UNISON Chief, Dave Prentis, has today written to the Acting Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), warning over the dangers of cutting funds paid to councils for caring and supporting unaccompanied child asylum seekers. Cuts of up to 15%* to some local authorities are set to create a two tier system, with child asylum seekers receiving significantly worse care.

Under the Children's Act, and equality duties, local authorities have a legal duty to all young children, regardless of where they are from, and these cuts mean many councils are in danger of flouting these duties.

The union is urging the Home Office, which is ultimately responsible for the UKBA, to think again about the needs of these vulnerable young people and restore funds to care for and support them properly.

Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:

"Unaccompanied child asylum seekers are some of the most vulnerable young people in our society. They come to the UK alone, seeking safe haven from terrible situations, and we should help them to rebuild their lives.

"Councils have a legal duty to protect all children, wherever they come from. Not only is it deeply worrying that children from abroad could get worse care than local citizen children - it is also illegal.

"We are calling on the Home Office and the UK Border Agency to think again about the needs of these vulnerable young children and stop these damaging cuts."

One of the worst affected local authorities, standing to lose £1.2 million or 15% of their grant for unaccompanied asylum seeking children is Solihull.

The cuts mean that plans are being drawn up to change the arrangements for caring and supporting these children, including removing those aged sixteen and a half from care, and putting them into independent accommodation.

The council is also planning to cut the number of social workers and support workers working on unaccompanied child asylum seeker cases, making them deal with higher caseloads.

Notes

*The research, carried out in the Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology at the University of Bath, was done by a team comprising academic staff, post-doctoral scientists, undergraduate students and a Sixth Form College student. The project was funded by Cancer Research UK and the student projects were funded by the Nuffield Foundation (an Undergraduate Research Bursary and a Science Bursary for Schools and Colleges) and a Bath-Shandong Pharmacy & Pharmacology Scholarship project.

Source:
UNISON