Since 2000, 15,000 unaccompanied children have entered the UK seeking asylum. Local authorities must provide them with accommodation, education, health and other services where necessary. This means keeping track of them, which is no small task.
The National Register for Unaccompanied Children (NRUC) was set up to do this. But a year on it emerges that 11 councils are failing to record data on the unaccompanied children in their care. As well as keeping them safe, registering results in continuity of care if they move between authorities. Without records no one will be any the wiser if they simply disappear, be it trafficked off to a life of degradation, or ending up with the wrong crowd leading to drug use, prostitution or crime.
There was scepticism in March this year at government proposals to hand over the care of all unaccompanied asylum seekers to a few councils in England. But, if some authorities are reluctant to protect these children, perhaps it is the best way. The Home Office has promised to address the inadequacies in services for unaccompanied children in a consultation paper due out next week. It needs to. If ever there was a case for taking the responsibilities of corporate parent seriously, this is it.
Related link
Eleven councils snub register to aid safety of asylum-seeking children
Comment: unaccompanied child asylum seekers
July 20, 2006 in Asylum and refugees
More from Community Care
Related articles:
Job of the week
Featured jobs
Employer Zone
‘Solutions can’t be scripted here – you have to be creative’
Putting a team around the social worker to make a difference to families
How working in residential care enables staff to build one-on-one relationships with young people
‘We will always challenge ourselves to transform our services to improve outcomes for children and families’
‘It’s our job is to observe the child, find their voice and be their advocate’
Employer zone – showcasing a selection of the sector’s top recruiters
Community Care Inform
Latest stories
Care review urges national social work pay scales to reward expertise and boost retention
‘Why only specialist child protection teams will tackle the annual child death toll’
Frontline’s social work qualification rates lower than other fast-track schemes’, data shows
‘Considerable investment’ in social work helps twice inadequate-rated council rise to ‘good’
Comments are closed.