Unaccompanied children in England and the United Kingdom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2420-8175/22854Keywords:
unaccompanied children, United Kingdom, missing children, education, religious identityAbstract
Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking children in England and the UK are known as UASC and are children who have fled from unstable and dangerous environments. They have endured perilous journeys to the UK, and a high number of these children suffer from physical and mental health issues. They face many barriers to settlement and integration into society in the UK. This article is contextualised within the framework of the rights of the child and the rights of the unaccompanied child and explores a number of key themes: the reasons why children flee and the journey to the UK, arrival procedures, initial assessment and health checks, education of the unaccompanied children, the importance of religion and religious identity and unaccompanied children who become missing children. This last theme is a matter of great concern as these children are very vulnerable and are often victims of exploitation, re-trafficking and child slavery.
References
Aleghfeli Y.K. and Hunt L. (2022), Education of unaccompanied refugee minors in high-income countries: Risk and resilience factors. In «Educational Research Review», Vol. 35, 100433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100433.
Arbeláez V., Crețu A-M. and Vitor de Paula Medeiros de Matos P. (2023), Missing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the UK. In https://policystudies.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/2023/11/16/missing-unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children-in-the-uk/ (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Armitage A.J., Cohen J., Heys M., Hardelid P. Ward A and Eisen S. (2022), Description and evaluation of a pathway for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. In «Archives of Disease in Childhood», Vol. 107, pp. 456-460.
Ayeb-Karlsson S., Valiquette T., Cockbain E. and Duran L. (2024), Behind closed Doors: A Storytelling Legal and Empirical Analysis of Human Trafficking Risks in Home Office Hotels compared to Other Accommodation for Unaccompanied Children and Young People Seeking Asylum in the UK. In https://www.ecpat.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=b6fe36f8-4e04-4d3a-81bc-990633b7067c (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Berry M., Garcia-Blanco I. and Moore D. (2015), Press coverage of the refugee and migrant crisis in the EU: a content analysis of five European countries, Geneva, UNHCR.
Câmara J.N. (2024), How do young refugees and their families encounter England’s education system, PolicyBristol. In https://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/policybristol/briefings-and-reports-pdfs/2024/PolicyBristol_Report96_Naftali%20Camara_young-refugees-education.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Chase E., Rezaie H. and Zada G. (2019), Medicalising policy problems: the mental health needs of unaccompanied migrant young people. In «The Lancet», Vol. 394, 10206, pp. 1305-1307.
Children’s Commissioner (2023), Unaccompanied Children in need of care. In https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2023/11/Unaccompanied-children-in-need-of-care-PDF.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Children’s Commissioner (2023), Looked after children who are not in school. In https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2023/05/cc-lac-not-in-school.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Clayton S. (2019), Narrating the young migrant journey: themes of self-representation. In S. Clayton, A. Gupta and K. Willis (edited by), Unaccompanied Young Migrants. Identity, Care and Justice, Policy Press, pp. 115-133.
Maioli S.C., Bhabha J., Wickramage K., Wood L.C.N., Erragne L., Ortega García O., Burgess R., Digidiki V., Aldridge R.W. and Devakumar D. (2021), International migration of unaccompanied minors: trends, health risks, and legal protection. In «The Lancet. Child & adolescent health», Vol. 5, pp. 882-895.
Crafter S., Rosen R. and Meetoo V. (2021), Precarious care and (dis)connections: Adults working with separated child migrants in England and their understandings of care. In «International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation», Vol. 10, pp. 92-103. https://doi.org/10.1027/2157-3891/a000009.
Dembour M-B. (2017), Surely Not! Procedurally lawful age assessments in the UK. In M. Sedmak, B. Sauer and B. Gornik (edited by), Unaccompanied Children in European migration and Asylum Practices, Taylor and Francis, pp.155-182.
Department for Education (2017), Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery. Statutory Guidance for local authorities. In https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a823a6e40f0b6230269b850/UASC_Statutory_Guidance_2017.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Drammeh L. (2019), Spaces of Belonging and social care. In S. Clayton, A. Gupta and K. Willis (edited by), Unaccompanied Young Migrants. Identity, Care and Justice, Policy Press, pp. 159-186.
Ekström E., Bülow P.H. and Wilinska M. (2019), ‘I don’t think you will understand me because really, I believe’ – Unaccompanied female minors re-negotiating religion. In «Qualitative Social Work», Vol. 19, pp. 19-735. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325019848481.
