'Opening Hearts and Homes': An interpretivist study of the social support received by unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in a multicultural urban Local Authority.

Towers, Katherine Laura (2019). 'Opening Hearts and Homes': An interpretivist study of the social support received by unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in a multicultural urban Local Authority. University of Birmingham. Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

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Abstract

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (‘UASC’) are some of the most vulnerable young people in our society and face challenges before, during and after their journeys to their countries of settlement. Nevertheless, relationships and social connections have been found to be instrumental in supporting UASC to reconcile their past experiences and adapt to life in their new country. Drawing on identified areas for development within ‘Middleworth’ Local Authority (LA), a large multicultural urban LA in England, this small-scale interpretivist study investigated how social support could be optimised in the LA to support UASC’s wellbeing, settling and integration. A preliminary focus group explored five foster carers’ (FCs’) conceptualisations of their experiences of developing trusting relationships with UASC. A nested case study was subsequently conducted with three UASC who had been fostered by the same family. Within individual semi-structured interviews, their perceptions of the formation and function of their relationships with the key people in their lives in Middleworth where explored. Themes were generated from each data set using qualitative analysis methods. A final synthesis of findings proposes how components of a UASC’s social environment can facilitate their pathway towards integration and self-actualisation within the context of a tolerant, diverse community.

Volume 2 - Four professional practice reports

A collection of four professional practice reports detail work undertaken by a trainee educational psychologist in an Educational Psychology service.
The titles of the reports are as follows:
1. Perceptions of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) amongst British-Pakistani and Bangladeshi parents of children with SEND
2. ‘The Yellow Nursery’: A staff development and organisational change project using the ‘RADIO’ model
3. “I want to step up.” The therapeutic use of PCP in the case of a child experiencing heightened levels of anxiety
4. Using video methods to support competence in dynamic assessment use

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

Supervisor(s):