Studiens huvudsyfte är att utforska HVB-personalens känslomässiga påfrestningar i samband med bemötandet av ensamkommande flyktingbarn samt att utforska personalens upplevelser av sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö i relation till interaktion med ungdomarna. Studien är baserad på fenomenologisk ansats, med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer med 10 medarbetare. Resultatet redogör för medarbetarnas upplevelser i samband med bemötandet av ensamkommande flyktingbarn samt medarbetarnas upplevelser av sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö i relation till interaktion med ungdomarna. Enligt resultatet upplevs arbetet med ensamkommande barn som både givande och krävande. Social kompetens upplevs vara den viktigaste kunskapen men även språk- och kulturkompetens betonas. Dessutom lyfts lyhördhet och respekt för andra människor fram som centrala aspekter. Enligt respondenternas utsagor upplevs den psykosociala arbetsmiljön någorlunda stressande. Medarbetarna använder sig av olika copingstategier för att hantera den emotionella påverkan. Studiens slutsats är att arbetet på HVB-hem är psykiskt och emotionellt påfrestande vilket ökar tendensen till psykisk ohälsa. / The purpose of this study was to explore the HVB staff's emotional strain associated with their work. The study is based on a phenomenological approach, using semi-structured interviews of ten employees. According to my results the personnel experienced working with unaccompanied minors as both rewarding and demanding. Social skills are the most important knowledge in this kind of work, but language and cultural competence are also desirable. Sensitivity and respect for other people are highlighted as central issues in this kind of work. The psychosocial environment is perceived as stressful. Workers use various coping strategies to manage their stress. The study concludes that work in the HVB home is mentally and emotionally stressful and strenuous, increasing the risk of mental illness.

<p>The main aim of this study was to explore lived experiences of unaccompanied foreign minors in South Africa from a social work perspective. An important goal was to also explore the lack of guidelines on how to assist these young people. This study was conducted in a Children&rsquo / s Shelter, which is situated in the North-Eastern outskirts of Polokwane, where a group of unaccompanied refugee children from Zimbabwe were living. This study was qualitative and explorative in nature. Non-probability sampling was used to select participants for the study. Ten children were selected, ranging from age 14 to 18 years. Semi-structured interviews with the children and a focus group discussion with five care workers were held. Thematic analysis was used. The findings of this study revealed that services by government social workers are limited compared to those from social workers employed with nongovernmental organisations. It is hoped that this study will assist government and other role players in planning, advocacy and policy development related to the issues affecting unaccompanied refugee children.</p>

Sverige nådde år 2015 en ny toppnotering vad gäller antal asylsökande. Detta förde med sig stora utmaningar för delar av socialtjänsten i relation till placering av ensamkommande barn och en snabbt stigande kostnadsutveckling för platser på asylboenden. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka konsekvenserna av vad som sker när boendeformen för de asylsökande förändras. Undersökningen tar sin utgångspunkt i hur behandlingsassistenterna på ett kommunalt stödboende ser på sitt arbetet med ensamkommande ungdomar och hur de upplever sina möjligheter att hjälpa dem integreras i det svenska samhället. Studiens empiriska material består av sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med behandlingsassistenter som är verksamma på ett stödboende i Stockholm. Analyserna tar sin begreppsliga utgångspunkt i Michael Lipskys (1980/2010) teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater samt Ludvig Beckmans (2011) integrationsteori. Resultatet visar att behandlingsassistenterna tenderar att fokusera på allmän kunskap kring samhällsinstitutioner, språk och relationer som viktiga faktorer man försökte forma sitt arbete kring. Samtidigt upplever behandlingsassistenterna en konflikt mellan vad man kunde göra och vad man upplever att de ensamkommande ungdomarna behöver. Studien visar bland annat på utmaningar i inkluderandet av boendepersonal och kommuner i beslutandet kring olika policyn givet det extraordinära sammanhang landet befinner sig i. / At the end of the year 2015, Sweden peaked in regards to asylum-seeking refugees. Concequently, parts of the social service would face numerous challenges in regards to the placement of unaccompanied minors in out-of home care and in rising costs for asylum accommodation for unaccompanied minors. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the consequences of what happens when the asylum housing for unaccompanied minors changes. This thesis takes its starting point in how treatment assistants at a municipal support housing view integration in regards to their work with unaccompanied minors. The empirical basis for this study consists of six semi-structured interviews with treatment assistants at a municipal support housing in Stockholm. The analysis takes its conceptual basis in Michael Lipsky's (1980/2010) theory of street-level bureaucrats and Ludvig Beckman's (2011) integration- theory. The results showed that treatment assistants tend to focus on general knowledge about societal institutions, language and relationships as important factors that they attempted to shape their work around. At the same time, the treatment assistants experience a conflict between what they can do and what they perceived that the unaccompanied minor needs. The study shows i.a. the challenges in including housing staff and municipalities on the forming and decision-making off public policies in extraordinary situations.

Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS) / The main aim of this study was to explore lived experiences of unaccompanied foreign minors in South Africa from a social work perspective. An important goal was to also explore the lack of guidelines on how to assist these young people. This study was conducted in a Children's Shelter, which is situated in the North-Eastern outskirts of Polokwane, where a group of unaccompanied refugee children from Zimbabwe were living. This study was qualitative and explorative in nature. Non-probability sampling was used to select participants for the study. Ten children were selected, ranging from age 14 to 18 years. Semi-structured interviews with the children and a focus group discussion with five care workers were held. Thematic analysis was used. The findings of this study revealed that services by government social workers are limited compared to those from social workers employed with nongovernmental organisations. It is hoped that this study will assist government and other role players in planning, advocacy and policy development related to the issues affecting unaccompanied refugee children. / South Africa

Covid-19 pandemic has affected lives in negative ways globally and these impacts on unaccompanied minors who are already disadvantaged and marginalized, are positioningthem at high risk in the society. This study aimed to examine the professionals and practitioners’ perception on the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and related challenges on unaccompanied minors in Sweden. A qualitative inductive research approach wasfollowed, conducting semi-structured interviews with professionals/practitioners such as teachers, foster parent, legal guardian and social worker focusing on the individual meanings and importance of reporting the complexity of the situation. The empirical data was analyzed using caringscapes/carescapes framework and intersectionality theory to understand how time, place and space affect different sets of identities of individuals experience of pandemic. The findings indicate the school space/place plays a very important role in overall wellbeing of unaccompanied minors. Furthermore, the challenges faced under the new law on upper secondary level studies and the negativeimpacts during pandemic

[pt] Desde o início do século XX, os países da União Europeia tem sido o destino de milhares de crianças e adolescentes que chegam desacompanhados, isto é, sem a proteção de um adulto responsável por elas. Eles vêm prioritariamente da África e do Oriente Médio, através de três rotas principais, que levam à Espanha, através do Estreito de Gibraltar (Mediterrânea Ocidental), à Itália (Mediterrânea Oriental), e à Grécia e Bálcãs (Fronteira Ocidental). O principal objetivo do presente estudo é analisar as políticas públicas de acolhimento e proteção de menores migrantes que chegam desacompanhados à Espanha e à França e sua conformidade com os principais instrumentos internacionais e europeus de proteção às crianças e aos imigrantes. Também é analisado o papel da sociedade civil tanto no suporte ao acolhimento e integração de menores imigrantes desacompanhados, como na defesa seus direitos através de campanhas de advocacy. / [en] Since the beginning of the 20th century, European Union countries have been the destination of thousands of children and adolescents who arrive unaccompanied without the protection of an adult. They come primarily from Africa and the Middle East through three main routes, which lead to Spain, across the Straits of Gibraltar (Western Mediterranean), Italy (Eastern Mediterranean), and Greece and the Balkans (Western Border). This study aims to analyse public policies for the reception and protection of migrant minors who arrive unaccompanied in Spain and France and their compliance with international and European principles for protecting children and immigrants. The role of civil society in supporting unaccompanied minors reception and integration and defending their rights through advocacy campaigns is also explored.

The on-going conflicts and hardships in various parts of the world, especially in theMiddle East and regions like Syria and Somalia, have triggered a significant wave ofmigration towards Europe. A considerable fraction of these migrants comprisesunaccompanied minors. This research study aims to explore how pre-migration,migration, and post-migration factors influence the mental health and well-being ofSyrian and Somali unaccompanied minors in Sweden during the asylum-seekingprocess. The study is qualitative in nature, employing six in-depth semi-structuredinterviews as its primary data collection method. Using the frameworks of the Senseof Coherence theory and coping theory, the research delves into the challengesunaccompanied minors encounter during the asylum process and the subsequentimpacts on their mental health. The findings suggest that the asylum-seeking processsignificantly impacts the mental health of unaccompanied minors, eliciting mentalhealth issues such as depression, anxiety, and feelings of uncertainty and insecurity.These influences are not confined to mental well-being alone but also permeate otheraspects of their lives. This study therefore highlights the necessity of acknowledgingand addressing the complex link between the asylum-seeking process and mentalhealth among unaccompanied minors.

This thesis explores how professionals working with unaccompanied minors (UM) perceive the uniqueness of this group in relation to substance use and prevention. Findings from the study suggest that professionals’ perceptions of UM’s uniqueness could be divided into five themes: financial situation; age; contact persons and authorities; prolonged waits at the migration agency; and access to health care. Drug use among UM was either perceived to be a result of the difficult experiences they have lived through or something that only certain (deviant) youth engage in. How professionals perceived the vulnerability and oppression of UM correlated with the attempts and efforts they made in providing preventative work against drugs. In terms of treatment, it was perceived as UM either got into treatment more easily compared to others, or that they faced various barriers. It is suggested that the additional barriers may be increasingly more evident after the UM’s 18th birthday.

