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Prioritising empathy over efficiency to transform the futures of unaccompanied asylum seeking children

In the 12 months to June 2024, there were 3,412 asylum applications from unaccompanied children in the U.K. according to the Refugee Council. Unaccompanied asylum seeking children accounted for 1 in 5 children who entered care in the year 2023/24. Many of these children will have fled their homes because of political instability or war and will have experienced significant trauma. In West Sussex, the Child Asylum Team is an expert team of specialist social workers, supported by a dedicated team of foster carers, responsible for a number of such children, some of whom will have arrived in West Sussex and some who have been referred from Dover. Many children will have faced adversarial and even hostile experiences since arriving in the U.K. In “sometimes overwhelming” circumstances, the West Sussex team approaches every child with kindness and understanding. Their work is not only facilitating a fairer and kinder experience for these children, but in many cases is transforming children’s futures.

Putting children first despite many challenges


Laura Lacey  is the service manager at West Sussex. She was keen to point to the expertise and dedication of everyone on the team. The team is fairly small, says Laura, and the numbers of children that they see on an average week varies enormously, from just a few to as many as twelve. “Sometimes it can be quite overwhelming. There’s such a huge amount of work to do, especially at the beginning, because these children aren’t known to any service.”

Despite this, through each stage of the process, the children’s needs are put first as much as possible – although challenging, the team strives to prioritise empathy over efficiency. David Christie-Davies is a social worker responsible for conducting age assessments in West Sussex. Age assessments take place when the Home Office disputes the claimed age of a young person entering the U.K. and suspects they may legally be an adult. Often, young people who have experienced trauma and had long and difficult journeys appear older than they are, and arrive in the U.K. without any identification. David explains that taking a non-assumptive approach is vital. “If you simply look at a young person and decide they are older, then the assessment will automatically become adversarial. It’s so important not to make assumptions before the assessment has taken place.”

Also important is the environment in which the assessments happen. Meeting in a neutral environment such as a library or community centre can help the child feel far more comfortable. “We’re trying to make the environment sort of relaxed for the young person,” explains David. “So they don’t feel they are being interrogated. A lot of the young people we meet have had very traumatic experiences. We never continue with an assessment if a young person becomes distressed. Of course, this means the assessments are slower. We might take four days to complete an age assessment. It’s about asking questions in a non-interrogating way, and building a narrative. I want the young person to tell me their story. They have to feel safe in order to do that.”

It’s about asking questions in a non-interrogating way, and building a narrative. I want the young person to tell me their story. They have to feel safe in order to do that. David Christie-Davies, social worker, West Sussex

Incorporating holistic approaches


The team also uses holistic approaches which can help the young people to feel less isolated, less anxious and more trusting. Kristina Usaite is an occupational therapist and mental health practitioner specialist working with the West Sussex team. Speaking with many of the children she met, she realised that nature and wildlife had formerly been a huge part of their lives. This inspired her to set up a therapeutic nature group for the children in the region. Kristina explains that these kinds of projects should always come from careful consideration of the needs of the people who will use them. “The first thing to do is reflect, speak to the young people, find out if it’s relevant and valuable to them.”

Many young people I work with have experienced significant trauma and connecting to what is soothing for them could aid their healing. Kristina Usaite, occupational therapist and mental health practitioner specialist

Many young people I work with have experienced significant trauma and connecting to what is soothing for them could aid their healing.” In light of this understanding the wider team set up a therapeutic nature group for the young people. Whilst there, the young people (who are mostly aged around 16 and 18) learn about nature, emotional literacy and emotional regulation in a safe environment. For example, practicing calming the mind by tuning into nature via their senses, meditations, noticing beauty in nature, learning about native birds, trees, flowers and butterflies. They also learn to make a fire, make journey sticks and birdfeeders, and take part in activities such as drawing from nature, walks, games and making mandalas out of found objects such as leaves.

One of the biggest challenges in setting up the therapeutic nature group was time, as Kristina needed to undergo special training, write proposals and find a partner for the project before it could get off the ground. “You need at least one other person to run a project like this,” says Kristina, “and probably a third in case of emergencies. But there is some help out there, you can get bursaries for training, for example. If you want to do something like this you just have to believe in yourself, don’t give up, and take deep breaths.”

Still in its pilot stage, Kristina has already seen huge benefits for the young people involved, including reduced stress and anxiety. The group started out as one on one nature walks, but Kristina later changed this to larger groups when she realised that young people needed help to overcome the isolation they were experiencing.

