined challenges set from a young age. Social workers in the UK now play a minimal role in direct support for young people and are instead encouraged to focus on short-term priorities, safeguarding investigations and monitoring ‘risky’ working-class parents. This article considers some explanations and evidence offered for educational and other inequalities experienced by care-experienced children and young people, and highlights specific issues regarding ongoing neoliberal reforms of social care. Case examples relating to criminal justice, asylum-seeking children and sexuality are then briefly discussed. The conclusion draws from evidence to identify some recommendations that may help improve care-experienced children and young people’s full learning potential. This includes moving away from the current neoliberal-inspired short-term focus placed on managing risk and towards the provision of more contextual and meaningful support.

Development and Validation of the Adolescent and Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Unaccompanied Scale (ACRAM-US)

Independent migration of children and adolescents is becoming a political and social issue in recent years. Literature documents that the migration process of young people without an adult referent entail serious psychological problems. Moreover, the lack of coherence in the assessment and care processes aggravates the damage suffered by minors, which requires a greater investment of institutional resources. The aim of this research is to describe the development and provide psychometric properties of Adolescent and Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Unaccompanied Scale (ACRAM-US), a 9-items scale for the assessment of risks factors of child abuse and neglect in the specific population of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and adolescents. Structural validity, reliability and convergent-related validity were studied for this measure in a sample of 128 unaccompanied children and adolescents. The sample included cases of 14 different nationalities. Children’s mean age was 16.94 (SD = 1.84), and 96.9% were male and 3.1% were female. Cases were informed by child welfare workers from different protective services in the XXXX Community (XXXX). The results of Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) indicate performance better solution with 2-dimensions which was also in line with theoretical formulation (χ2 = 31.55, df = 19, p = .035, CFI = 0.991, SRMR = 0.081, RMSEA = 0.072, [90% CI: 0.019 − 0.115]). Results of convergent validity showed significant correlation with the Children Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF). Therefore, this study provides data of the first scale that assess risks factors of maltreatment for the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and adolescents.

The silent struggle of asylum-seeking children

The silent struggle of asylum-seeking children

Citizenship and Political Identities of Children in Transnational Migration

Abstract This article expounds on the relationship between children's rights and asylum discourse as pertaining to the figure of the non-citizen child. Key for the understanding of the political identity of the asylum-seeking child, who is depicted as trapped between paternalistic concepts of childhood and restrictive asylum law on the one hand, and empowering children's rights discourse on the other, is an antagonism in the logic underlying human rights and citizenship discourse. Ethnographic findings with accompanied asylum-seeking children in Germany substantiate the argument, from the perspective of ‘new’ childhood sociology. The concept of citizenship is elucidated as practice lived in the everyday in children's action against exclusionary effects in refugee centres.

Refugee and asylum-seeker children’s experiences: results of a meta ethnography

ABSTRACT Children’s geographies research contributes to the intent of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by comprehending children as cogent agents in the telling and creation of their lives. Voices of asylum-seeking and refugee children are under-represented in the research literature. Hence, reference to their needs in relevant national and international policy contexts is inadequately informed. A meta ethnography synthesised self-reported needs and experiences of 288 child refugees and asylum-seekers across eight interview-based studies, each of which included at least one child aged 13 or younger. The guiding question for the study is: How do children describe their experiences within the systems designed to support refugee and asylum-seekers? Results indicate that refugee and asylum-seeker children can and must speak for themselves. Adults and services must listen to ensure policies and services are adequately informed by children’s perspectives and needs.

Intercultural experience facilitates majority-group acculturation through ethnocultural empathy: Evidence from a mixed-methods investigation in Japan

The present two-phased sequential exploratory mixed-methods study investigated majority-group members’ acculturation through pre-tertiary Japanese teachers’ experiences with children of Kurdish asylum-seekers in school settings. In Study 1, we employed an interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand and make meaning of the personal experiences of nine Japanese pre-tertiary teachers from a majority-group acculturation perspective. The qualitative data suggested a link between the participants’ intercultural contact experience, ethnocultural empathy, and receptiveness to majority-group acculturation. Furthermore, the acculturative changes experienced by the majority-group members appeared to influence institutional changes. Subsequently, we tested these relationships in quantitative analysis with a sample of 110 Japanese school teachers in Study 2. We used a survey informed by the works of Wang et al.’s (2003) Ethnocultural Empathy scale and Kunst et al.’s (2023) Majority-Group Acculturation scale. The results confirmed the positive association between intercultural contact experience, ethnocultural empathy, and majority-group members’ acculturation. We conclude that promoting multiculturalism in school settings may have long-term benefits for both majority and minority group members within the Japanese context despite potential adversities involved in regular intercultural contact.

Fulfilling Right to Education for Rohingya Refugee Children in Indonesia

The results of data collection conducted by the United Nations for Refugee Affairs (UNHCR) revealed that out of a total of 1,001 Rohingya ethnic refugees from Myanmar scattered in several refugee camps in Aceh, Indonesia, there were 374 child refugees, of whom were children without pa the principle of universality of human rights states that all humans have the same rights without discrimination, including the granting of the right to education to children of asylum seekers in transit countries. Furthermore, for Rohingya refugees who are already in Indonesia, they are given humanitarian protection, including fulfilling the right to education for Rohingya refugee children, even though Indonesia is not yet a state party to the 1951 convention on refugee status and the 1967 protocol, and does not yet have a system for determining refugee status. The research results show, the Fulfilling Right to Education for Rohingya Refugee Children in Indonesia, based on Law no. 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights which has standards from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while for the protection of refugee children it is confirmed by Law No. 35 of 2014 concerning Child Protection which is the signing and ratification of Covention on the Right of the Child and Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016 concerning the Handling of Refugees from Abroad which specifically regulates refugees, ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child into Decisions President Number 26 of 1990, then Indonesia has directly agreed to the entire contents of the convention in all actions against children in Indonesia such as the state's obligation to protect children who are within its jurisdiction. The provisions of Government Regulation no. 78 of 2021 concerning Special Protection for Children, in Article 6. Indonesia Ministry of Education and Culture Circular Letter No. 752553/A.A4/HK/2019 concerning Fulfillment of the Right to Education for Children of Foreign Refugees, has opened the way for school-age children of foreign refugees to pursue formal education in educational institutions. The policy of the Indonesian government to fulfill the right to education for the children of overseas refugees should be appreciated. This is because Indonesia has not ratified the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees.