The topic of migration has become one that is gaining notice in society. With the number of migrants, asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors and child refugees rising rapidly in the past few years it has become a theme of great importance with global reach. These migratory fluxes blur the boundaries between voluntary and forced migration which were previously regarded as separate notions. The media plays a powerful role when it comes to define such concepts as well as creating representations of these populations and shaping the public perception of these individuals. Through this thesis, the representations of unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and refugees constructed by the Portuguese media will be analysed using discourse analysis. The aim is to create knowledge about the representations of unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and refugees in the Portuguese media as this means of communication is an important voice in the public and political debate concerning these populations. The results show that there are several dichotomies regarding the representations of unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and refugees in the Portuguese media. Young migrants are represented both as security seekers and causes of insecurity, victims and survivors, passive agents which lack agency and active agents who use their agency to leave their home countries, as well as people worth supporting and people who had enough support. Discourse analysis provides information regarding the discourses used in the Portuguese media to represent unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and refugees as well as the context in which the articles were written. Finally, there are several representations of unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and refugees in the Portuguese media, yet the ones whose discourse is stronger, in the five chosen articles, are the of young migrants as security seekers, victims that are worth being supported and that are mostly active agents in their journeys.

In the last couple of years there has been an immense increase in the number of unaccompa­nied refuge minors seeking asylum in Sweden. These minors share one thing in common; they have all abandoned things they hold dear in pursuit of a better life. The majority of them are placed into residential care homes, accommodations where they are aided and cared for by personnel. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research regarding how these personnel experience their work. With help of the method grounded theory and interviews, I investigate their working situation and their role in these homes. All participants agree that their primary role and task are to establish a feeling of safety amongst the minors, however, organizational aspects can hinder this process. Organizational aspects are also key factors that have to be adequate in order for the personnel to increase their professional knowledge. By including the framework resilience therapy and comparing this to my result, I put my study in a bigger context, suggesting that if the minors are capable of feeling safe, they will also develop skills that increase their wellbeing throughout their lives.

In the last few years, approximately 40 000 of unaccompanied children, mainly boys, have arrived in Sweden. Initially, these minors were placed into residential care units (HVB). Media has suggested that these adolescents, have difficulties associated to poor mental health. Earlier research concerning the mental state of these minors, indicates a high prevalence of PTSD. This motivated the aim of this study: to explore the professionals’ understanding of support and the form of housing that accommodates these minors, related to poor mental health. An interpretive approach was chosen with attachment theory and Goffmans’ theory regarding institutional life, as theoretical bedrocks and six qualitative semi- structured interviews formed the basis for the result. Four central themes were discovered through content data analysis. The themes indicated that the boys are under pressure and experiencing stress which is a recurrent experience for some authorities and health care units, responsible for supporting these adolescents. However, the personal support from individuals, demonstrates a commitment that likely has a positive impact on these boys life. While the form of housing may have a harmful effect, it could also be cultural differences combined with PTSD affecting the emotional state of unaccompanied children living in Sweden.

In 2015 a number of 35 000 unaccompanied children came to Sweden with hopes of having a brighter future and finding some sort of safety. There are many reasons as to why unaccompanied children seek asylum, escaping a war-town country, human trafficking and forced marriage are just a few to be named. It is common that these children carry traumatic experiences from their flight which needs to be taken care of, otherwise these children risk their health and wellbeing. With this study we aim to analyze how the guidelines regarding integration work from Malmö Stad respond to the children’s needs. To do this we have compared the guidelines with a mapping made by Socialstyrelsen (the National Board of Health and Welfare) as well as with previous research by scientific articles and by applying theories. The results show that the needs of unaccompanied children are complex, and that it is challenging to provide what is needed. For one to establish themselves in a new country, it takes a lot of different elements of the integration work that are all depending on one another. If one element isn’t fulfilled the other elements are at risk of enabling the integration process. Malmö Stads guidelines have many important elements in mind and it clearly shows that they care for the wellbeing of unaccompanied children. By applying theories the analysis gained a critical perspective of the guidelines and the actual work practice. A well worded plan regarding integration brings awareness regarding the needs of unaccompanied children, that later will spread throughout the operation and society as a whole.

