“Do you really want this in front of a judge?”

Within the refugee population, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASCs) are those aged under 18 who have been “separated from both parents and other relatives and are not being cared for by an adult who, by law or custom, is responsible for doing so” (UNCRC, 2005; paragraph 7). Numbers of these young people in the UK have increased – 1,125 applicants in 2012 rose to 1,945 in 2014 and 3,253 in 2015 (Refugee Council, 2016, table 1) and the recent refugee crisis has brought new attention to unaccompanied children as they suffer and die in the Mediterranean, in Calais and the routes in between. A growing body of research explores the unique needs, circumstances and experiences of UASCs, including pre-flight experiences; loss of family; and difficult journeys with traffickers, agents, or smugglers (Chase, 2013; Hopkins and Hill, 2008; Home Office, 2013; Kohli, 2006; Thomas et al., 2004). This chapter focuses on those who are age-disputed, claiming to be under 18 but whom the authorities believe are older and who are age assessed by social workers (Home Office, 2013). Age assessments are increasingly common – from 318 age-disputes in 2014 to 766 in 2015, despite only a 56 per cent rise in UASCs (Refugee Council, 2016, 2017 tables 1–4). ¹ This chapter uses age assessments in Scotland to explore actor-network theory as a method for social work research.