Issues in Safeguarding Refugee and Asylum‐seeking Children and Young People: Research and Practice

Abstract

In this paper, the author describes and analyses undertaking a pilot study in which refugee or asylum-seeking parents who have been drawn into social work safeguarding children procedures reflect upon their experiences. This study is located within the context of political, policy and social work safeguarding practice developments in the UK which are relevant to refugee and asylum-seeking families. Interviews were undertaken with five refugee and asylum-seeking parents and one carer, three support workers and one social worker, and three conference chairs. Although the sample is small, the findings from the pilot study reveal some significant commonalities between comments from all three groupings, as well as significant differences. These findings will be of interest to refugee and asylum-seeking peoples, support workers, social workers, managers and policymakers and all who are concerned for the wellbeing of refugee and asylum-seeking parents, children and young people. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.KEY WORDS: refugee and asylum-seeking families; safeguarding; social work M igration is a major social issue (Castles and Miller, 2009), for both northern and southern countries (Abdelmoneum, 2010). While much UK research focuses on unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (Crawley, 2010) or trafficked children (Bokhari, 2008), there is also interest in refugee and asylumseeking families † (parents, children and young people) (for example, Grillo, 2008). However, while research engages with current policies and practices in social work, education and health for * Correspondence to: Pat Cox, School of Social Work, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK. E-mail: pcox2@uclan.ac.uk † A note on terminology: 'asylum-seeking peoples/asylum-seeking families' is used throughout, rather than 'asylum-seekers' which has become a derogatory description.

‘This doctor, I not trust him, I’m not safe’: The perceptions of mental health and services by unaccompanied refugee adolescents

“…Our understanding of refugees and their service needs remains fragmented due to a lack of evidence (Cox, 2011), but research suggests that this group is at high risk of developing mental health problems due to their previous experiences (Fazel, Wheeler, & Danesh, 2005). They are likely to need mental health services (Huemer & Vostanis, 2010), but struggle to get their needs met (Ellis, Miller, Baldwin, & Abdi, 2011).…”

Safeguarding Refugee and Asylum‐seeking Children

“…As Pat Cox () reminds us, migration is one of the central social and political issues of the 21 st century. All these papers in their different ways contribute to our understanding of a highly challenging and contested area of practice.…”

“…By way of contrast, Pat Cox () looks at the experiences of refugee or asylum‐seeking families who have been involved in local authority safeguarding procedures in England. In a study funded by the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (BASPCAN), she interviewed seven professionals and six parents or carers about their experiences of child protection investigations.…”