A special edition of Child & Family Social Work focusing on the lives and circumstances of refugee and asylum seeking children and families in several countries -- Australia, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom. Predominantly focusing on unaccompanied or separated children who come to these countries without an adult to look after them.

A special edition of Child & Family Social Work focusing on the lives and circumstances of refugee and asylum seeking children and families in several countries - Australia, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom. Predominantly focusing on unaccompanied or separated children who come to these countries without an adult to look after them. But equally importantly, many children are accompanied by adult members who seek asylum, and sometimes achieve their goal of full refugee status.

Papers include:

• The child's or the State's best interests - An examination of the ways immigration officials work with Unaccompanied asylum seeking minors in Norway- Ada Engebrigtsen
  
• Asylum, Children's rights and Social Work - Sarah Cemlyn and Linda Briskman
  
• How social workers work with African Refugee Children and their families - Toyin Okitikpi and Cathy Amer
  
• Promoting psychosocial wellbeing in unaccompanied minors in the United Kingdom - Ravi Kohli and Rosie Mather
  
• Unsettling the social in social work: responses to asylum-seeking children in Ireland - Alastair Christie
  
• The social services response to unaccompanied children in England - Fiona Mitchell

Each paper analyses the strength and weaknesses of the systems and practices in working with Asylum seekers and refugees.