The South-East coast is a unique peri-urban settlement site for asylum seekers, due to processing centres in nearby Kent and Croydon, Hastings' longstanding use as a dispersal centre, and growing refugee communities. Few studies exist of i) how the mental health experiences of young people during critical times of transition are addressed by mental health service provision; ii) ways mental illness aetiologies are informed by demographic and political transformations globally, and in the South-East coast as a specific locality iii) the relevance of young refugees' experiences for mental health policy and public debate. This study will develop an interdisciplinary approach to mental illness and related treatment within historical processes of demographic, regional and individual transition (Khan 2017). Methods could include in-depth interviews and focus groups with clinical and community service providers and young people, small-scale ethnographic insights in user settings, and to coproduce critical bridgework during information exchange sessions between young people, carers, and service providers. Findings will be shared with relevant stakeholders to inform public health policy for marginalised groups (Zeeman et al 2017), specifically, adolescents affected by war and migration on the South-East coast.