Comment: UASC funding announcement

Jenny Coles, ADCS President, said:

“Unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people have experienced a lot in their short lives, many will have fled their homes and families in search of safety and risked their lives along the way. They can be extremely vulnerable and need additional support to help them overcome the trauma they have experienced.

“Local authorities take our responsibilities for unaccompanied asylum seeking children seriously. We welcome this uplift in funding from the Home Office after a four-year review process but there is still a long way to go before we are fully funded for this important work. Though the uplifted rates may help re-invigorate the voluntary transfer scheme, many challenges remain, particularly the availability of suitable placements and the time it can take for the Home Office to make decisions on a child’s asylum claim. It is a good thing that local authorities looking after higher numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, at or above 0.07% of their child population, will benefit from uplifted rates for under 17’s, but care leavers continue to be excluded from the 0.07% threshold which means larger councils may not benefit from these uplifted rates. In recent weeks a steady flow of unaccompanied children and young people have continued to arrive here after perilous journeys and there is still no clear direction or support from government about testing and quarantine in these circumstances.”

ENDS

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