Colin Pettigrew, Chair of the ADCS Migrant Families Taskforce, said:
“An increasing number of unaccompanied children are fleeing desperate situations and seeking asylum in the UK, and we are seeing a high number of age disputes. It is important that local authorities are adequately supported to undertake age assessments which is complex specialist work, not least because the consequences of getting these decisions wrong for vulnerable children arriving here alone can mean they do not get the support and services they need and deserve. While the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) has increased its capacity to support the high numbers of age assessments there continues to be a significant demand on local authorities because of the number of young people arriving in the UK unaccompanied.”
ENDS
