The Home Office has increased financial support for councils who look after asylum-seeking children, including a targeted 25 per cent uplift for local authorities looking after the highest numbers of such children.
Chris Philp, Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts, said: “Protecting vulnerable children is a key priority for this Government, and local authorities across the UK continue to provide invaluable support.”
Cllr Simon Blackburn, Chair of the LGA’s Asylum, Migration and Refugee Task Group, said: “We are pleased that government is providing additional funding for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
“This is positive recognition of the valuable role councils play in providing support to children and young people starting a new life in the UK.
“This funding will help to reduce the funding gap between what councils pay to support unaccompanied children seeking asylum leaving care and what they receive from the Government.
“It will also make it easier for the councils who want to play their part in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to step forward and support other areas with large numbers of unaccompanied children and care leavers.
“As the Government continues to work with councils and partners on revising the current national transfer scheme, it must recognise responsibilities for supporting unaccompanied children to quarantine immediately on arrival in the UK.”
There are currently more than 5,000 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children being cared for in the UK.