1. INTRODUCTION
Psychosocial age assessment is one of the aspects of the age assessment,
that is exercised in the case when there is an uncertainty about the age of
person during an administrative decision-making process , mostly in context of
migration. Thereto the UNHCR established guidelines (1997[1]):
“If an age assessment of the child’s age is necessary
the following considerations should be noted:
A) Such an assessment should
take into account not only the physical appearance of the child but also
his/her psychological maturity.
B) When scientific
procedures are used in order to determine the age of the child, margins of
error should be allowed. Such methods must be safe and respect human dignity.
C) The child should be
given the benefit of the doubt if the exact age is uncertain.”
Those guidelines which were in the past years established on an
international level and under the UHNCR lead are the pre-conditions of the
implementation of the age assessments, in particular of the psychosocial age assessment.
1.1. SIGNIFICANCE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS IN AGE ASSESSMENTS
The psychosocial age assessment has two aims:
a) an improvement of accuracy of
age determination
b) a determination of the actual
psychosocial maturity and of the needs which require support.
1.1.1. DEFINITION OF AGE
The concept of the age determination originates from an idea of a homogeneous maturation and development
process, which affects equally all dimensions of human development and all
individuals. This assumption is to be basically contradicted with:
a)
The
development of an individual is a heterogeneous process, which includes
biological and psychosocial dimensions;
b)
The
parameter of biological development (as in bones, dental growth and/or sexual
characteristics) can be collected with scientific methods; however their
assignment to a specific age section is associated with a scientific and
practical relevant inaccuracy factor[2];
c)
All of the dimensions mentioned above of development (biological and
psychosocial) could be influenced and modified by ethnic and bio-geographical
factors;
d) The psychosocial dimensions of
development are the factors which suggest a need for support of affected
person.
In the summary of an Expert Meeting in Vienna (2000), these aspects were
concluded as follows: “The legal issue
relates always to the
chronological age (the actual age); but there are juristic excursions
from this rule: in situations where the discrepancies between different
dimensions of age make the lower age a basis for decision, i.e. in the area of
criminal responsibility when a delayed
maturity underlies, furthermore, in child legislation with regard to the
compliance of treatment, and also in the civil law. There, where a high need
for protection of children is postulated
, all above mentioned age dimensions are considered, and a psychosocial
maturity is seen in the context of the chronological age. In the practice
frequently applied methods assess the biological age whereas, with some
possibility (as described above), is possible to determine the real,
chronological age. The psychosocial age is through employment of methods from
the developmental psychology only determinable when the language barriers and
culture differences are removed (KONSENSUSKONFERENZ 2000[3]).
Therefore, the psychosocial age
assessment, and all other specific age assessment methods as well, yield always only estimated values,
and in doubt, they should be interpreted in favor of the affected person.
1.1.2. ORIENTATION PARAMETER
The psychosocial age assessment should answer the following questions:
Which support needs the relevant person in:
o Housing
o Daily structure (work, education, free
time)
2. METHOD
The methods which are to be applied originate form the inventory of
clinical child and adolescent psychiatry as well as from the inventory of
developmental psychology which enfolds the INTERVIEW and OBSERVATION OF
BEHAVIOUR , and , therefore, are to be seen as a ‘diagnostic process’.
Two, one and half hour long
interviews (in a span of approx. 1 week) are applicable - if substantial disturbing factors such as
traumatic reaction, cultural shock, etc. are excluded - for an orientation
about the questions posed above as well as to improve the age assessment; we
call them a “clearing interview”.
2.1. SCREENING: THE CLEARING INTERVIEW
o Interaction during assessment (2)
o Social history and family composition (3)
o Development considerations, especially
activities roles (4)
o Educational History (5)
o Independence and self care skills (6)
2.2. OBSERVATION
In the daily life in the clearing center, the supplementary observations
could be made in following areas:
2.3. MATURITY CRITERIA
Maturity is a process, that extends over a
longer time period, and in different areas of development in a variable tempo
(inhomogeneous and heterochronic). Therefore there is no defined time point to
define “immaturity” and “maturity”. In
fact, it’s necessary to describe the
actual maturity state and following needs for support or autonomy needs in
specific areas. For these purposes the maturity status is evaluated in a 4 area scheme: physical, intellectual,
emotional and social criteria.
All following parameters of psychosocial development refer to a global timely classification solely for our cultural area, with the presumption of an “average” development. In real terms, all these developmental steps depend on ethnical and individual-biographical terms.
All the criteria
inhere that there are two investigations at two different point of time, a
mother language communication , and consideration of the ethnical cultural
area.
The application of the structured test
procedures (psychological test) can- if the culture- specific and language
aspects are considered - give complementary information. However the uncertainties
mentioned above should not be discarded during the evaluation.
The presented maturity criteria contain no
corner stone for the age assessment in the relevant time span until 18, but
they are components for the assessment
of needs for support and care in
terms of an “needs- diagnostic”; an increased degree of support and assistance
( for the juvenile) is to be granted by all means if:
[1] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
Guidelines on Policies and Procedures on Dealing with Unaccompanied Children
Seeking Asylum, February 1997, p. 5
[2] vgl. Royal College of Pediatrics: Der
Irrtumsspielraum beträgt in der relevanten Altersgruppe von 15 – 18 Jahren – je
nach Methode - etwa 1,5-5 Jahre.
[3] Experten- Konsensuskonferenz „Medizinische
Methoden zur Altersbestimmung im administrativen Kontext“ März 2000, Wien