This paper proposes that promoting psychosocial well-being for unaccompanied minors (UAMs) involves therapeutic care to aid self-recovery, and finding ways to recover a sense of belonging and of being in control of their lives. Examples from a UK project’s work with UAMs illustrate the complex issues involved in helping these UAMs to gain a sense of belonging. It describes the psychosocial needs of this population due to separation and resettlement, the positive qualities they manifest, and reviews the findings of the literature regarding vulnerability and resilience in the population. The paper agrees with the findings that UAMs, as children, have understandable vulnerabilities fom their experiences, but also have qualities that help them recover and settle in their new environments.