The overall aim of the thesis is to explore legislators’ perceptions of unaccompanied children in the development of migration law, and how case-officers transform the policy in arguments for and against residency in asylum-cases. More specifically, this thesis explores how Swedish legislators experienced parliamentary work when putting in place the 2005 Aliens Act and the new system for appeals and procedures. In addition, it explores legislators understanding of the concept of unaccompanied minors, and how the Swedish Migration Agency (SMA) case-officers understand unaccompanied minors’ credibility. It draws on interview data with 15 legislators of the Swedish parliament and an analysis of 916 decisions in asylum cases concerning unaccompanied minors. The thesis is theoretically informed by interpretative phenomenology and social constructionism. The method used builds on detailed coding procedures in qualitative social research as they are applied in interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), thematic analysis and text analysis. Study 1 examines the experiences of 15 legislators when negotiating migration reform in parliament. The findings indicate that the preceding political negotiations can be one of the reasons for unclear aims when politicians’ propose new legislation. In addition, it seems that other policy areas, such as fiscal considerations and state-municipality relations, took precedence in the negotiations when the legislators were attempting to make sense of their experiences in discussing asylum policy. Study 2 explores legislators’ perceptions of unaccompanied minors arriving in Sweden. The findings show that chronological age is a key reference point concerning how legislators understand unaccompanied minors’ claims for asylum and other needs. In addition, the findings suggest that legislators perceive unaccompanied minors as an ambivalent category and that this understanding is influenced by deep-rooted welfare ideology. Furthermore, the findings indicate that legislators develop policy concerning unaccompanied children without considering that they need to be recognised as individuals with different backgrounds, agendas and needs. Study 3 scrutinises how SMA case-officers construct unaccompanied minors credibility in asylum decisions. It shows that case-officers use similar techniques both when approving and rejecting decisions. These techniques consistently question the competence and political agency of the chid in such a way that the element of individual assessment in asylum procedure can become severely restricted. In brief, this thesis identifies that the connection between migration and child policy is complex as legislators appear to struggle with “drawing the limits” of who to include or exclude in policy aims. Hence, the juridical field was seen as the answer to improve legitimation. This also means that the concept of asylum has become de-politicised. In addition, case-officers also seem to use a limited repertoire of arguments when drawing the limits for unaccompanied minors’ credibility in asylum decisions. This thesis points to possible dilemmas in asylum policy and procedure concerning unaccompanied minors. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Accepted. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p>

The purpose of this study has been to analyze - by the use of critical discourse analysis - how constructions of ensamkommande (unaccompanied minors) were expressed on Twitter in 2015. The purpose of this analysis has been to investigate what consequences these constructions might have for how people interpret and understand unaccompanied minors and what kind of impact that could have on the social work carried out for the target group. The material was comprised by every tweet written in Swedish and containing the word ensamkommande on Twitter during 2015. The study has been made from a social constructionist  perspective and the method for analysis has been Fairclough’s three dimensional model. The result showed that eight discourses could be identified. The majority of these could be said to have a negative attitude towards unaccompanied minors and portrayed them in a very negative way. The few discourses that could be said to have a positive attitude towards the target group also contributed to the very negative construction of them. The result also showed that the main producers of the material, and thereby the negative construction of unaccompanied minors, were private individuals, politicians, journalists and media. The conclusion is that the construction of unaccompanied minors could have a negative impact on social work since it can affect how people in general perceive the target group. This could lead to both structural and individual impact regarding the social work with unaccompanied minors. How people interpret and understand the concept of unaccompanied minors could affect how people vote in general elections which could lead to changes in legislation and policies to better answer towards the very negative construction of unaccompanied minors. Such changes of legislation and policies could have a negative impact on the social workers ability to maneuver in their work with the target group. There is also a risk that social workers incorporate the construction of unaccompanied minors so that the work with the target group may be based on prejudiced and general assumptions about them. / Syftet med denna studie har varit att med hjälp av kritisk diskursanalys undersöka hur konstruktioner av begreppet ensamkommande tog sig i uttryck på Twitter under 2015 och vilka konsekvenser dessa konstruktioner kunde tänkas få för människors förståelse av begreppet ensamkommande samt det sociala arbetet med ensamkommande. Materialet består av samtliga tweets på svenska innehållande begreppet ensamkommande som publicerades på den sociala medieplattformen Twitter under 2015. Vi har utgått från ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv och använt oss av kritisk diskursanalys med Faircloughs tredimensionella modell som analysmetod. I resultatet kunde åtta diskurser urskiljas. Majoriteten av diskurserna kunde sägas vara negativt inställda till ensamkommande och framställde ensamkommande på ett mycket ogynnsamt sätt. De få diskurser som kunde sägas vara positivt inställda till ensamkommande bidrog dock till den väldigt vinklade konstruktionen av målgruppen. Resultatet visade även att de aktörer som stod för störst del av materialet, och därigenom störst del av konstruktionen av ensamkommande, var privatpersoner, politiker, journalister och media. Slutsatserna är att konstruktionen av ensamkommande kan påverka det sociala arbetet, då den kan leda till att människor får en mycket negativt vinklad förståelse och uppfattning av ensamkommande. Detta kan i sin tur leda till att lagstiftning och riktlinjer som reglerar socialarbetares handlingsutrymme kan förändras för att bättre svara mot den negativa konstruktionen av målgruppen. Det finns även en risk att socialarbetare införlivar konstruktionen av ensamkommande och arbetet med målgruppen kan komma att utgå från fördomsfulla och generella antaganden om ensamkommande.