Recently arrived refugee children: The quality and outcomes of Best Interests of the Child assessments

Abstract

Best Interests of the Child (BIC) assessments provide migration authorities with behavioral information about which interests of the child could be taken into account before a decision is made on the request for a residence permit. This study provides insight into the quality and outcomes of BIC assessments with 16 unaccompanied children (15-18 years) and 11 accompanied children (4-16 years) who have recently arrived in the Netherlands and requested asylum (N = 27). The results suggest that BIC assessments provide relevant information that enables assessors to determine the best interests of recently arrived refugee children. The inter-rater reliability of the BIC-Questionnaire, an instrument that evaluates the child-rearing environment and that is one of the components of the BIC assessment, was fairly good. The children in the sample had experienced a high number of stressful life events and a majority reported trauma related stress symptoms or other emotional problems. The quality of the child-rearing environment in the country of origin had protected their development insufficiently in the past and would not protect their development sufficiently in the future. The results show that in many cases forced return to the country of origin can put children's development at risk.

Mental Health Screening Approaches for Resettling Refugees and Asylum Seekers: A Scoping Review

“…Eleven studies were identified that investigated mental health screening approaches specific to refugee children and adolescents [ 52 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 61 , 62 , 67 , 82 , 89 , 97 , 100 ]. Children and adolescents between the ages of 6 months to 18 years old were included and all identified screening programs were completed post-arrival to the resettlement country.…”

“…Children and adolescents between the ages of 6 months to 18 years old were included and all identified screening programs were completed post-arrival to the resettlement country. All studies included adolescent populations (ages 10–18) and fewer studies included children below the age of 10 [ 58 , 59 , 82 , 89 , 100 ]. The programs reported that there is variability in the timing of presentations of mental health disorders; thus, an early assessment of the psychological needs of children and families allows for timely targeted support [ 58 , 59 ].…”

“…Children and adolescent screening programs focused on a wider range of conditions which consider critical developmental stages. The psychological factors screened for included: emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems and prosocial behavior, stressful life events, PTSD [ 82 , 100 ], anxiety, depression [ 58 , 59 , 67 , 97 ], and somatization disorder [ 58 ]. Health risk behaviours, health-related quality of life, and physical and psychosocial well-being, including physical functioning, body pain, emotional problems, self-esteem, and family cohesion were also screened for [ 57 , 62 ].…”

“…Various “child-centered” approaches were described. Two studies, consistent with trauma-informed care guidelines, offered children the possibility to be accompanied by a person they trusted as support [ 82 , 100 ]. In contrast, another study recommended seeing adolescents alone during consultations [ 62 ].…”

“…A total of 25 studies evaluated the validity of mental health screening tools among a cumulative sample of N = 4341 refugees and asylum seekers [ 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 55 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 70 , 72 , 80 , 82 , 86 , 87 , 89 , 95 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 105 , 106 ]. All of the included studies followed a cross-sectional study design.…”