Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
  • Publication
    Transitioning from Direct Provision to life in the community: The experiences of those who have been granted refugee status, subsidiary protection or 'leave to remain' in Ireland
    (Taskforce on Transitional Supports for Persons Granted Status in Direct Provision, 2015-09) ;
    This submission is based on the preliminary findings of research that is funded by the Irish Research Council under its New Foundations – Engaging Civil Society strand. The research was conducted in partnership with the Irish Refugee Council. A research team of academics and asylum seekers conducted interviews with ex-asylum seekers who have been granted refugee status, subsidiary protection or 'leave to remain', as well as with relevant stakeholders. A total of 22 individuals who had experience of living in Direct Provision (DP) hostel(s) were interviewed. Fourteen had already made the transition and eight were in the process of trying to move out. To date, five stakeholder interviews have taken place.
      984
  • Publication
    Vulnerable Childhood, Vulnerable Adulthood: Direct Provision as Aftercare for Aged-Out Separated Children Seeking Asylum in Ireland
    (Sage Publications, 2017-02-17) ;
    Ireland's approach to after-care for aged-out separated children is problematic. Currently, upon reaching the age of 18, most separated young people are moved to direct provision, despite the fact that the State can use discretionary powers to allow them to remain in foster care. Direct provision is the system Ireland adopts providing bed and board to asylum seekers, along with a weekly monetary payment. Separated young people in Ireland are in a vulnerable position after ageing out. Entry into the direct provision system, from a legal and social work perspective, is concerning. Utilising direct provision as a 'form of aftercare' emphasises Governmental policy preferences that privilege the migrant status of aged-out separated children, as opposed to viewing this group as young people leaving care. In this article, utilising a cross disciplinary approach, we provide the first systematic exploration of the system of aftercare for aged-out separated children in Ireland. In doing so, we posit two core reasons for why the aftercare system for aged-out separated children has developed as it has. First, doing so ensures that the state is consistent with its approach to asylum seekers more generally, in that it seeks to deter persons from claiming asylum in Ireland through utilisation of the direct provision system. Second, while the vulnerability of aged-out separated children is well-documented, the State (and others) ignore this vulnerability and are reluctant to offer additional aftercare supports beyond direct provision. This is due, we argue, to viewing aged-out separated children as having a lesser entitlement to rights than other care leavers, solely based on their migrant status.
    Scopus© Citations 19  1500
  • Publication
    Submission to the Working Group on the Protection System
    Social workers encounter asylum seekers in many different areas of practice. As frontline practitioners their views are important to consider at a time when the protection and Direct Provision systems are being examined in detail. Drawing on their professional expertise and experience, social workers in this study identified numerous ways in which the Direct Provision system proves detrimental to child development and child welfare, to family relationships and family life, and to individual mental health and wellbeing. In light of concerns that the system will have consequences for children and individuals for generations to come, social workers were strongly of the view that significant changes needed to be made in order to prevent these problems and ensure that children, families and asylum seekers generally are treated humanely and respectfully by the state and by all involved in providing for them.
      241
  • Publication
    Active survival in the lives of unaccompanied minors: coping strategies, resilience, and the relevance of religion
    (Blackwell Publishing, 2010-01) ;
    Asylum-seeking unaccompanied minors contend with numerous challenges as they adjust to living in a new country. Although increasing attention has been paid to their capacity for resilience, little research has been done on the exact manner in which they cope. This paper describes some of the insights gleaned from a qualitative study undertaken with unaccompanied minors living in Ireland. Six different coping strategies are identified, namely: (1) Maintaining continuity in a changed context, (2) Adjusting by learning and changing, (3) Adopting a positive outlook, (4) Suppressing emotions and seeking distraction, (5) Acting independently, and (6) Distrusting. These are described in turn. Particular attention is paid to the role of religion in relation to the participants' coping strategies.
    Scopus© Citations 125  3853
  • Publication
    Relationships with family, friends and God: the experiences of unaccompanied minors living in Ireland
    (Sense Publishers, 2011)
    In recent years researchers have begun to pay increasing attention to the circumstances of unaccompanied minors or separated children: children and young people under the age of 18 who are “outside of their country of origin and separated from both parents, or their previous legal / customary primary caregiver” (Separated Children in Europe Programme, 2004, p. 2). Records suggest that the first unaccompanied minor entered the Irish state in 1996. Since then, an increasing number of professionals and service providers have come into contact with this population group. Within various disciplines practice wisdom suggests that these young people are faced with a host of challenges, relating to their pre-migration experiences, their journeys from their countries of origin to Ireland, and their post-migration lives. Internationally, research findings lend evidence to these suggestions. They draw attention to experiences of oppressive circumstances and armed conflict prior to exile, abuse and exploitation en-route to Ireland, and loss of culture and loved ones and the challenges of the asylum and care systems whilst living in Ireland and other countries (Ayotte, 2000; Rea, 2001; Kohli & Mather, 2003; Thomas et al., 2004; Hopkins & Hill, 2006; Chase et al., 2008). Some authors have tended to focus on the vulnerability of these young people (Bean et al., 2007; Hodes et al., 2008; Rea, 2001) while others have highlighted their resilience (Robins & Rylands, unpublished data ; Wallin & Ahlström, 2005; Kohli, 2006a; Ní Raghallaigh & Gilligan, 2010).
      693
  • Publication
    Direct Provision as Aftercare for Aged-Out Separated Children in Ireland
    Ireland’s approach to after-care for 'aged-out' separated children is problematic. Currently, upon reaching the age of 18, most separated young people are moved to 'direct provision', despite the fact that the State can use discretionary powers to allow them to remain in foster care. Direct provision is the system Ireland adopts providing bed and board to asylum seekers, along with a weekly monetary payment. Separated young people in Ireland are in a vulnerable position after ageing out. Entry into the direct provision system, from a legal and social work perspective, is concerning. Utilising direct provision as a 'form of aftercare' emphasises Governmental policy preferences that privilege the migrant status of aged-out separated children, as opposed to viewing this group as young people leaving care. Utilising a cross disciplinary approach, this article reviews the literature to critically analyse these issues from socio-legal and social work perspectives. This analysis will be placed in the context of primary qualitative research with experiences of separated children and young people and key stakeholders. This article concludes, that the administrative and legal approaches to aged-out separated children tend to limit the ability of the State to provide adequate aftercare supports to these young people. Ultimately, their migrant status is privileged over their status as care leavers.
      296
  • Publication
      834
  • Publication
    Fostering separated children and young people: the experiences of carers
    (Irish Foster Care Association, 2013)
    This article is based on a research study which aimed to explore the relatively new practice of placing separated children and young people in foster care and supported lodgings.
      211