In this essay, I will be talking about social work problems faced in the UK and how they are addressed. I will be focusing on asylum seekers particularly Unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC). These are children who are under 18yrs of age and applying for asylum in their own rights. I aim to highlight key areas in understanding the needs of these children while recognising that these are by no means homogenous, and therefore explain how these needs are addressed by social policies, legislature and social workers.
Many people in the UK coupled with media stories, tend to portray asylum seekers as bogus individuals who are here purely for economic gains (Teater 2014). This has led organisations such as Refugee councils and Refugee Action
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Moreover, there is no legislature in the UK setting out a minimum level of care for asylum seekers, financial support comes as weekly payments and and accommodation is on a no choice basis. However, this is different in cases of UASC as a statutory responsibility under section 17 and 20 of the children’s act 1989 and 2004 is triggered. This Act is triggered only after establishing that the child is indeed under 18, this then leads to an assessment with the child subsequently becoming a looked after child with an allocated social worker. The social worker is therefore a first contact for the child responsible for integrating the child into the community and taking care of their educational, social and emotional wellbeing. Consequently, an ongoing assessment is necessary to build an in-depth understanding of the vulnerabilities and competences of each child or young person to appreciate the risk or protective factors resulting from their circumstances and to plan service responses appropriate to their needs and wishes. There should therefore be emphasis placed on assessing the mental health of these kids because of the adverse experiences in their home countries and the distress experienced in an alien country or culture in which they find themselves. Weaver and Burns (2001) thus argue that social workers need a greater understanding of the impact of trauma to be effective with asylum seekers in general and UASC. However, many people who are exposed to traumatic experiences do not necessarily develop mental issues so social workers should be cautious about making assumptions as studies shows that most asylum seekers point to social and economic factors as important rather than psychological
My essay focuses on discrimination as one of the main challenges that refugees face. I discuss some instances of discrimination that occurred in the book, whether based on race or culture,
Phillips, J. (2011), ‘Asylum seekers and refugees: What are the facts?’, Background note, Parliamentry library, Canberra.
U.S. immigration law is very complex, and there is much uncertainty as to how it works. The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the body of law governing current immigration policy, provides for an annual worldwide limit of 675,000 permanent immigrants, with certain exceptions for close family members ("How the United States Immigration System Works: A Fact Sheet"). Around the world there are so many immigrants/refugees who are in the hunt for a fitter life. Some come from places where civil war occurs or some suffer economically trying to support their family. Knowing the fact that they are desperate to seek for a better life, the best option is to migrate to the U.S, the land of opportunities. The problem lies in the migration to the U.S. What are the quotas for new immigrants arriving to the U.S? What are the eligibility requirements to becoming a permanent citizen in the U.S? With much inquiry, this topic has become very intriguing. What people must understand is that
I ask you now to imagine such a life. It is impossible for us to imagine having to flee our homes and family simply because our beliefs or lifestyle are not deemed suitable. Furthermore, paying thousands of dollars to travel across treacherous oceans in shabby boats. The fact that asylum seekers are prepared to remain locked up in detention centres and be deprived of their freedom must surely tell us of the horrific circumstances from which they have fled. ******** PUT IN CLOSING PARAGRAPH.
...children, young people and their families can be both complex and difficult. Social work practice is one of the most challenging as it involves work with a diverse range of both professionals and service users. However, there is more that one single reason for this. As all professionals, agencies and parents continue to work together in various different cases, a variety of skills are required including: communication, preparation, intervention skills, assessment of significant harm, research of current legislation and decision making skills, all of which contribute to the complexities and difficulties of social work. It could be argued that these difficulties are highlighted most in many public cases of child abuse; moreover these cases can be seen to be changing social work practice, affecting the difficulties and complexities of working within this profession.
In such a heated topic, it is important to make the distinction between an asylum seeker and refugee. Definitions are disputed, but the UN uses the following definitions. A refugee is a person who has left their country due to legitimate fears of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, political views, or social class. An asylum seeker is someone who claims refugee status but has yet to officially gained said status. Often times, one might seek asylum in times of war or when one feels threatened by their government. It is important to note that while a definition seems straightforward, arge political controversies may arise depending on the...
