Exploring the Experiences of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) Within a United Kingdom (UK) College Setting

Sharma, Isabel (2025) Exploring the Experiences of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) Within a United Kingdom (UK) College Setting. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

There is an increase in the number of people claiming asylum (Home Office, 2025) within the United Kingdom (UK), along with ongoing global instability and potential traumatic experiences that individuals may encounter when seeking asylum, it is pertinent to explore their views in order to provide tailored support. Whilst there is a small but growing body of research exploring the perspectives of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC), this study seeks to add to this to support professionals and educational psychologists (EPs) working with this population and further understand UASC’s views.

The current research explores the experiences of UASC within a UK college setting and the potential impact on their emotional and educational needs. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews with seven participants who were classed as UASC and attended a specific college setting. The data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021) which provided five themes and 10 subthemes. The five themes consisted of: “Staff Support and Guidance”, “The Role of Meaningful Relationships”, “The Importance of Language as a Facilitator and Barrier”, “The Impact of the College Environment” and “Aspirations, Hopefulness and Optimism”.

This research highlights the importance of a number of key factors which may help to support UASC’s educational and emotional development. These include secure relationships and attachments, supportive staff, inclusive practices and welcoming environments. This aligns with school belonging theory and feelings of connectedness, particularly features identified within the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study (2009) and may provide a useful way of understanding the positive impact that aspects of the school microsystem may have on the emotional and educational needs of UASC. This research offers practical tools to support UASC’s educational experiences and wider implications for EP practice are outlined.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	13 Oct 2025 11:49
Last Modified:	13 Oct 2025 11:49
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100706
DOI:

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