Thesis

The role of relational mentoring in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people to resettle in Scotland

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2026
Thesis identifier
  • T17590
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 202085589
Qualification Level
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • This study explores the role of relational mentoring in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people (UASYP) to resettle in Scotland. Despite the proliferation of mentoring and befriending programmes aimed at supporting the integration of young asylum seekers, this is still a neglected area of research. This exploratory study, conducted between 2021- 2023, used a qualitative enquiry, including interviews with eight young advisors with lived experience of the asylum process, ten UASYP in Scotland, seven of their mentors/befrienders and sixteen professionals engaged in work with UASYP. Mentoring is mostly evaluated as a stand-alone intervention, rather than being situated in a wider socio-political context. Similarly, most studies on mentoring focus on traditional dyadic models, where one adult supports the personal development of a young person, ignoring the role played by informal mentors and wider support networks. Adopting an ecological approach, this study explored the micro, meso, exo, macro and chrono aspects of mentoring and befriending with UASYP in Scotland. It examined the barriers and opportunities to resettlement for UASYP in Scotland and the role of relational mentoring in supporting their resettlement. The study also situates mentoring and befriending provision in wider care structures for UASYP. It draws on a number of theoretical perspectives including liminality, social anchoring and relational embedding to understand how UASYP in Scotland negotiate belonging and resettlement by utilising formal and informal mentoring and befriending networks. The thesis argues that UASYP occupy a number of liminal spaces: socio-spatial, temporal, ontological and imposed, which have implications for establishing belonging and resettlement in Scotland. Mentoring and befriending allow young people to ‘anchor’ to temporary ‘communities of belonging’ and ‘embed’ across different networks. Mentoring and befriending with UASYP support the psycho-social integration of UASYP by providing three core functions: developmental, acculturative and socio-emotional, helping young people to bridge liminalities and resettle post-migration. Re-conceptualising formal and informal mentoring and befriending with UASYP, the study proposes a more inclusive typology of relational mentoring with UASYP, based around the pillars of multimodality, relationality, multi-directionality and criticality.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Fawcett, Barbara, 1955-
  • Sime, Daniela
Resource Type
DOI
Date Created
  • 2025

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