Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (Kingston Processes)

Transcription

1 This document provides information about the processes for supporting Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children in both Kingston and in Richmond. Currently the processes slightly differ and this document therefore sets out the separate processes in each borough. The longterm aim is to develop a joint processes that operates across both boroughs. Contents Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (Kingston Processes) 1. Introduction/Definitions 2. Referral 3. Assessment 4. Decision on services offered 5. Refusal of services 6. Withdrawal of services 7. Review of service 8. Support under Section 17 (New Cases) 9. Support under Section Young people formerly supported under Section Placements 12. Areas of support for unaccompanied children and young people 13. Asylum status 14. Support for UASC turning Interpreting services 16. Finance and administration 17. Reference documents/ bibliography 1. Introduction/ Definitions Unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) and young people over the age of 16 are supported by the Leaving Care/UASC Team Children's Services in Achieving for Children. An unaccompanied asylum seeking child is defined by the Home Office as a young person under the age of 18 making an application for asylum in his or her own right and who "has no adult relative or guardian to turn to in this country". These young people may have arrived in the UK by themselves or with an adult who later abandoned them or who does not present as a suitable carer or guardian. UASC are supported within the framework of the Children Act 1989 as Children in Need, and this should be guided by the principle that they are "children first and foremost". However, there are also special circumstances facing these young people, particularly the fact that they are seeking protection under the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees, which defines a refugee as follows: 1

2 'any person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear is unwilling to avail himself to the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his habitual residence, is unable, or owing to such fear unwilling to return to it,' (Article 1). Research shows that the adversities affecting many unaccompanied young people include traumatic experiences as part of their flight, as well as separation from or loss of family members, and that an increasing number fall victim to international trafficking for exploitative purposes. 2. Referral 2.1 Referrals via the London Boroughs Rota System Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are usually referred via Croydon Children s Social Care (contact details in Appendix). The London Borough's Rota System has been devised in accordance with the Association of London Governments to deal with unaccompanied asylum seeking children. A referral is usually made by a duty social worker via telephone, but should follow by fax as soon as possible. The referral should take place before the young person is sent by Croydon Children's Social Care to Children's Services. It is therefore important that the referral is passed on to a duty worker as soon as possible, who should establish the following details: Full name and date of birth of the young person referred; Country of origin and ethnicity; Languages spoken and whether an interpreter is required; Asylum status (i.e. has the young person made a claim); Whether or not their age has been disputed by the Home Office. Croydon Children's Services will usually place the young person in emergency accommodation (often in the Croydon borough with a care provider) for up to 5 working days. The UASC is then escorted by the care provider to Children s Services. Appointments are usually booked in the morning, as a comprehensive assessment of need, risk and health (details in Documents Library) is undertaken by the social worker prior to the child / young person being placed in accommodation that afternoon 2.2 Local Connection In some circumstances, UASC may self-refer or be referred on the basis of a local connection. This is usually if they have a relative or close friend living within the Local Authority area. The establishment of a local connection forms part of the initial assessment process, and proof of address should be requested where appropriate. There may also be certain circumstances in which a young person presents to Children's Services as first point of call. If this is the case and there is no local connection to another authority, under the London Asylum Seekers Consortium (LASC) Pan London Protocol, the UASC can be escorted to the Home Office before 1pm or the next working day. In this circumstance, the UASC will be accommodated under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 by the local authority overnight and the Duty Worker will escort him or her to the Home Office (details in Documents Library). 2.3 Provision of accommodation pending a full assessment It may be necessary to place and support newly arrived UASC temporarily pending a full assessment, however, it is important to establish as much information as possible 2

