Councils unsure of responsibilities

Councils are not sure about what services they
are obliged to provide for asylum-seeking children, the
government’s joint committee on human rights was told last
week.

Giving
evidence on the UK’s implementation of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child, Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights
co-ordinator Jennifer Turpie said some councils in Scotland assumed
asylum-seeking children were not entitled to their
support.

“If
the government agreed asylum-seeking children are as entitled to
rights as other children this would streamline the provision of
services to them,” Turpie said.