Tackling the problem of isolation


Isolation is a major problem for many asylum seeking children and finding them a place that feels like a home is a huge step to overcoming this. Foster carers play an enormously important role in this. Unfortunately, at present, there are not enough foster carers to meet demand. The latest Ofsted figures reveal that in the year ending March 2023 there were 125,195 initial enquiries from potential foster carers in England. This was a drop of 9% on the previous year, and 2% lower than 2018-19. Only 6% of the initial 125,195 enquiries resulted in actual applications to become a foster carer (7,511). These figures relate to foster carers for all children, and are not specific to unaccompanied asylum seeking children, but highlight the overall lack of adequate foster care placements in England.

Every member of the team wanted to stress the value of foster carers like Sue Hollowell. Sue has fostered 11 asylum seeking children over a decade and maintains contact with all of them today.

Sue is a true champion for the foster children that she welcomes into her family, advocating for them at school and encouraging them to pursue their goals. “I’m a massive advocate for education,” says Sue “I think, as a foster carer, you get a chance to advocate for these children and fight for everything they need. And what we try to do is find out what their dreams and aspirations are, and then we go for it and try to make that happen for them.” 

One of the children fostered by Sue, Dominique, 21, is now studying for her nursing degree. Dominique reflected on how living with Sue was helpful for her. “In Cameroon, I didn’t have a chance to pursue my education,” says Dominique. “I wanted to be a paediatrician, but because I didn’t have my GCSEs I had to go to college first to get those. Mum [Sue] recommended I go into adult nursing first, because from there you can move to working with children.”

“It was not an easy journey for Dominique to get to university,” explains Sue “we really had to battle for her to be able to cram together her GCSE’s and A Levels at college. This is something many children struggle with if they are 16 or 17 when they arrive in the U.K. and miss the opportunity to go to school here. More education provision specifically for these children is needed”

Dominique also stresses how she had support from a range of people. “Also my social worker was really lovely. They asked me, ‘Would you like to go and stay with a family and have those people care for you?’ And I was like… erm yes! They said, ‘Don’t worry we’ll go first and have a look and you can see if you like it.’ I think for a lot of asylum seekers independent living can be very difficult. Mum was supportive from day one. Helping me with my English, for example, like watching TV with subtitles, things like that. After a few months, it really felt like home. I wish there were more people like Mum.”

I think, as a foster carer, you get a chance to advocate for these children and fight for everything they need. And what we try to do is find out what their dreams and aspirations are, and then we go for it and try to make that happen for them. Sue Hollowell, foster carer

Taking learning forward by offering training


According to data collected by the Department for Education, the proportion of unaccompanied asylum seeking children who are placed in foster care is falling. This is, in part, due to the rising numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children but is likely to be exacerbated by ongoing issues of recruitment and retention in the fostering sector. Children are instead being placed into independent and semi-independent placements, some of which have not been registered with Ofsted (see graph).

UASC placements


Across the whole team at West Sussex, each person puts empathy and understanding at the forefront of what they do. Challenges such as time and resources sometimes make this difficult, but this human approach is having a hugely positive impact long term for the children they work with. NFJO Associate Director for Practice and Impact, Dr Beverley Barnett Jones said: “When Nuffield Family Justice Observatory went to visit the team as part of our Practice Week, we were so heartened by their empathetic approach and by the level of expertise everyone on the team brings to their roles. This is so important for children who have had experiences of trauma. This is something that can, and should, be replicated across the family justice system, where all children deserve to be treated with respect, understanding, and to be heard.”

Sue is an example of how foster caring can have huge positive impacts for children. She is also a mentor for other foster carers and puts carers across the area in touch with one another. It’s about creating a sense of community where the young people can feel able to put down roots, she says. And creating that community means foster carers like Sue are better able to meet the unique needs of each child they foster. “If I have a child from a certain country, for example, I might message another carer with a child from that same place and see if they can speak to one another, give some reassurance, ask what they need, what food they might like, for example.” For Sue, creating this community makes it easier for foster carers because they don’t feel they’re facing challenges alone, and for the children they foster they feel more integrated into family life and the community.

This is something that can, and should, be replicated across the family justice system, where all children deserve to be treated with respect, understanding, and to be heard. Dr Beverley Barnett Jones, NFJO Associate Director for Practice and Impact

West Sussex are also working to change the system for the better and provide training for other teams working with unaccompanied asylum seeking children. 

If you would like to learn more about fostering, there is information available on West Sussex County Council’s website.

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The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory exists to find and fill the gaps in our understanding of the family justice system, highlight the areas where change will have the biggest impact, and foster collaboration to make that change happen.

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