Who is a Minor? Age Assessments of Refugees In Germany and the Classificatory Multiplicity of the State

Ulrike Bialas

This study examined the categories that states use to classify and govern migrants. Unaccompanied minors and adult asylum seekers are treated very differently regarding their asylum cases and residence permits. The study focused on Germany, where the courts and youth welfare offices commission age assessments to decide whether young migrants will be considered minors or adults. These assessments are carried out by forensic medical examiners and social workers, respectively, who work with very different understandings of what constitutes age.

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Mental and Neurodevelopmental Health Needs of Aboriginal Children With Experience of Out-of-Home Care: A Western Australian Data-Linkage Study

Benjamin Harrap, Alison Gibberd, Melissa O’Donnell, Jocelyn Jones, Richard Chenhall, Bridgette McNamara, Koen Simons, Sandra Eades

The objective of this study was to identify additional mental and neurodevelopmental health needs of Aboriginal children born in Western Australia, who are placed in out-of-home care (OOHC), relative to Aboriginal children born in Western Australia who were not placed.

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Country on the Move: Comparing the Impacts of Service Provision During the Waves of Displacement Before and After Full-Scale Aggression Against Ukraine

Kateryna Buchko, Irena L. C. Connon, Lena Dominelli

This study explores Ukrainian responses to internally displaced people during the first and second waves of war-induced displacement and internal migration in Ukraine, which took place after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and after the full-scale invasion of 2022. It also addresses the unique challenges faced by Ukrainian social work professionals in supporting displaced people, service people and their families, disabled veterans, and orphaned children as the war continues and also for resettlement in a post-war context.

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‘Is it a Positive or a Negative?’ Children’s Participation in Discharge of Care Order Proceedings

Jessica Roy, Jo Staines, Beth Stone

This paper explores the involvement of children in discharge of care applications and the tensions children’s guardians and other stakeholders may face when aiming to both uphold children’s rights to participate and their right to protection from harm.

Bridging the Gap between Childhood Institutionalization and Adulthood: A Qualitative Study from Five Transitional Centers in Armenia

George S. Yacoubian, Lena Bardakjian, Sareen Minasian, Tiffany Selverian, Liliana S. Yacoubian, Sophie J. Yacoubian

This study explores the role that transitional centers in Armenia play in the transitioning process of leaving institutional care and entering independent adulthood.

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The Direct Effect of Basic Need Services, and Social Support on Positive Mental Health Among Institutionalized Children: The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital

Adane K. Melese, Athena Pedro, Nceba Z. Somhlaba

This study aimed to investigate the direct impact of perceived social support, basic need services, and Psychological Capital on the mental health of children in childcare settings in Ethiopia.

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