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Abstract:
Recent media reports and public policy debates have highlighted concerns regarding the impact on children of growing up in Direct Provision Centres (DP) in the asylum system in Ireland. This system has been criticised for the poor quality of the accommodation in which asylum seekers reside and the inadequate provision of resources, services and supports to meet their basic needs. Children’s development is significantly influenced by their environment. The risks and opportunities experienced at this stage of life can radically influence their social skills, mental wellbeing, and…
Abstract
During the past ten years the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking refugee children has dramatically increased in Sweden. Some of them are permitted to stay in the receiving country, but some are forced back to their country of origin. Social workers and police officers are involved in these forced repatriations, and such complex situations may cause stressful working conditions. This study aimed to bridge the gap in knowledge of the relationship between general mental health and working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking refugee children who are due for forced…
There is limited information in the child welfare literature on the circumstances and needs of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children living in the United Kingdom. This article provides insight into the experiences and feelings of these young people by reporting the findings from a narrative-based research project involving 29 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children age 12 to 21 from a variety of African and Asian countries, with the goal of exploring how these children perceived their rights while in private foster care in the UK. The majority of these…
This report, prepared for the Social Transition Office of the USAID Bureau of Europe and Eurasia, is the result of a desk top study—a secondary analysis of regional and country-specific reports on the evolution of family-focused, community-based social services for vulnerable groups in the region. Paralleling the region’s transition from a command economy to a market oriented society is a shift in the social contract from a state to a shared state-community responsibility for care of vulnerable groups. This study provides a framework for analyzing common elements in the transition of the…
According to this article from BBC News, campaign groups in the UK have called attention to the lack of available face-to-face contact for children with parents who are incarcerated, which they say is "crucial in maintaining the relationship between imprisoned parents and children." According to these groups, "the lack of physical contact with their parents has damaged children's mental health and infringed upon their human rights."
"One-third of foster carers have said that a lack of structure for their foster children during the Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenge, according to a new survey," says this article from the Irish Times. "The survey of 200 foster carers carried out by the Irish Foster Care Association in January also found that one-quarter of respondents said that facilitating family visits was 'challenging' during the pandemic."
"There are calls for foster carers to be prioritised for vaccines as more families are needed to take emergency foster children during the pandemic," says this article from Sky News. "In the UK more than 65,000 children are living in foster care and finding homes for them has been made more challenging by COVID-19, in part due to the reticence of vulnerable carers to take in children."
"The pandemic has had an adverse impact on all children. That has been more severe for those with special needs but an almost forgotten group of especially vulnerable children are those who experience abuse and neglect," says this Irish Times in this editorial. "The latest volume of reports from the Child Care Law Reporting Project contains a number of reports detailing the impact of the pandemic on them."
In this article for the Guardian, Krish Kandiah argues that "any young person ready to make the step to leave home needs the safety net of a family they belong to" and calls for greater supports for young people aging out of care, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions put in place.
According to Northern Ireland's health minister, there has been an increase in the number of children referred to social services since last year, as well as an increase in children on the child protection register and more children in care, says this article from BBC News. "I am acutely aware that Covid-19, and the public health measures we've had to put in place to control the spread of the virus, have brought increased pressure to children and families in Northern Ireland," said Mr Swann in a statement. "In recognition of this, the DoH has put in place a range of…