Social Services and Migrants Alastair Christie Department of Applied Social Studies UCC

Research interests Relationships between migration and welfare ‘Social work’ as a welfare ‘profession’ working with migrants

Migration and welfare Bauman’s garden state - welfare state Welfare as a key form of social regulation Gatekeepers to resources, forms of detention External and internal borders of the nation state External borders - involvement in immigration procedures (e.g. separated children) Internal borders - immigration status linked to entitlement to welfare provision (e.g. habitual residence condition) Changing nature of the social - increasing importance of types of mobility and immobility

Welfare and social solidarity Loyalty to the nation-state and social solidarity was encouraged through the development of welfare states How is social solidarity fostered in a globalised world marked by migration? How does the ‘post-welfare’ state respond to migrants? Is integration a remnant of the old welfare state model?

‘Social work’ as a welfare ‘profession’? Definition of social work to ‘promote social justice’(IFSW) Social workers educated to work in a ‘multicultural society’ Anti-racist practice

My research Responses of social workers to migrants since the mid-1990s Social workers’ particular role in relation to separated children / unaccompanied minors seeking asylum Based on a pilot study of social workers and documentary analysis Immigration, Residence and Protection Legislation - social policing

Questions raised by research on separated children Children or asylum seekers - ‘best interests of children’ (only certain children?) Being drawn into a quasi-legal role Age determination Specialized child care service (universal?) Different levels of service for children with different immigration status

More questions… Inadequate resourcing of services Responses to separated children in care who ‘disappear’ Assessment of family re-unification Should separated children be part of the refugee application process? Multiple, changing and competing understands of ‘childhood’ No national policy. Social profession responding differently in different regions

Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill - ‘social policing’ All foreign nationals including those under the age of 16 years have to provide identification. (Immigration Act under 16 not required to produce ID) Failure to cooperate - a criminal offence Biometric data for under 14 - collected in present of person acting in loco parentis (social workers) Requirement to carry ID - who will be asked for ID? Facilitating deportation. Hand over children to immigration officers, collection of data, obtain travel documents, sign documentation Failure to cooperate - a criminal offence.

Future research My research is about mapping changes in welfare responses to migrants and particular migrant children who become social work clients. ‘[c]hildhood is the extensively governed sector of person existence’ Doubly governed as child and asylum seeker. Need to undertake research on other welfare service users (e.g. mental health service users) ‘Integration’, welfare state and welfare professionals

References Editor: Special edition of the Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies on Asylum and Social Service Responses, 7(2), 2006 (with Kenneth Burns) 'From racial to racist state: question for social professionals in working with asylum seekers', Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, (7(2), 2006 pp 'Editorial: Community and Social Service Responses to Asylum Seekers', Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, 7(2), 2006, pp (with Kenneth Burns) 'Globalization and changing discourses of 'childhood': new challenges for the social work profession in Ireland', in Peter Herrmann (ed.) Citizenship Revisited: Threats or Opportunities of Shifting Boundaries, New York: Nova Science, 2004, pp 'Unsettling the 'social' in social work: responses to asylum seeking children in Ireland', Child and Family Social Work, 8 (3), 2003, pp 'Asylum seekers, refugees, migration and the social work profession in Ireland?', in Christine Labonté-Roset, Ewa Marynowicz-Hetka and Jerzy Szmagalski (eds.), Social Work Education and Practice in Today's Europe: Challenges and the Diversity of Responses, Katowice: Slask, 2003, pp 'Responses of the social work profession to unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the Republic of Ireland', European Journal of Social Work, 5 (2), 2002, pp 'Asylum seekers and refugees in Ireland: questions of racism and social work', Social Work In Europe, 9 (1), 2002, pp