Safeguarding Refugee and Asylum‐seeking Children

Abstract

Safeguarding refugee and asylum-seeking children is an area of work that presents complex challenges, for practitioners internationally and for researchers aiming to explore how best to meet the needs of children and families in such situations. Children who come to a new country seeking a refuge, whether alone or as members of families, are vulnerable in a number of different ways. They come from situations which are likely to have been more or less traumatic. They may find it difficult to explain this, or to talk about it at all. There are often extensive cultural and language barriers between children and those charged with helping them and safeguarding their welfare. Those who arrive alone are especially vulnerable, and the majority of research and policy attention has been focused on this group. Those who arrive with their families also have needs, which are often not noticed because they do not immediately demand attention in the same way as the needs of unaccompanied children. They may be at risk of ill-treatment in the family, be bullied at school or in the community, or expected to take on heavy responsibilities for other family members. They are also affected by the way in which their families are treated by agencies, in particular how they are housed; the most extreme example being children who are detained with their families because they are deemed undeserving of asylum.Mention of detention and refusal reminds us that official policy in this area is not solely concerned with the welfare of refugee and asylumseeking children. It is also concerned with ensuring that borders are effectively policed, that those who cannot demonstrate entitlement are not allowed to remain and that those claiming services are dealt with according to a variety of rules governing eligibility, based on age and other factors. This policy agenda has consequences for most children and families who seek asylum or refugee status and, for some of them, very serious consequences. We are reminded that safeguarding children can sometimes mean protecting them not only from family members but also from agents of the state.These kinds of tensions are reflected in the papers which compose this special issue. All the papers are the product of a conference held at the University of Central Lancashire in England in April 2010, which brought together practitioners, researchers and policymakers from a wide range of institutions and settings in Britain and Ireland.

Safeguarding in an Age of Austerity

“…Two papers in this issue pick up on issues of safeguarding the wellbeing of migrant children, including asylum seekers. These papers build on those included in our special issue from last year on safeguarding refugee and asylum-seeking children (Thomas and Devaney, 2011). In a carefully constructed critique of UK policy and practice, Rachel Hek (2012) considers how to address past failings and meet future challenges for this particularly vulnerable group.…”