Towards understanding the experiences of agency of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people in the UK

This study explores the experiences of agency among unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people navigating the UK asylum system. While existing literature often frames unaccompanied young people through a lens of trauma and vulnerability or resilience, this research shifts the focus to examine whether and how young people experience agency within the asylum system and what this looks like. Using a qualitative approach, the study employs semi-structured interviews with 14 participants - young people as primary participants and professionals in the field as secondary participants. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings reveal that agency among young people appears to be dynamic, relational, and interdependent, shaped by their particular context and their interactions with others. Factors such as safety, support, and status facilitate the expansion of agency, whereas prolonged uncertainty, a hostile and complex system, and the impact of the work on professionals constrain this experience. Agency was also noted to impact their self-perception positively. This research considers agency as a therapeutic dimension to be taken into account when working with young asylum seekers and refugees. It also contributes to critical discussions on agency in the context of asylum and refugees, offering insights into perspectives on young people, the impact of quality of support, the importance of funding, and the efficiency of the asylum system itself.