A teacher's experience of supporting young asylum seekers in detention

Unaccompanied minor (e.g. below 18 years) asylum seekers (UMAS) as school students bring a complex array of needs into the schooling system. This paper aims to capture the teaching experience of a classroom teacher within a TAFE setting for UMAS students (n= 15 students between the ages of 16 and 17) in Pontville Detention Centre in Hobart, Tasmania. The English as a Second Language (ESL) Community Program extended over a 7-month period (March 2013 - September 2013). As a reflective personal narrative case study this paper provides insight into how the ontological security paradigm was used to support UMAS students. UMAS students have complex needs from mental health to English language deficits and face continual challenges at all levels of their reintegration and settlement. Findings highlight that direct and explicit teacher training is required to assist UMAS students.