WIREDGOV

Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the Local Government Association's Asylum, Refugee and Migration Task Group, responds to the Government's announcement of a national dispersal scheme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children

"Councils have a strong track record of supporting refugees, including children travelling alone or those in extended family groups. The vast majority of councils across the country already provide care and support for unaccompanied asylum seeking children, and continue to stand ready to provide care and support to those who need it.

"A co-ordinated national mechanism will mean children are placed more fairly across the country, with better access to the services and support that they need. We have long argued that placements for unaccompanied children need to be carefully planned at a national level to ensure that there is sufficient funding, care placements and support services available, and this simply isn't the case while a small number of councils are left to look after large numbers of refugee children.

"However, we are concerned that the Government is still unable to clarify the long-term funding arrangements for councils looking after unaccompanied children, or provide any detail of how a national dispersal mechanism will operate. No council should be made to choose between supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children and providing vital services for their local community, and these outstanding questions must be resolved as soon as possible.

"The extended funding boost for children arriving into Kent recognises the current shortfall facing councils caring for unaccompanied children, and it is crucial that this arrangement is now extended into a properly funded national scheme to support all areas struggling with increased numbers. If powers to direct local authorities to take legal responsibility for additional children and young people are to be enacted, they must be recognised as a new burden and resourced accordingly.

"If any increased resettlement programme is to be introduced alongside these existing pressures, it must be phased in over time and planned in full partnership with councils to ensure that services are able to cope with this additional demand. Any new scheme would also need to be aligned, and funded, alongside existing schemes for resettling refugees and unaccompanied asylum seeking children to ensure there is sufficient capacity to support vulnerable people. The Immigration Bill proposes to remove support from certain categories of migrant after the age of 18, so government must be careful that any children who enter the country under this proposed scheme are not left in limbo once they reach adulthood."