International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
Volume 59, 2018, Pages 20-30

Recently arrived refugee children: The quality and outcomes of Best Interests of the Child assessments (Article)

van Os E.C.C.C.* , Zijlstra A.E.E. , Knorth E.J.E. , Post W.J.W. , Kalverboer M.E.M.
  • a Department of Special Needs Education and Youth Care, University of Groningen, Netherlands
  • b Department of Special Needs Education and Youth Care, University of Groningen, Netherlands
  • c Department of Special Needs Education and Youth Care, University of Groningen, Netherlands
  • d Department of Special Needs Education and Youth Care, University of Groningen, Netherlands
  • e Department of Special Needs Education and Youth Care, University of Groningen, Netherlands

Abstract

Best Interests of the Child (BIC) assessments provide migration authorities with behavioral information about which interests of the child could be taken into account before a decision is made on the request for a residence permit. This study provides insight into the quality and outcomes of BIC assessments with 16 unaccompanied children (15–18 years) and 11 accompanied children (4–16 years) who have recently arrived in the Netherlands and requested asylum (N = 27). The results suggest that BIC assessments provide relevant information that enables assessors to determine the best interests of recently arrived refugee children. The inter-rater reliability of the BIC-Questionnaire, an instrument that evaluates the child-rearing environment and that is one of the components of the BIC assessment, was fairly good. The children in the sample had experienced a high number of stressful life events and a majority reported trauma related stress symptoms or other emotional problems. The quality of the child-rearing environment in the country of origin had protected their development insufficiently in the past and would not protect their development sufficiently in the future. The results show that in many cases forced return to the country of origin can put children's development at risk. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

Author Keywords

(Un)accompanied refugee children Migration law Best interests of the child Mental health Assessment

Index Keywords

Netherlands refugee human Life Change Events Refugees life event controlled study asylum seeker Surveys and Questionnaires Humans psychology Adolescent male female Child Rearing reproducibility evaluation study Reproducibility of Results questionnaire Child Welfare clinical article interrater reliability standards Best Interests of the Child assessment psychometry Article emotional disorder Psychometrics life stress Outcome Assessment (Health Care) adult Social Environment outcome assessment psychotrauma Child Development Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85048495133&doi=10.1016%2fj.ijlp.2018.05.005&partnerID=40&md5=6984eb93fcdc8621ec44c99caff498a0
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2018.05.005
ISSN: 01602527
Original Language: English