Books, booklets & multimedia
Caring for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and Young People
By Eileen Fursland (BAAF 2007)
A series of pamphlets aimed at foster carers looking after unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people, consisting of an introductory pamphlet and three pamphlets that focus on young people coming from Eritrea, Afghanistan and Iran.
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people who come into the UK have been through difficult and sometimes horrific experiences in their home countries and in their journeys to a safe haven. They have had to leave their home and family to seek refuge in the UK and, through no fault of their own, find themselves alone and in need of care and protection.
These pamphlets aim to help foster carers and others learn about the circumstances these children have experienced, the effect of traumatic events on these young people, what their needs are likely to be, what issues are important for them now, and how they can help these young people cope with the profound changes in their young lives. Caring for these displaced young people is not an easy task, given the disruption and trauma they have suffered. Foster carers and residential care workers looking after these young people will find themselves playing a key role in their life and future.
The introductory pamphlet, titled Caring for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and Young People, provides an overview of the following issues: why these young people seek asylum; leaving home and travelling to the UK; what happens when they arrive; welcoming a child into your home; the child’s emotional and psychological wellbeing; health and disability issues; meeting the child’s religious and cultural needs; education and language issues; building trust and resilience; and much more. A list of useful organisations is also provided.
Five pamphlets focusing on children arriving from
Afghanistan, China,
Eritrea, Iran
and Somalia provide more
specific information about the respective countries of origin,
in order to give foster carers an introductory glimpse of the
kind of country, society and family this child may have come
from. This general introduction to a child’s culture,
habits and customs will help foster carers to make children
feel more at home and understand a bit more about their background.
Each pamphlet also contains a recipe from the country of origin,
and points to various networking groups, organisations and websites
from which foster carers can get more information.
Introductory pamphlet
Afghanistan
China
Eritrea
Iran
Somalia
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