Services failing applicants’ needs

Disabled asylum seekers are facing barriers to their daily care
needs, according to the author of a report out next week.

Keri Roberts, a research fellow at the University of York’s social
policy research unit, found that asylum seekers and refugees who
had experienced torture and war were greeted in the UK with
insufficient financial assistance for disability-related costs,
inadequate support from social services and unadapted
housing.

“Support arrangements for destitute asylum seekers fail to cater
for disabled people, and hard-pressed local authority social
services departments cannot obtain funding from the Home Office for
assisting asylum seekers who have personal care needs,” Roberts
said.

Meanwhile, community groups raised fears with chief secretary to
the Treasury Paul Boateng last week about asylum seeker children
missing out on the services provided by Connexions, the government
youth service. This offers 13 to 19-year-olds advice on a range of
issues, including relationship problems, homelessness and
education.

“Asylum seeker children may need the services provided by
Connexions more than many other children,” said Abdul Wahab Zaheer,
acting chairperson of the Society of Afghan Residents.

“They have housing needs, they have social needs and, on top of all
that, they are put in a school and expected to be up to the same
standard as other children.”