Children from abroad who are alone in the UK are vulnerable and at increased risk of harm without the care and protection of their parents or caregivers. They may be unaccompanied asylum seekers, refugees, or victims of trafficking.This book examines the issues and problems faced by these children, what their needs are, and how these needs should be met in order to ensure their effective safeguarding. It demonstrates that these children often receive a different level of service to children who are UK citizens, and examines how these gaps in services can be addressed. Chapters cover the identification and age assessment of separated children, accommodation provision, private fostering, mental health, detention and returns, and the role of the guardian. Case studies and best practice points are included throughout the book.This important book will be essential reading for all those who encounter separated children, including social workers, counsellors, health care professionals and those working in the voluntary sector.
Introduction. Emma Kelly, University of Salford, UK and Farhat Bokhari, Independent Consultant.; 1. Separated Children in the UK: Policy and Legislation. Farhat Bokhari.; 2. Identification of Separated Children in the UK. Phil Ishola, Harrow Children's Services.; 3. Asylum, Age Disputes and the Process of Age Assessment. Heaven Crawley, University of Swansea, UK and Emma Kelly.; 4. Safe Accommodation for Separated Children. Hannah Pearce, ECPAT, UK.; 5. Living with Unrelated Adults: Private Fostering. Catherine Shaw, National Children's Bureau and Savita de Sousa, British Association of Adoption and Fostering.; 6. Safeguarding the Mental Health Needs of Separated Children. Ruth V. Reed, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Mina Fazel, University of Oxford, UK.; 7. Return of Separated Children to Country of Origin. Nadine Finch, Garden Court Chambers.; 8. Listening to Separated Children. Emma Kelly.; 9. The Role of the Guardian for Separated Children. Stefan Stoyanov, Children's Commissioner for Scotland. Index.
This edited collection includes work from contributors with a variety of expertise in children's social care, research, immigration law, policy and paediatric mental health, and will be particularly relevant for professionals in these fields with an interest in, or responsibility for, separated children. Each chapter contextualises a particular aspect of safeguarding within relevant policy frameworks and legislation, before drawing on research literature and case studies to reflect on the issues raised...this book will do much to raise awareness of the complexity of separated children's experiences, and can only improve our safeguarding responses as a result.
