Unaccompanied Minors in Greece and Italy: An Exploration of the Challenges for Social Work within Tighter Immigration and Resource Constraints in Pandemic Times

Abstract

The number of unaccompanied minors (UAMs) arriving in the European Union (EU) has been increasing dramatically over recent years resulting in the formulation of EU policy directives around safeguarding and well-being. Notably, the majority of UAMs enter Europe irregularly through two main gateways to the European continent: via Italy, using the Central Mediterranean Sea route; or through Greece, transiting through the Eastern Mediterranean route from Turkey, mostly via sea. Profiles of UAMs travelling via the two different routes are significantly diverse, reflecting Italy’s and Greece’s geographical proximity to North Africa and the Middle East, respectively. Although Italy has witnessed a decline since 2018 (Todaro and Romano 2019), the two countries have faced a significant increase in UAMs, and this has required a considerable reorganisation of the reception systems and, more generally, of their welfare systems. However, difficulties in securing adequate reception for UAMs seeking protection have persisted in both countries. Through an analysis of the impact of the pandemic on the Italian and Greek reception systems and social interventions with UAMs, we utilised a multiple embedded case study approach within a comparative analysis, to identify key changes in the main services which should be guaranteed to minors—namely, hosting/housing, guardianship, foster care, family/relatives reunification, school integration, language, job training for care leaving, and preparation for leaving care after 18 years (Di Rosa 2017; Buchanan and Kallinikaki 2018; Barn et al. 2020). Against a background of critical reviews of the main issues related to policies and reported social work practice in a context of COVID-19 precarity, set within a wider EU framework, this paper contributes to the literature with an analysis of the current situation and the tightening of the conditions of reception, inclusion and integration that await UAMs in these gateway countries today. We conclude that with the suspension of key services and amenities, and with a practical halt to the due process of immigration and asylum, social workers are facing a difficult challenge to prevent the deterioration of UAMs’ mental health and well-being.

Friendship attachment style, intolerance of uncertainty, and psychological distress among unaccompanied immigrant minors in times of COVID‐19

“…The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had major consequences for UIMs and the entire reception system (Barn et al, 2021). In the first wave, the national lockdown involved the suspension of essential services (e.g., provision of legal information and psychosocial support, administrative procedures related to occupational and educational integration) which caused elevated distress and conflicts within the residential care communities (CIR, 2020).…”

“…This study is among the first to explore friendship attachment style, intolerance of uncertainty, and their associations with psychological distress among UIMs in times of COVID-19, providing insights into the subjective experiences of this potentially vulnerable population through the use of a mixed-methods approach. Indeed, participants' qualitative feedback allowed us to better understand the role of the pandemic in their adjustment, integrating recent research that points to an increased distress experienced by immigrant youth (Barn et al, 2021;Ceccon & Moscardino, 2022). However, some limitations need to be acknowledged.…”

“…After a short period during the summer when most restrictions were suspended, in the second wave—during which the current study was conducted—many were restored (e.g., online school lessons; social distancing measures and daily COVID‐19 testing at work/training), generating discomfort and loneliness (Faraci et al, 2022). Indeed, the tightening of the reception system conditions, the introduction of social distancing measures, and a general, COVID‐19 related precarity have likely contributed to an increased isolation and disruption of social relationships among UIMs, as well as to a greater anxiety over the uncertainty of their future (Barn et al, 2021; Oldroyd et al, 2022).…”

Social pedagogy and social work relations in Greece: autonomous trajectories

“…Contemporary social work research follows not only the flow of critical social policy rearrangements but also developments in social policy that concern its applications; for example, decentralisation and community development (Karagkounis, 2009), the development of social work counselling (Kandylaki, 2008), the deepening of poverty and the effects of economic crisis and austerity measures (Kallinikaki, 2015a;Karagkounis, 2017;Kokaliari, 2018;Pentaraki, 2016), the applications of social work with refugees (Buchanan and Kallinikaki, 2018;Kandylaki and Nagopoulos, 2021;Katsama and Bakirtzi, 2020), and during the COVID-19 pandemic (Barn, Di Rosa and Kallinikaki, 2021;Teloni, 2020). of the school, the family, the wider school environment of the community or the team, where the project is implemented.…”

The Role Of Income, ICT Adoption And Leisure Time In Maintaining Employee Mental Health

“…They have to improvise space to be able to work at home without having to make peace between work and children. Workers are trying to telecommute for the sake of their mental health (Barn, Di Rosa, & Kallinikaki, 2021). Most workers choose remote work formats or a hybrid between the office and remote work (Babapour Chafi, Hultberg, & Bozic Yams, 2021).…”