They have been found to have detrimental psychological effects, as they leave refugees in a state of limbo, fearing their imminent forced return, where they are unable to integrate into society. This emotional distress is often compounded by the fact that refugees on TPVs in Australia are not able to apply for family reunification nor are they able to leave the country. Family reunification is a well-established right in Sweden, as well as most western countries. Moreover, it is a human right protected under the ICCPR whereby refugees have the right to family (Article 23) and the right to freedom from arbitrary interference with family life (Article 17). As a result of living in a state of uncertainty and heartache caused by family separation, refugees on TPVs face a “700 percent increased risk of developing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in comparison with PPV (permanent protection visa) refugees (Mansouri et al. 2009, pp. 145). Denial of family reunification under TPVs is likely to cause more asylum seekers to engage in illegal means to arrive in
The story I have just told you happened to an Afghani refugee named Chaman. You may be thinking ‘Oh no that is such an awful story! He must have the most unfortunate life!’, however, this is just one usual story out of hundreds and thousands of asylum seekers fleeing to Australia. Today I am here to educate you all on the truth about asylum seekers and why we must end the mandatory detention system and allow asylum seekers to come and live in Australia. Australia has resettled nearly 900000 refugees since the end of the 2nd World War, making one of the world’s most successful multicultural societies. However, with today’s government’s policy, those that are suffering in dangerous and hostile environments, those that are deprived of basic human rights and those that are seeking safety and peace, are banned from coming into the country and being sent back home or imprisoned in
The aim of this assignment is to analyse the development of British social policy, in relation to the development of children services. The author will explore the social policy responses to child protection from 1842 to 2011. This topic of social policy was chosen by the author because it is his area of social work he would like to practice in the future. In the beginning of the assignment the word will describe what social policy and child protection means in her/his own words linking it to other definitions. The essay author will analyse how child protection has develop looking at past legislation and how children’s deaths have influenced the way children services work today. Using different research the essay author will evaluate the benefits and challenges offered by inter-agency, inter-professional partnership working with children and families. In the conclusion, the authors will a brief description of what he/she have written.
Australia is a democratic country. A principal drawback of a modern democracy is that it often tends to overlook the interests of those least empowered. Among those most harshly dealt with in Australia are the poor, the marginalised and the asylum seeker. Asylum seekers and refugees count among those who remain ‘othered’ by Australian society and continue to suffer through an inability to exercise their rights and an existence that is dehumanised. This essay describes the human impact of Australia’s immigration policy and tells the powerful story of a voiceless girl. In doing so it highlights the general invisibility of asylum seekers in the eyes of the law and the desperate situations they face. What is at stake here is not just the persecution
For a large portion of history, Canadian legislation on refugees banned certain individuals from finding asylum in Canada. Specifically, individuals who were previously seen as a burden on social welfare were refused access into Canada. This proves that national policies, as well as social welfare legislations, saw refugees as a burden on social welfare (textbook). To clarify, refugees were being seen as a waste of social welfare resources, and policies were put into place that legitimized this negative viewpoint of refugees. This shows that the discrimination and oppression of refugees was present even in a system that was set up to help all members of Canadian society, including those that come to Canada seeking asylum. Therefore, the development of social welfare with refugees in Canada started off as labelling refugees as a “burden”, and there are still examples of this mindset in current policies and practices of social work with refugees. Such as the fact that refugees face extreme barriers in accessing health and social services (voices article). This is due to many factors, including the individual and systematic discrimination refugees face that might deter them from wanting to receive help, as well as prejudicial behaviors by health and social service organizations (textbook). Furthermore, there are political barriers that exist that
According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, refugee is a term applied to anyone who is outside his/her own country and cannot return due to the fear of being persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership of a group or political opinion. Many “refugees” that the media and the general public refer to today are known as internally displaced persons, which are people forced to flee their homes to avoid things such as armed conflict, generalized violations of human rights or natural and non-natural disasters. These two groups are distinctly different but fall ...
The social problem we have chosen to address is the mental health status of refugees. Refugees are exposed to a significant amount of trauma due to fear, war, persecution, torture, and relocating. The mental health illnesses that can affect refugees due to exposure to traumas include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Research indicated that refugees relocating from war-torn countries are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns because many have experienced early traumas and face further post-traumas after relocation (Cummings, et al., 2011). However, despite the prevalence of mental health issues concerning refugees, mental health needs often go unrecognized and untreated.
Globalisation has increased modern technology all over the world enabling more people, such as globally separated families, to maintain contact. Increased media coverage also draws the attention of the world to human rights violation which can lead to an improvement in human rights. This is not a reflection of all marginalised groups. In Australia, the detention of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) contravenes the United Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), however the media are prohibited to enter detention centres and report on this issue (Cemlyn and Briskman, 2003).
In relation to social transformation I have gathered materials that focusses on programs provided for ‘refugees’ living in New Zealand. The purpose of my findings are based on the societies support for ‘refugees’ in terms of human security and directions of life before settling in their new destination. There are stories about ‘refugees’ that need to be shared and stories that need to be forgotten, because it can produce controversy within the society or the universe. But where can these ‘refugees’ go if the place they call home is unsafe or too risky for the lives of their families and for themselves. It’s hard enough to migrate into a new country, but it is devastating for refugees who have experienced the loss of homes and loved ones.