Precarious Care and (Dis)Connections

Abstract. Adult stakeholders who work with separated child migrants (SCMs) face a substantial challenge to their capacity or remit care amid increasingly hostile immigration environments. This paper explores diverse range of adult stakeholders' understandings the SCMs, filling an important gap in understanding how is conceptualized by those working often complex and contradictory positions. Drawing on literature, this study focuses 15 qualitative semistructured interviews state nonstate England (e.g., social work, law, police, NGO workers). We argue that stringent practices, policies, bureaucratic structural challenges undoubtedly present personal tensions professional constraints for whose role meant foreground “care.” Importantly, when taking into account different perspectives, roles, responsibilities across professions sectors, our respondents were constrained varying ways had room maneuver within institutional contexts. Our analysis suggests environment, connections between SCMs are treated mistrust unstable over space time. experienced mutually constituted policies procedures, roles out-with systems, values perspectives. It where constraints, enablers, resistances play out. Care subjectively experienced, relationships open potential (dis)connection