Policy Press
Three Caring for and about unaccompanied migrant youth
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Anna Gupta
Abstract
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 (UNCRC) and domestic legislation, such as the Children Act 1989 in England and Wales, provide a framework for the provision of state services for unaccompanied migrant youth. This chapter critically examines the implementation of legal and policy frameworks in practice with a focus on age assessments, the provision of care placements, support and leaving care services. Fundamental tensions are explored between immigration and care priorities, particularly for social workers in local authorities experiencing financial cuts and influenced by wider political discourses and government policies. While the vulnerabilities of unaccompanied young migrants and their needs as individuals for tailored support services must be recognised, so must their agency in making decisions about their lives. The chapter concludes with recommendations for policy and practice that promotes young people’s voices, rights and welfare within a social justice framework.
Abstract
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 (UNCRC) and domestic legislation, such as the Children Act 1989 in England and Wales, provide a framework for the provision of state services for unaccompanied migrant youth. This chapter critically examines the implementation of legal and policy frameworks in practice with a focus on age assessments, the provision of care placements, support and leaving care services. Fundamental tensions are explored between immigration and care priorities, particularly for social workers in local authorities experiencing financial cuts and influenced by wider political discourses and government policies. While the vulnerabilities of unaccompanied young migrants and their needs as individuals for tailored support services must be recognised, so must their agency in making decisions about their lives. The chapter concludes with recommendations for policy and practice that promotes young people’s voices, rights and welfare within a social justice framework.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and tables v
- List of acronyms vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Foreword xv
- Introduction 1
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Framing the youth migration debate
- Migration regimes and border controls: the crisis in Europe 15
- Dilemmas and conflicts in the legal system 39
- Caring for and about unaccompanied migrant youth 77
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Exploring migrant youth identities
- Preface to Section 2: Voices of separated migrant youth 105
- Narrating the young migrant journey: themes of self-representation 115
- From individual vulnerability to collective resistance: responding to the emotional impact of trauma on unaccompanied children seeking asylum 135
- Spaces of belonging and social care 159
- ‘Durable solutions’ when turning 18 187
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International perspectives
- A relational approach to unaccompanied minor migration, detention and legal protection in Mexico and the US 211
- Unaccompanied migrant youth in the Nordic countries 235
- Life (forever) on hold: unaccompanied asylumseeking minors in Australia 257
- Conclusion 279
- Index 289
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and tables v
- List of acronyms vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Foreword xv
- Introduction 1
-
Framing the youth migration debate
- Migration regimes and border controls: the crisis in Europe 15
- Dilemmas and conflicts in the legal system 39
- Caring for and about unaccompanied migrant youth 77
-
Exploring migrant youth identities
- Preface to Section 2: Voices of separated migrant youth 105
- Narrating the young migrant journey: themes of self-representation 115
- From individual vulnerability to collective resistance: responding to the emotional impact of trauma on unaccompanied children seeking asylum 135
- Spaces of belonging and social care 159
- ‘Durable solutions’ when turning 18 187
-
International perspectives
- A relational approach to unaccompanied minor migration, detention and legal protection in Mexico and the US 211
- Unaccompanied migrant youth in the Nordic countries 235
- Life (forever) on hold: unaccompanied asylumseeking minors in Australia 257
- Conclusion 279
- Index 289
