Unaccompanied Children Research Articles

Unaccompanied minors: agency and rights

This paper attempts to exam the causes of minors’ migration, to focus on the subject of unaccompanied minors’ agency and to highlight its importance. In order to do so, a link between children’s agency and their rights will be presented. Trying to achieve the above aim, the above topic will be analyzed into separated units and all the data has been based both on relevant literature and on empirical data that have occurred after many years of work in the refugee field, specifically with unaccompanied and separated children.

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...

CONDUCTING RESEARCH WITH MIGRANT CHILDREN IMPACTED BY HUMANITARIAN VIOLENCE AT THE U.S.–MEXICO BORDER

ABSTRACT This article reflects on the implications of conducting research in, with, and through border institutions tasked with the care of migrant populations, while simultaneously upholding the violent border regime that prioritizes security and migration restriction. We draw from our individual and collective experiences in these spaces of “conflicted care,” where “humanitarian violence,” including dehumanization and harmful rights violations, is normalized. Focusing on the Mexican State Institutions and Programs (MSIP) responsible for unaccompanied migrant children, and shaped by U.S. externalized border policies, we explore the methodological and ethical complexities of working with these vulnerable populations while in their custody. We reflect on the politics, dilemmas, and ethics involved in navigating state strategies to restrict researcher access such as “soft gatekeeping,” selective modulation, ambiguity, and control. The article concludes with potential strategies for change, informed by our engagements with various state and non-governmental organizations across the Mexico—U.S. border and Latin America. Keywords: border, child migration, fieldwork, humanitarian violence, Mexico.

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.

‘I wish I had listened and not come to South Africa’: fantasies, expectations and trajectories of migration among Ethiopian unaccompanied child migrants into South Africa

ABSTRACT Migration studies often focus on the socio-political and economic factors that drive people to migrate, overlooking the fantasies and processes involved in actualising the journey. This paper examines unaccompanied Ethiopian child migrants in South Africa, using the concept of fantasy to understand the preparatory processes of migration and their realisation. It argues that fantasies of future expectations and self-enhancement propel individuals into virtual fantasy worlds that can lead to physical migration. This study contributes to the migration literature by exploring the fruitful yet limited role of fantasies and expectations in the complex and multi-phased phenomenon of migration.

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

The Formative Intersections of “Race”, Nation, and Generation: Learning from “Care” in the Lives of Unaccompanied Child Migrants in England

This article explores how “race”, nation, and generation intersect to make and mark the category of “unaccompanied minor” in Britain, thereby shaping conditions of care for unaccompanied child migrants. Drawing on interviews with unaccompanied children and adult professionals, we trace how discourses of the unchildlike and unknowing child render unaccompanied children undeserving of support. We demonstrate how these discourses embedded in neo-colonial and generational logics breed inaction from adult professionals, often resulting in substandard or absent care. Our article contributes to conceptualizations of childhood in contexts of rising ethnonationalism, attending to how “race”, nation, and generation roost in the routine.

Unaccompanied migrant children in the United States: Implementation and effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy.

The number of unaccompanied children (UC) arriving in the United States (U.S.) from other countries has increased significantly over the past decade. UC report high trauma exposure and greater posttraumatic stress symptoms compared with youth who immigrate with caregivers. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) has demonstrated preliminary effectiveness with UC. However, few studies have treated U.S.-based samples of UC, who emigrate primarily from Central America. One hundred thirty-eight UC were referred for treatment and 129 completed a pretreatment assessment including the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Most UC were from Central America (n = 109; 79.0%) and resided in government facilities (n = 76; 55.1%). One hundred twenty-two youth began TF-CBT, had an average of 9.71 sessions (SD = 9.3, range: 1-48), and 41.8% (n = 51) completed treatment. One hundred four youth completed a brief, six-item progress monitoring measure of trauma symptoms, for which 84 had at least two observations during treatment. UC endorsed 3.80 traumatic events on average (SD = 2.38). High rates of violence, physical and sexual abuse, and serious injury were reported. There were significant improvements on most self-report rating scales (p < .05); within-subjects Cohen's d's ranged from .07 to 1.03 for pre- to posttreatment assessments and was d = .44 for the progress monitoring measure. Therapists reported on TF-CBT modifications for UC, including discussing mental health beliefs, navigating roles and relationships, tailoring treatment examples, exploring coping strategies, and addressing immigration factors. Preliminary findings support the utility of TF-CBT with UC. Implications for implementation and cultural modifications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Trauma-informed care for unaccompanied children: Lessons learned for practice and policy development.

