Comment on High Court judgement on UASC in hotels

ADCS President John Pearce said:

“Yesterday’s High Court judgement was clear that the routine housing of UASC in hotels is unlawful with local authorities holding the statutory duty to provide accommodation to children who are looked after, regardless of where they come from. The number of UASC arriving on our shores has continued to rise in the past few years yet we are no closer to developing a long-term response that allows us, as corporate parents, to fulfil our duties. Now is the time for a real step change towards a more sustainable system, one that is child-centred and developed in partnership with local authorities and our partner agencies.

“These children are extremely vulnerable and far removed from their families and local communities. We take our duty to provide support to these children and young people extremely seriously, however, our capacity to do so is limited by a lack of adequate funding and a national shortage of placements. Councils need the support of government to address the placement sufficiency challenges we all face as well as the increasing costs of placements and profiteering from the care of vulnerable children. We remain committed to working with Home Office and Department for Education to help them find a sustainable and systemic solution to these challenges.”

ENDS

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