Conclusion

Abstract

This concluding chapter reviews the core questions addressed through the research and considers the implications of the findings for rethinking policy and practice. Young people are subjected to highly complex systems of immigration control intertwined with social support depending on their age, their status on the micro-level and, at the macro-level, a constantly shifting political landscape. Despite these constant shifts, the broad direction of the policy response has remained fairly constant. It persists in being shaped by state-centric views of migration, static conceptions of belonging, and a bias towards a political preference for return. Such path dependency underestimates young people's agency and willingness to embrace risk in their efforts to secure viable futures. The net result is a set of policies that fail to offer a durable solution or act in the best interests of either individual migrant young people themselves or society as a whole. Ultimately, unaccompanied children becoming adult is a global issue, a highly political issue and one that needs to be brought further to the fore in contemporary politics. It raises huge questions of responsibility and care for these young people in an increasingly globalized and connected world.