Eurostat (2025), Children in migration – asylum applicants. In https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Children_in_migration_-_asylum_applicants (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (2024), Lone Children seeking asylum in the UK placed in Home Office hotels are at increased risk of exploitation suggests new publication by UCL Researchers and ECPAT UK. In https://www.ecpat.org.uk/news/child-hotels-increased-risk-of-exploitation (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Gladwell C. and Chetwynd G. (2018), Education for Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Children: Access and Equality in England, Scotland and Wales. UNICEF. In https://www.unicef.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Access-to-Education-report-PDF.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
GOV.UK (2024), Reporting Year 2024. Children looked after in England including adoptions. In https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2024 (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
GOV.UK (2025,) UASC funding instructions to local authorities 2024-2025. In https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children-uasc-grant-instructions/uasc-funding-instructions-to-local-authorities-2023-to-2024-accessible (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Gupta A. (2019), Caring for and about unaccompanied migrant youth. In S. Clayton, A. Gupta and K. Willis (edited by), Unaccompanied Young Migrants. Identity, Care and Justice, Policy Press, pp. 77-101.
Helen Bamber Foundation (2024), Forced Adulthood. In https://www-media.refugeecouncil.org.uk/media/documents/Forced-Adulthood-joint-report-on-age-disputes-January-2024.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Hutchinson J. and Reader M. (2021), The educational outcomes of refugee and asylum-seeking children in England. An experimental methodology for analysing attainment, absence and exclusions. In Working Paper. https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Refugee_asylum_working_paper_-EPI.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Hutchinson J. (2025), Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Children’s Achievement. A Policy Briefing. In https://www.bell-foundation.org.uk/app/uploads/2025/05/EPI-Technical-Briefing-of-Refugee-and-Asylum-Seeking-Children_FV-1.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
International Committee of the Red Cross (2004), Interagency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children. In https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/legacy-pdf/4098b3172.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Just Right Scotland (2024), Unlocking Support: age disputed young people in Scotland. In https://www.justrightscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/24.09.16-Report-FINAL-APPROVED-_notes-checked.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Larkin R. and Woodcock Ross J. (2024), Unaccompanied migrant girls: navigating religious girlhood in the UK. In «Ethnic and Religious Studies», Vol. 47, pp. 3328-3348.
Missing People (2024), Good Practice Guidance. Supporting unaccompanied children who arrive in the UK and are at risk of going missing. In https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Missing-unaccompanied-children-good-practice-guidance-1.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Mohnani K., Seery P., Jayadel H., Raghunanan S., Cardoso Pinto A. M., Mathias F., Hargreaves D. and Foster C. (2025), Mental health screening in unaccompanied asylum-seeking children: screening tool selection and feasibility in the UK National Health Service. In «Primary health care research and development», Vol. 26, e37. https://doi.org/10.1017/S146342362400058.
Ní Raghallaigh M. and Gilligan R. (2010), Active survival in the lives of unaccompanied minors: coping strategies, resilience, and the relevance of religion. In «Child and Family Social Work», Vol. 15, pp. 226-237. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00663.x.
Ní Raghallaigh M. (2011), Religion in the Lives of Unaccompanied Minors: An Available and Compelling Coping Resource. In «The British Journal of Social Work», Vol. 41, pp. 539-556. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcq136.
Ögtem-Young Ö. (2024), The Shape of Belonging for Unaccompanied Young Migrants, Bristol, Bristol University Press.
Scott J., Mason B. and Kelly A. (2022), ‘After god, we give strength to each other’: young people’s experiences of coping in the context of unaccompanied forced migration. In «Journal of Youth Studies», Vol. 27, pp. 178-194.
Scottish Government (2025), Unaccompanied Children. In https://www.gov.scot/policies/asylum-and-refugees/unaccompanied-children/
The Fostering Network (2025), Fostering Unaccompanied Children seeking Asylum in the UK. https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/about-fostering/being-a-foster-carer/caring-for-a-child/fostering-unaccompanied-children-seeking-asylum-in-the-uk/ (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
United Nations (1948), Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
United Nations (1990), The United Nations Convention on the rights of the Child. In https://www.unicef.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/unicef-convention-rights-child-uncrc.pdf (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
United Nations (2005), General Comment No. 6 (2005) Treatment of Unaccompanied and Separated Children outside their Country of Origin. In https://www.unhcr.org/uk/media/convention-rights-child-general-comment-no-6-2005-treatment-unaccompanied-and-separated (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
UNHCR (2024), Global Tends Report 2024. In https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2024 (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
UNHCR (2025), UN Convention on Statelessness. In https://www.unhcr.org/uk/about-unhcr/who-we-protect/stateless-people/ending-statelessness/un-conventions-statelessness (consulted on the 10/10/2025).
Williams L. (2019), Durable Solutions when turning 18. In S. Clayton, A. Gupta and K. Willis (edited by), Unaccompanied Young Migrants. Identity, Care and Justice, Policy Press, pp. 187-208.
Williams B., Boullier M., Cricks, Z., Ward A., Naidoo R., Williams A., Robinson K., Eisen S., and Cohen J. (2020), Screening for infection in unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people. In «Archives of disease in childhood», Vol. 105, pp. 530-532. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2019-318077.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Stephen McKinney, Jennifer Farrar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
