Events > Child Health and Well-Being: Improving Services for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children

Event Details

Title:

Child Health and Well-Being: Improving Services for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children

Date:

Tuesday 23th February 2010

Time:

10:15am — 4:30pm

Venue:

One Whitehall Place at The Royal Horseguards, London

“The UK Border Agency will seek to ensure that children are treated in a way that safeguards them, promotes their welfare and promotes their upbringing by their parents ... Are seen first, foremost and fully as children rather than simply as migrants subject to immigration control ... Keeping children safe from harm has to be defined widely but sensibly. ‘Harm’ means the ill-treatment or impairment of health or development of a child. ‘Development’ means physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development; ’health’ means physical or mental health; and ’ill-treatment’ includes sexual abuse and forms of ill-treatment which are not physical …”
— UK Border Agency Code of Practice for Keeping Children Safe from Harm, December 2008

“We are alarmed by the accounts … of traffickers training children to present themselves as unaccompanied asylum seekers in order to be placed in insecure care, often near the port of entry, which the trafficker can persuade or coerce them to leave … We recognise that one element of the problem is that many have not been identified as victims of trafficking, but we are of the view that no unaccompanied asylum-seeking child should be placed in such a vulnerable situation … ”
— House of Commons Home Affairs Committee Report on Human Trafficking in the UK, May 2009

Overview

Since 2003, the Government has sought to underpin its pledge to ensure that every child grows up happy, healthy, safe and able to fulfil their potential in life. Whilst the Care Matters implementation plan, ‘Time to Deliver for Children in Care’ (2008), endeavours to bridge the gap between national policy and local reality for children in care, the Government acknowledges that much more must be done to promote the well-being of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Having fled traumatic experiences and travelled great distances, unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the UK often arrive with complex psychological needs, poor physical health and no support network. Immigration procedures, isolation and inconsistent access to health, social, financial and educational services can add to these negative experiences and cause long term damage to their well-being and development. As a result of the inadequate provision of basic needs and lack of familial support, asylum seeking children are particularly vulnerable to homelessness, poverty, crime, trafficking and exploitation. Furthermore, the large numbers of asylum seeking children that go missing from local authority care has strengthened calls for greater multi-agency working, robust support and suitable secure housing in order to safeguard the welfare and well-being of vulnerable asylum seeking children.

This special Public Policy Exchange Symposium, hosted by the Centre for Parliamentary Studies, offers a timely opportunity for UKBA staff, children’s services, education sector and third sector practitioners to discuss current progress in improving the health and well-being of asylum seeking children. The Symposium will consider how to develop greater multi-agency working to ensure every child receives the level of specialist care they need and are able to access the services needed to improve their physical and psychological health and overcome cultural, religious and language barriers to enable them to succeed in education and integrate into their local community. Delegates will have the opportunity to debate, network and share best practice in improving outcomes for unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Programme

09:30

Registration and Morning Refreshments

10:15

Chair’s Welcome and Introduction
Ravi Kohli, Professor of Child Welfare, Head of Applied Social Science, University of Bedfordshire (confirmed)

10:30

Panel Session One:
Improving Services and Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

Ensuring the Physical and Psychological Wellbeing of UASC
Removing Barriers to a Comprehensive Education
Overcoming Language, Cultural and Religious Differences, Providing Positive Activities and Assisting Integration into the Community
Providing the Appropriate Legal Advise and Ensuring Access to all Necessary and Specialist Services

Judith Dennis, Policy Adviser for Unaccompanied Children, Refugee Council (confirmed)
Nadine Finch, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (confirmed)
Cllr Roger Lawrence, Chair, Steering Group on Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, Local Government Association (confirmed)

11:15

Morning Refreshments

11:30

Open Floor Discussion and Debate with Panel One

12:30

Networking Lunch

13:30

Panel Session Two:
Safeguarding the Security and Welfare of Vulnerable Children

Improving Training to Identify and Safeguard Vulnerable or Trafficked Children
Preventing the Exploitation of the Care Home System through Increased Supervision, Secure Housing and Multi-Agency Working
Working in Partnership to Deter Involvement in Crime and Reduce Reoffending
Meeting Basic Economic Needs and Providing a Comprehensive Safety Net

Lisa Nandy, Policy Adviser, The Children's Society (confirmed)
Debbie Beadle, Training and Youth Coordinator, ECPAT UK (confirmed)
Philip Ishola, Service Manager, Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, Children's Services, London Borough of Harrow (confirmed)