Staff experiences of working with unaccompanied asylum seeking young people

Posted 26th November 2024

Staff experiences of working with unaccompanied asylum seeking young people within a trauma-informed framework at the National House Project: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.

This small-scale study was carried out by Royal Holloway University between November 2023 and January 2024. Semi-structured interviews with ten staff members from NHP and LHPs were undertaken and explored their experiences of using a trauma informed practice framework to support asylum seeking young people.

Supporting young people who have often experienced trauma in their country of origin, on their journey to the UK and upon arrival in the UK can be particularly challenging. There are often differences in culture and language and these young people’s stories can also be hidden. There is little information other than what young people choose to tell us, and they may not be able to tell us everything as a result of the trauma they have experienced. The study showed, however, that staff are able to make strong and positive connections with these young people and use the ORCHIDS framework to make a difference to the support that is offered.      

The full report provides a comprehensive analysis and makes detailed recommendations for enhancing support for unaccompanied asylum seeking young people who are part of the House Project community..

You can access the full report here.