The number of unaccompanied children (UC) arriving in the United States has increased significantly in recent years. UC often encounter traumatic events in their home country, during their migration journey, and upon resettlement. This article describes a congressionally-funded initiative to provide trauma-informed mental health services to UC and children separated from their parents upon arrival in the United States. It also identifies facilitators and barriers to working with UC and offers lessons learned to help inform future practice and policy development aimed at assisting this vulnerable population. Data were derived from qualitative interviews and a survey administered to grantees. In total, grantees served 1,195 youth and families across 11 states, including UC, asylees, and new immigrants during the period of December 2018 through September 2019. Youth and families served spoke 16 languages and originated from diverse nations. Services provided included direct services to youth and families; training for providers and community members; partnerships and collaborations; and resource/product development or adaptations. Lessons learned and recommendations derived from this initiative can assist others interested in promoting trauma-informed practice and policies for migrant children and their families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Reflecting on participation’s promises: Insights from collaborative research about unaccompanied child migrants, care, and the UK’s hostile immigration regime

Engaging with critiques of participatory research’s transformative claims, in this article, co-researchers from the Children Caring on the Move project critically reflect on experiences of doing research together. Our dialogue considers how the project’s motivating ethos of ‘nothing about us, without us’ permeated the research, to offer insights about the value, challenges, and practice of participatory research. Relations of care and building collective outlooks have helped to generate knowledge aimed at challenging hostile border regimes within and beyond spaces of research.

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.

Non-Formal Education for the Inclusion of Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Italy

The number of unaccompanied migrant children (UMC) that landed in Italy on a daily basis was 14,044 in 2022 and 18,820 in 2023 (as stated by the Italian Ministry of Interior). This research study examines Law 47/2017, which implements the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It ponders inclusive educational models other than formal learning by investigating non-formal education (NFE) that takes place outside formal learning settings, although in synergy with them, for personal and vocational fulfilment. By way of example, a particularly original case study on school children newly arrived in Italy from Ukraine in 2022 is reported herein. Thirty interviews were held in Italy for three years, from 2021 to 2023, with the people in charge of unaccompanied migrant children to investigate the integration actions implemented as well as the use of NFE. Novel data from the education and employment sectors were collected to fill some pre-existing gaps in the literature. The focus group conducted in 2023 with twelve volunteer tutors highlighted data and conclusions that can be cross-checked and generalised on the use of effective operating tools to identify European pathways to peace and democracy, which may be useful in forging new solidarity patterns.

Managing migration crises: Evidence from surge facilities and unaccompanied minor children flows

AbstractClimate change, political turmoil, and economic instability worldwide suggest that managing migration surges will be a permanent challenge for many economies. In response to the record arrival of unaccompanied migrant children at the southern border, the Biden administration used surge facilities to expedite the processing of children. We assess the effectiveness of this strategy and document reductions in the time children spent under government custody. A counterfactual analysis reveals that, in their absence, the average time to reunification would have risen from 37 to 50 days. Migration surges involving unaccompanied children underscore the urgency of identifying efficient and humanitarian strategies.

Problems of protecting children’s rights who are citizens of Ukraine enjoying temporary protection in EU countries

