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ABSTRACT
In 2015, 35,369 unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) applied for asylum in Sweden, making it the number one destination country for URMs in Europe. URMs often face multiple social problems and mental health issues that can be the result of stressful pre-migration experiences, the migration experience itself, and integration challenges in Europe. Drawing on grey as well as peer-reviewed literature, this paper aims to provide insight into how Sweden deals with the reception of URMs in general, and which challenges social service systems faced during the height of the “European Migration Crisis in 2015.“ Particular focus is placed on the role of residential care settings in providing accommodation and care for URMs. A synthesis of the literature suggests that although Sweden can be seen as a country with long-standing experience in receiving migrants, the influx of migrants has challenged the welfare state in keeping its high standard of social support for URMs and maintaining the quality of professional social work interventions. Nonetheless, considerable efforts have been made to adapt existing services and create new psychosocial interventions.
Notes
1. Documents in Swedish were translated by the first author of this paper.
2. “Lag (2016, 752) om tillfälliga begränsningar av möjligheten att få uppehållstillstånd i Sverige” (Migrationsverket, Citation2017a; Sveriges Riksdag, Citation2016).
3. Transnational family can be defined as “a family that lives some or most of the time separated from each other, yet hold together and create a sense of collective welfare and unity even across national borders” (UNICEF, Citation2009, p. 1–2).
4. Within this context, a frequently disregarded aspect is the active maintenance of connections to parents or family members living abroad. The concept of transnational family life has been recognized in international research (Heidbrink, Citation2014; Monterde, Citation2018), and some research (Hedin, Citation2017) has noted the importance of social media (e.g., Facebook, Whatsapp, etc.) in maintaining connections. It is unknown to date how many social workers make deliberate efforts to foster connections with the family of origin living abroad, yet anecdotal evidence from the practice field suggests that few social workers place importance on this issue.