DOI: 10.5255/ukda-sn-854232
title: Here to Stay? Identity, Belonging and Citizenship among Settled Central and Eastern European Children and Young People in the Uk, 2016-2018

description: This was the first large scale study in the UK focussing primarily on the experiences of young people aged 12-18 born in Central and Eastern Europe who had moved to the UK after the enlargement of the European Union in 2004. It looked at issues of identity, citizenship and belonging, as experienced by young people from a Central Eastern European migrant background, also in the context of Britain’s exit from the European Union. The study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, to elicit young people’s views. In addition to young people, some key service providers with direct experience of working with migrant groups were also interviewed and in a small sample of case studies, family members of young people also shared their views. The project uncovered and documented the lived realities and experiences of young migrants in the UK, soon after EU Referendum in 2016– something which has been highlighted in policy reports, and by service providers, as a significant gap in existing understandings of young migrants’ settlement in the UK and a barrier to bringing evidence-based improvements in policy and practice. The data was gathered during fieldwork which took place between October 2016 and April 2018. A range of qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis were used to facilitate the study, and a multi-faceted approach to understanding young migrants’ and plans for long-term settlement in the UK were employed. Integral to the design were methods which engaged not just the young people themselves, but also their family members and stakeholders, to draw out lived experiences and practical insight, facilitate dialogue and develop policy and practice responses. These methods included: • A survey completed by young people aged 12-18 who had lived in the UK for at least 3 years, after migrating with their families from countries in Central and Eastern Europe; 1,120 young people took the survey between October 2016 and April 2017 (not all complete responses); • Expert interviews with 24 service providers, such as school managers, representatives of NGOs, employers and other relevant figures; these were completed between January and December 2017; i) Twenty focus groups with 108 young migrants aged 12-18 in Scotland and England, including 50 female and 58 male participants of 10 nationalities (mainly Polish, Romanian, Lithuanian); these took place between June and November 2017 and relied on some participatory activities; ii) Case studies with families, including 20 young people and family members each young person invited to a family interview. These case studies included 13 Polish, 5 Hungarian and 2 Latvian families. The work with families included two family visits, a ‘catch up’ Skype call between visits, young people completing a scrapbook and producing photos and videos on a tablet given to them by the project team. The second visit included a discussion of the scrapbook produced by the young person and a family activity, where family members came together to discuss their experiences of migration, challenges and how these were overcome, issues of identity and belonging, family relationships, plans for future, especially in light of the impact of Brexit on their status and residence rights. The cases were completed between December 2017 and April 2018.