Assisting the least among us: Social work's historical response to unaccompanied immigrant and refugee youth

Based on primary and secondary source materials, this article traces the evolution of social work's response to these needs during the past two centuries. It identifies some common and conflicting themes in the profession's assessment of the issues faced by UAC, and the purposes and outcomes of the interventions developed. It concludes by examining how the treatment of this population reflected the goals of assimilation, exclusion, or structural change, and how these goals continue to influence contemporary policy and practice.