Directors warn over asylum policy

The Association of Directors of Social Services has warned the government about the implications of its laws to encourage asylum seekers whose applications have failed to return home.

The ADSS said the piloting in north London, Leeds, Bradford and Greater Manchester of the withdrawal of accommodation and support for families whose asylum applications have been refused conflicted with the duty on local authorities to safeguard the welfare of children.

The ADSS warned that the use of section nine of the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004 was likely to result in judicial reviews of individual cases where Home Office refused support and councils were forced to take children into care.

The warning followed the case of Ngiedi Lusukumu, a mother of six who last month became the first person to face the prospect of being forcibly separated from her children after losing her appeal against the use of section nine.

More than 100 other families living in the pilot areas are understood to be facing a similar fate.