The full-scale war in Ukraine caused a mass migration of its population and led to the increase in private relations complicated by a foreign element, which are the subject matter of private international law. The Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof provided the opportunity for citizens of Ukraine to receive the status of temporary protection on the territory of the EU countries. Cases of children being taken away from their accompanying persons or from their families have become a new challenge for Ukrainian children and their parents, who moved from Ukraine to the territory of the EU and who are under the temporary protection status. Those cases occur due to differences in legislation in matters of guardianship and parental responsibility. The author of the article has studied and systematized cases, when social services of the host country are authorized to act urgently in the interests of a child and take a child away from the family. The article provides general characteristics of circumstances that are reasons for taking a decision on the application of emergency measures by social services of EU countries to children who are citizens of Ukraine enjoying temporary protection in EU countries. It is established that the removal of children from their parents, guardians or authorized persons to accompany the child occurs under different circumstances and each situation is individual, but having systematized the cases, the author has identified the following reasons: staying in the EU unaccompanied by adults and on the grounds of “parental negligence” or “improper performance of parental duties”. The author analyses the legal status of an unaccompanied child under the national legislation of Ukraine and foreign national legislation of some EU countries. The legal status of unaccompanied children under the Directive 2001/55/EC and the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989 is investigated. It is substantiated that the practice of recognizing Ukrainian children enjoying the temporary protection status as unaccompanied children is based on the following grounds: а) deficiency (inconsistency, non-recognition) of documents authorizing a person who accompanies a child for taking care of a child; в) non-compliance (non-recognition) of documents on the right to guardianship, issued in Ukraine, with the requirements of the host country that granted temporary protection; с) independent stay of a child on the EU territory, who is a citizen of Ukraine and has reached the age of 16, left Ukraine independently and is on the EU territory without parents and accompanying persons.

Remember these are children: unaccompanied migrant children in detention.

Remember these are children: unaccompanied migrant children in detention.

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.

Unaccompanied Migrant Children in US Government Custody: 2014–2023

Between October 1, 2014, and March 1, 2023, the US Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) took custody of 568,890 unaccompanied migrant children. Drawing on a unique dataset that ORR produced in response to Freedom of Information Act requests and litigation, we provide the first comprehensive, long-term demographic study of the population of unaccompanied migrant children while in ORR custody. Our analysis reveals the children's differential treatment and experiences across time and demographic characteristics. We contextualize ORR's treatment of the children in its custody by identifying legal standards governing their care. We also examine how specific instances of legal, political, and social change in the United States correlate with fluctuations in the origin-based demographics of unaccompanied migrant children seeking refuge in the United States. Results highlight the differential treatment and intense uncertainty that unaccompanied migrant children face in the United States based on their age, gender, country and region of origin, ORR program placements, and discharge types.

Health Care for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in US Communities: A Guide for Pediatric Practitioners.

Children who arrived at the United States border without a parent or legal guardian (ie, unaccompanied children) are present in communities throughout the country in growing numbers. For them to receive the highest-quality medical and mental services available, pediatric practitioners should have a foundational understanding of their unique set of circumstances and experiences. However, formal education on how to care for this specific immigrant subpopulation is not routinely incorporated into pediatric training programs, and limited clinical guidance is available in the published literature. This article provides best-practice recommendations for pediatric practitioners caring for unaccompanied children after their release from government custody, incorporating guidance for clinical encounters as well as suggestions of processes to meet their health-related social needs and advocacy actions to improve their well-being. [Pediatr Ann. 2024;53(5):e178-e182.].

IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES FOR VULNERABLE SECTIONS OF THE POPULATION

Family members, parents and caregivers are an important source of protection and emotional support for children. Children separated from their loved ones, during a crisis event, find themselves in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar people. They are often very frightened and unable to correctly assess the risk and dangers around them. Reuniting unaccompanied children, including teenagers, with their loved ones is an important first step. If the children are with their parents, you should try to support the adults in taking care of the children. People who may face discrimination and violence in a crisis situation. This category includes women or members of certain ethnic groups, in relation to whom there is an increased risk of discrimination or violence.Svitlana Roiz explains that during the sound of sirens, the child’s auditory channel of perception is under a special load, so it needs to be «occupied» with something. To do this, you can sing in chorus, shout slogans against Utiputin and the Russian army, listen to audio fairy tales and music with headphones, take a guitar with you and arrange a concert for everyone.In order to provide psychological support to citizens of Ukraine who suffer from the consequences of russia’s armed aggression, the free online psychological help platform «Tell me» works around the clock. The project is implemented with the support of the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Health and the Institute of Cognitive Modeling.In addition, the team of the Institute of Cognitive Modeling in cooperation with the Department of Medical Psychology, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy of the Bogomolets National Medical University and specialists of the «Friend» project developed a psychological first aid bot. The bot also contains recommendations for maintaining psychological health.