All councils with children’s services will be mandated to care for some of the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arriving in the UK.
Councils have been given legal notice to accept transfers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children into their care because of large numbers of arrivals.
The Home Office says it will consider a number of factors when transferring a child to a council, including the existing child population, the number of supported asylum seekers, and pressures on children’s services, as well as the best interests of the child.
Cllr James Jamieson, LGA Chairman, said: “Councils have a proud history of welcoming new arrivals in their communities and the majority of councils have stepped forward voluntarily to offer homes and support to asylum-seeking children.
“They will want to continue to work closely with government to ensure the rights and needs of children are at the heart of these new arrangements. These need to enable local partners to give children the help they need, including mental and physical health support and appropriate education.
“Councils continue to face challenges in finding appropriate homes, with ongoing issues around centrally led age assessment and delays in decision-making adding uncertainty for both councils and young people.
“These new arrangements must continue to swiftly take into account existing pressures in local areas, with greater join-up across government to improve engagement with councils on all the programmes that support new arrivals to start new lives in the UK.”