University of Bedfordshire / LSE CASE / South London Refugee Association / London Councils · 2025
This participatory research, conducted with and by unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people in London, explores their experiences of the asylum and care systems, their well-being, protection, and integration needs. Findings reveal that young people frequently face child-insensitive asylum procedures, lengthy waits for decisions, inadequate legal support, poor information about their rights, and significant gaps in social work support through the asylum process. The report makes wide-ranging recommendations to central and local government, including independent legal guardianship from arrival, faster and trauma-informed decision-making, and extended care support to age 25 regardless of education or immigration status.