The development of an analytical framework to compare reception structures for unaccompanied refugee minors in Europe

Abstract

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The accommodation and support of unaccompanied refugee minors in Belgium: factors that complicate interprofessional collaboration

“…For De Graeve and Bex (2017, p. 80), 'the young people's intersectional positioning as both minor and immigrant translates into a minimalistic and bureaucratic apparatus of care that often fails to accommodate the young people's actual needs'. Moreover, although most unaccompanied minors live in large reception structures, studies have shown that smaller-scale initiatives with a higher staff ratio, such as the specialised centres set up by the Flemish-and French-speaking communities, generally provide better support for these youngsters with regards to family reunification procedures, educational trajectories, housing possibilities and job opportunities (Behrendt et al, 2021;Lietaert et al, 2020;Van Raemdonck et al, 2022). As a result of the asylum procedure, the three-phase reception system and the use of disciplinary transfers, minors also make several moves during their time within this system, starting from when they arrive in Belgium and lasting until they reach the age of majority (De Graeve & Bex, 2017, p. 83).…”

“…This fragmentation, a result of the wide variety of service providers offering different levels and types of support and of the high mobility of the minors, is not necessarily problematic in its own right. Research has shown the potential of a system that offers a wide range of customised care modalities to this very heterogeneous group (Lietaert et al, 2020); mobility can be constructive if it is guided by the needs of the youngsters and oriented towards the most suitable organisations. However, for an unaccompanied minor to be placed in an appropriate setting, close collaboration between the different members of the care network is essential.…”

Social work with refugee and displaced populations in Europe: (dis)continuities, dilemmas, developments

“…Enhancing social workers' engagement with qualitative fieldwork, including participatory social research (in this issue, see Allegri et al, 2020;Börjesson & Forkby, 2020), is then a very urgent task in itself. Equally important is the development of comparative research across countries, for instance regarding the reception of unaccompanied refugee minors (in this issue, see Lietaert et al, 2020), or social inclusion initiatives for young refugees (in this issue, see Pratiwi et al, 2020).…”

Unaccompanied young refugees in the European Union: a perennial limbo situation studied in a longitudinal perspective

“…2 Unaccompanied refugee minors with ongoing procedures to acquire residence documents also receive limited support in addressing their specific experiences of waiting in different life domains, such as education and work (Allsopp et al, 2014). Unaccompanied refugee minors' need for protection and care has been extensively documented (Derluyn, 2018) and is due to their higher risk of experiencing traumatic events (Derluyn et al, 2009) and the importance of institutional response(s) (Lietaert et al, 2020). Nevertheless, an in-depth understanding of the meaning of these liminal legal procedures in the lives of these minors is still lacking.…”