This thesis is about staff in Sweden working with unaccompanied migrant children, either in supported accommodation or HVB-homes, a form of residential care. A previous study shows that staffs’ acting space often led them feeling a higher sense of responsibility for their work. This study seeks to understand if the staffs’ acting space relate to their sense of responsibility for children in care. To answer this, we have used a qualitative method. We have done eight semi-structured interviews with staff working in HVB-homes and supported accommodation, to take part of the staffs’ perspective and point of views. The theory used for analysing out material is Lipsky’s Street-level bureaucracy: dilemmas of the individual in public services. We have also used Ulla Johansson’s conception analysis Om ansvar. The result of the study shows that staff feel like they have a big acting space at their place of work. Staff also describe how they feel responsible for the children they meet in their work, but not a sense of responsibility that goes beyond their work role. From our interviews we have concluded that it doesn’t seem to be a significant relation between acting space and the staffs’ sense of responsibility for the children. The latter relates more to the staffs’ attitude and their boundaries.

The purpose of the study is to understand/investigate how unaccompanied boys from Afghanistan experience their identity and identity development in interaction with Swedish culture and Swedish society. Qualitative data collection methods have been used in the form of semi-structured interviews. The material has been analyzed on the basis of identity development theory and the theory of ethnic identity. Based on the study's gathered empirical data and analysis, important results found that experiences of identity development in unaccompanied boys are strongly influenced by Swedish society and Swedish culture. The majority of the informants expressed that their identity has been affected and changed a lot during the time they lived in Sweden and that influence has helped these young people to develop a new identity. In order to be a part of the majority society and integrate well into society, this influence on identity has been positive and important for the informants. The study’s results also show that the informants have managed to find a balance between the new identity and their ethnic identity.

Cette thèse propose d'étudier une catégorie d'intervention des politiques migratoires : les mineurs non accompagnés. À rebours d'une vaste littérature qui traite les mineurs non accompagnés en tant que groupe – posant des questions concernant leurs trajectoires migratoires, leur résilience plutôt que leur vulnérabilité, ou l'efficacité des politiques censées les protéger –, cette thèse s'inscrit dans une approche constructiviste et interroge les processus par lesquels la catégorie « mineurs non accompagnés » est donnée à voir. Nous analysons la conception de la catégorie juridico-administrative dans les politiques européennes ; les processus de transnationalisation dont elle fait l'objet, et les pratiques d'identification et de surveillance par lesquelles elles est mise en œuvre. La thèse couvre une période de vingt ans et investit trois terrains d'enquête. Tout d'abord, les forums et les arènes européens à Bruxelles, où se dégagent les représentations compassionnelles, et les logiques sur lesquels reposent les concurrences entre acteurs de la protection de l'enfance, des migrations et de la sécurité pour la définition légitime de la catégorie mineurs non accompagnés. Au delà des frontières européennes, l'Égypte est signalée par les acteurs transnationaux comme un « pays d'origine » de mineurs non accompagnés. Le troisième terrain a été mené à une frontière de l'Union européenne. Il prend en compte le cas de Catane (dans l'est de la Sicile) où sont données à voir les opérations d'individuation des mineurs non accompagnés arrivant par mer par les agents sécuritaires et humanitaires des migrations / In this dissertation, we study the career of a target category within migration policies, i.e. unaccompanied minors. Scholars have mostly dealt with unaccompanied minors as an existing group, asking, among others, what their migration trajectories are, whether they are resilient or vulnerable, and the efficiency of protection policies targeting them. Adopting a constructivist approach, this dissertation asks instead: what are the processes through which the category “unaccompanied minors” is actually incorporated into public policy and made visible? Here, its conception as a legal category within European policies is analyzed, along with its transnationalisation, and implementation. This study covers a period of twenty years. It rests on a three-fold fieldwork. Firstly, European forums and political arenas in Brussels are considered, where competition among child protection, migration and security actors can be observed. Secondly, beyond European borders, we consider Egypt as a country that is pointed at by transnational actors as a sending country for unaccompanied underaged migrants. Thirdly, the European Union border is taken into account by studying the operations of individualisation – by securitarian and humanitarian agents – of unaccompanied minors arriving by boat, along with disciplining practices implemented by migrant social care officers in Catania (Eastern Sicily). Finally, resistance practices to/through the category unaccompanied minors are studied here

