Integrating unaccompanied refugee children, how does it work?

Title: Integrating unaccompanied refugee children, how does it work? A critical survey from the staff’s perspective [Translated title] Authors: Hampus Savolainen & Jonas Ohlsson Supervisor: Melker Labory Assessor: Kerstin Arnesson The aim of this study is to examine and analyze social workers perceptions on integrating unaccompanied refugee children. A raport published by UNHCR states that over 60 million people has been forced to leave their homes under the last few years due to war and tensions. The number of unaccompanied refugee children fleeing to Sweden has increased drastically, Now more than ever, questions about how to integrate these people in the most efficient way is important to study. In a qualitative approach, the study was conducted through seven interviews with representatives from residential care homes housing unaccompanied refugee children. By using semi-structured interviews to study the perceptions of integration among social workers at residential care homes we anticipated to find out what kind of perceptions they had on integration, and if they could identify any possibilities or obstacles regarding the integration of unaccompanied refugee children. The study shows that linguistic knowledge was considered as the key component when it comes to integrating unaccompanied refugee children. The study also showed that social workers felt forced to change work procedures from a qualitative way of working to a quantitative way, resulting in less contact with the children. According to our study, social workers at residential care homes for unaccompanied refugee children felt they didn’t have enough time to connect, build and nurture relations with the children on a daily basis. Our results underlines the importance of developing family like relations and friendships in order for to increase the unaccompanied refugee children’s possibilities to integrate into the Swedish society. The study shows that these kinds of relations are important for having a sense of well- being and purpose of life which strengthens the children and their will to move forward in life. Keywords: Integration, Unaccompanied Refugee Children, Residental care homes, Social wor