Critical Social Work and Unaccompanied Refugee Minors’ Social Inclusion: An Example of Critical Best Practice

This article presents an example of critical best social work practice with unaccompanied minor asylum seekers. Based on a critical perspective, it focuses on social and community work interventions in the first reception centre, established in Greece, before the huge influx of refugees in 2015, aiming to support, empower and achieve social integration of the hosted youths. Drawing from the first author’s narrative, recalling her practice experience in the field as an ‘intervening researcher’, the article discusses the actions taken through a critical perspective. Within this perspective, social work practice discussed here focuses on meeting the needs of the youths, defending their rights and empowering them, while building bridges with the local community to achieve their social inclusion. A critical perspective is used as an interpretative framework of analysis. It thus also underlines the critical role of the local community towards the integration of unaccompanied minors.