Book review: Promoting the Emotional Well-Being of Young People Seeking Asylum in the UK

Promoting the emotional well-being and mental health of unaccompanied young people seeking asylum in the UK

★★★★★

Review by Lynn Baxter

Elaine Chase, Abigail Knight and June Statham

British Association for Adoption and Fostering

ISBN 9781905664504

This slim, accessible book offers an in-depth insight into the experiences of unaccompanied children and young people seeking asylum before, during and after their arrival in the UK. The views of experienced professionals are discussed but it is the poignant and powerful stories of the 54 young participants interviewed that provide compelling and enlightening reading.

I was struck by the descriptions of the children’s long and arduous journeys to the UK and how, for many, further losses and experiences of abuse while travelling exacerbate the emotional impact of the trauma they experienced at home.

Other chapters reveal the young people’s perspectives on the support offered by health and social care services, legal services, the importance of education for building emotional resilience, and the positive and negative aspects of their experiences of care.

I would recommend this as essential for all professionals and carers working in this field.

Lynn Baxter is a senior lecturer at the University of Greenwich

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