The Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (UAMs) Who Commit Crimes: An Empirical Research on Uam's, Voluntary Guardians, and Social Workers in Italy

UAMs are extremely vulnerable subjects due to a “double transition” situation, which sees them not only being alone and away from home, but also having faced a complex and difficult journey, often not without trauma. In their situation there is a strong risk of a "third transition" which entails an aggravation of the problems related to being an UAM with entry into the criminal circuit. The work with UAMs within the Juvenile Justice Services shows greater or in any case different complexities, compared to taking charge of Italian children and accompanied foreign minors, which involve a constant involvement of social workers and a challenge in the construction of paths of social integration. The feeling of failure and frustration that emerges in social workers with respect to the difficulties in taking care of children who are often "invisible" without documents, with different alias and extremely vulnerable due to their young age, the traumas they have suffered and the loneliness experienced, it is sometimes compensated by successful integration paths, often built on the basis of the “creativity of the social worker”, where with a significant adhesion of the minor and a valid network work, it is possible to build lasting projects.

These reflections led to research starting from the voice of the UAMs, of the voluntary guardians who have them in charge and of the social workers of the Juvenile Social Service Office, which allowed food for thought and methods of work enriching.

The main results will be presented: on the one hand the experiences of trust and sharing of paths from the other feelings of frustration and helplessness with respect to the challenges to be faced both from the point of view of UAMs, voluntary guardians and social workers. The practical implications of the research examined will also be analyzed.