ABSTRACT
In this chapter the position of unaccompanied refugee children arriving in the UK is examined. The material presented here draws in particular on studies in the port of Dover within the local authority area of Kent County Council and in areas to which the children were dispersed. The focus here is on various mechanisms whereby children are categorised and placed in particular contexts of care specifically through processes of age determination and needs assessment. The regimes of care within which they are situated are examined in relation to their economic and legal determinants. These give rise to a mixed economy of care wherein service providers seek to meet often rapidly shifting legal requirements within contexts of severe constraints on resources.
