The Social Services' respons to the "refugee crisis"

The reception of unaccompanied minors

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyse the organization and perception of the Social Services’ reception of unaccompanied minors during spring 2016. At that point in time, the number of asylum-seeking unaccompanied minors had increased rapidly, and, from a Swedish perspective, reached extreme numbers within a very short period. The article is based on a survey of the Social Services’ resources, organization, and measures taken in relation to unaccompanied minors. Despite a governmental ambition to integrate and normalize the reception of unaccompanied minors into the regular child protection system, theresult indicatesthat the Social Services have specialized activities and actions in relation to this increasing client category. This study provides no evidence that the specialization led to better quality. On the contrary, results indicate a positive correlation between quality and an integrated organization for reception. Above all, the study suggests that resources, overall collaboration and committed politicians have been crucial for the ability to adjust support according to needs and to follow up measures taken. Given the timing of the study, it is noteworthy that a majority of the respondents were relatively satisfied with the support offered to unaccompanied minors. However, they also highlighted shortcomings in