Working for and with Unaccompanied Migrant Minors: Methodological Suggestions from the Field

The chapter discusses a model of social work with unaccompanied migrant children, that emerged from the “Cantiere Futuro” project, aimed at improving the UAM system of reception and integration in Italy by developing the skills and capacities of the professionals involved in this field. The theoretical background of the project is community work. The main idea is that the inclusion of UAMs in the local community requires working not only with young migrants but also with the different actors of the community, linking them, empowering and connecting the different resources. The model is based on personalization, active listening from a cross-cultural perspective, capacity building, participation, networking, and reflective evaluation; each of these must be translated into action in the three levels of social work: with UMCs, within organizations, and with the local community.