Study title

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...