Legal rules regarding unaccompanied refugee children in the European Union (EU) are closely related to the refugee crisis and the community’s asylum policy. This study aims to investigate how the best interests of the unaccompanied refugee child is being ensured under EU law. Dworkin’s theory and various methods are used to answer the research question. Firstly, the focus is, with the use of the chosen theoretical framework and international legal method, on the interpretation of the principle of “the best interests of the child”. Secondly, the thesis studies how this principle is reflected in the EU law in relation to unaccompanied refugee children, by applying EU legal method. This study shows, on the one hand, that there are a few anomalies in the EU legislation in the area of asylum that arise with regard to the best interests of the unaccompanied refugee child. It is argued that the European Union’s restrictive asylum legislation leads to conflicts between the international law and the EU law. On the other hand, the thesis demonstrates that the EU law has continuously improved, and the international child rights principle was adopted in it. It will be shown in this study that despite the common asylum policy and the community acquis, the EU Member States’ domestic law enables different assessments of the best interests of the unaccompanied child. The solution of normative conflicts is also in the hands of the EU countries, since the status determination of refugees and the assessment of the child’s best interests are carried out by the EU Member States. This will be confirmed by analysing the most important applicable EU laws, particularly the Proposal for a Regulation establishing a Union Resettlement Framework. The Proposal is chosen for discussion, because this is an essential part of the Common European Asylum System and is consistent with two packages of legislative proposals to reform it. The conclusion of this thesis is that the best interests principle is guaranteed in the EU law, but it is not guaranteed in the spirit of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and further improvements are needed in the EU legal framework.

Although research has described mentoring programs to have positive effects with youth, there are few studies that describe how mentors build relationships with homeless youth. In this study, I sought to explore how mentors of a community-based organization, Starting Right Now, built relationships with homeless youth. Starting Right Now is a multi-faceted, community-based intervention developed in 2009 in Tampa, FL. They provide services to homeless adolescents who are no longer living in the custody of a parent or guardian. The program provides residential, educational, recreational, and professional development services, as well as mental and physical health care. Additionally each youth in the program receives a trained mentor. A qualitative approach allowed mentors to share what strategies they used to connect with their mentee and overcome challenges within the relationship. Five female adults were recruited from Starting Right Now to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. Results showed that for some mentor-mentee pairs, the relationship developed easily if they found similar commonalities (e.g. outgoing personalities). Further, mentors discussed the strategies and activities that created a closer relationship and how they overcame challenges with the relationship. Finally mentors discussed the advice they would give to someone else looking to mentor a homeless youth. Overall mentors in this study reported that commitment and patience are major components to being a successful mentor to a homeless youth.

Background: Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) report increased levels of mental health problems, specifically symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are very common. They have often experienced multiple trauma events and additional stressors related to migration, acculturation and family separation. High-quality measurements of PTSD symptoms that are brief and easy to administer among URM are therefore needed. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Children’s Revised Impact of Events Scale (CRIES-8) when used in a population of URM. Method: Confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency and test-retest agreement were analyzed using data from two previous studies; one Norwegian longitudinal study of URM mental health including 284 participants and 104 participants from a Swedish intervention study. Results: CRIES-8 in this population showed questionable levels of internal consistency and moderate test-retest agreement. The two-factor model of Intrusion and Avoidance was confirmed to have god model fit in this study, while the one-factor model of PTSD had poor model fit. Three items related to Avoidance (2,5 & 8) were found to have a large proportion of error in the one factor model. Conclusion: When CRIES-8 are used in studies of PTSD among URM the reliability and validity seems lower than previously found in other contexts. Especially the items related to avoidance seem potentially problematic in this context. It is recommended that researchers and clinicians are cautious when interpreting CRIES-8 scores when used with URM.