Lone child asylum seeker dispersal scheme ‘failing to help gateway councils’

A national dispersal scheme is failing to ease the burden on gateway councils looking after lone child asylum seekers entering Britain, it is claimed.

Kent County Council (KCC) said just 48 under-18s have been permanently transferred from the county to other local authorities since the voluntary scheme launched two months ago.

The number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children sent to other areas is failing to keep pace with the number of new arrivals in Kent which has topped 90 in the same period, the Conservative-led council said.

Part of the problem stems from too few local authorities signing up to the voluntary national dispersal scheme, and urgent action was now needed for the Government to make it mandatory, officials added.

Peter Oakford, KCC’s specialist children’s services cabinet member, said: “The voluntary scheme is not working and Kent is continuing to care for a hugely disproportionate number of these young people.

“While we are very grateful to those authorities who have signed up to this scheme, the vast majority have not stepped up and accepted their responsibilities.

“We need Government to make national dispersal mandatory as a matter of urgency.”

Kent is currently caring for more than 1,400 young migrant people. In January, the county had just over 900 unaccompanied migrant children aged under 18 in its care.

Migrants continue to come into Europe from countries in north Africa and the Middle East, with many ending up in Calais where the 9,000-strong camp known as “the Jungle” is based.

As Kent is the closest British county to northern France, KCC has had its services stretched since the start of the migrant crisis, fuelled by ruthless people traffickers charging vulnerable people thousands to be smuggled across the English Channel.

Council bosses have reported huge pressures on foster carers, social workers, school places, accommodation, healthcare and tutoring in English as a second language.

Dover and Deal Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke said: “Yet again it’s Dover and Kent that have to bear the brunt of the Calais crisis.

“In Dover and Kent we are on the frontline of people traffickers and their evil trade of modern slavery. We are caring for vastly more than our fair share of unaccompanied migrant children.”

Mr Elphicke added it was “high time” other councils “did their bit”.

Concerns have also been raised about the dispersal scheme running alongside other initiatives, including the resettlement of Syrian refugee families and the amendment from Labour peer Lord Dubs forcing the Government to say it will take more child refugees.

Mr Oakford said: “There is a lack of clarity and direction from Government as to the responsibilities and priorities of councils under these arrangements.

“We urge Government to make it clear that supporting the unaccompanied young people we already have in the UK is an urgent priority.”

Refugee Council policy manager Judith Dennis said: “As a country, it shouldn’t be beyond us to ensure that children who’ve arrived here alone in search of safety receive the specialist support and care they need to begin recovering from their experiences and rebuilding their lives.

“Of course it makes sense for this responsibility to be shared more evenly among local authorities.

“But the Government must give councils who haven’t cared for unaccompanied children before reassurance that they will be provided with enough resources to develop the services they need in order to care for these children properly.

“If that happens, it’s likely more local authorities will step forward and offer to help.”

There were 3,472 asylum applications from unaccompanied children in the year ending June this year, a 54% rise compared with the year ending June 2015.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We have been clear that the responsibility for unaccompanied children must be shared fairly between local authorities in a way that protects the best interests of children and ensures that no local authority is asked to take care of more unaccompanied children than they can cope with.

“That is why we have introduced the national transfer scheme and are working closely with Kent Council to reduce the number of children in their care.

“Since June, we have consulted with every region in England, Scotland and Wales on their capacity. If we are to make the voluntary transfer scheme a success, we need more local authorities to participate in the scheme and offer places for unaccompanied children from councils which are caring for disproportionately high numbers.

“To support this process, we have substantially increased the levels of funding we give to local authorities for providing care.”

Daily rates that the Home Office gives to local authorities for providing care for children under 16 rose in July by 20%, while rates for those aged 16 or 17 went up 28%, and by 33% for care leavers.

Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said: “It is encouraging that some local authorities have overcome the challenges to resettle nearly 50 lone child asylum seekers over the last few months and it is important that more get involved.

“There is additional cash available from the Government for authorities who accept these vulnerable children under the transfer scheme.”

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