3 and make arrangements for the full assessment before such a placement is made. This includes establishing if the young person has a local connection to another borough. Department of Health guidelines stipulate that while an assessment of their needs is carried out, UASC should usually be accommodated under Section 20, unless there are specific reasons that warrant an alternative response. This could be because the young person has access to suitable alternative accommodation in the meantime. 3. Assessment UASC are assessed according to the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. However, this generic framework needs to be adapted to their specific circumstances, and should be carried out with an appropriate interpreter. The assessment may include the following: 3.1 Age Assessment An assessment of age is carried out (details in Appendix) If there is no documentation to prove a young person's age; and Their physical appearance and demeanour suggests they may be older or younger than they claim to be; or If the Home Office has disputed their age. Age assessments should be carried out by two workers if practical, one of whom should be a senior practitioner. It is important to make the role of Children's Services clear to the young person who is being assessed. The assessment takes into account the following factors: physical appearance and demeanour, interaction, social history and family composition, developmental considerations, education, independence / self-care skills and health. Information from other sources, such as carers / key workers or medical reports also needs to be taken into account. A conclusion is formed based on the assessing worker's professional judgement on whether or not the available information casts considerable doubt on the claimed age of the young person. Age assessments are not an exact science, and young people should therefore be given the benefit of doubt. The young person must be informed at the end of the age assessment whether or not their age is accepted or disputed by Children's Services, and an appropriate interpreter should be consulted in order to explain the reasons of a possible age dispute. The young person must be given the chance to respond to the reasons for disputing their age claim, and this must be recorded. The Age Assessment Form contains a detachable decision sheet, which must be issued to the young person in age dispute cases. Good Practice also entails that the young person is given a copy of the assessment, or that this is forwarded to the young person's legal representative. In cases of age disputes, the Home Office needs to be advised on the outcome of the assessment, as they will usually amend their records accordingly. The last 2 pages of the assessment (conclusion and "form to be handed to the person assessed") and an accompanying letter, outlining that a full age assessment has been carried out and on what grounds the conclusion was reached, need to be faxed to the young 3

4 person's allocated Case Owner within the UK Border Agency London Area Children's Asylum Team. If a young person is assessed to be over 18, they may be entitled to support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) and the UK Border Agency. However, under Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, if the Home Office is not satisfied that the young person has made their claim as soon as reasonably practical or that they are destitute, they may not be granted support. The Refugee Council (contact details at the end of this document) provides assistance with applications to the UK Border Agency. Young people whose age has been disputed should therefore be referred to the Refugee Council for further advice. 3.2 Child in Need Assessment If a young person is accepted as a minor, the assessment is carried out using the Initial Assessment Form for Children in Need. Apart from establishing the young person's developmental needs, the following should be assessed: The circumstances under which the young person has left their country of origin and come to the UK; The immigration / asylum status of the young person and whether they have accessed legal advice. If they have not yet made a claim for asylum, they will need to present to an Asylum Screening Unit (usually Croydon) as soon as possible. The Children's Panel at the Refugee Council can provide assistance with the asylum process and help young people to access appropriate legal representation. It is important that young people have competent legal representation, as the solicitors will be responsible for preparing the young person's Statement of Evidence (SEF), forming the basis of their claim for asylum. However, this may mean that they have to travel considerable distances, as there is a decreasing number of solicitors who will deal with asylum and immigration matters; Where appropriate, the details / circumstances of the young person's local connection to the local authority should be established; If a young person has been staying with an adult, the relationship to that adult and their suitability as a potential carer should form part of the assessment, and this should inform the decision on services which may be offered. It is important to bear in mind that some young people may have encountered traumatic experiences, that they may find it difficult to talk about family members or that they may be suspicious towards Children's Services staff. A Good Practice Guide guides on conducting assessments of unaccompanied asylum seeking children has been published by the British Agencies for Fostering and Adoption. Where there are concerns that a young person may have been trafficked to the UK, the Police and Immigration Services should be involved and a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) form will need to be completed (details in Appendix). The London Child Protection Procedures, Safeguarding Trafficked and Exploited Children Procedure sets out the roles of different organisations and professionals and the course of action where there are trafficking concerns. 3.3 Documentation Most young people do not have any form of identification, apart from documents issued by the Home Office. These documents are proof of their immigration status and include: Asylum Screening Unit (ASU) documentation 4

5 If a young person has been accepted as an unaccompanied minor, they should have been issued with a special screening letter from the ASU; This screening letter should contain the date when they need to return to the Home Office (usually within 2-4 weeks). The young person will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult, such as a legal representative, social worker, keyworker or Refugee Council panel advisor; If the young person's age has been disputed, a different screening letter stating this will have been issued to them; Either Screening letter, or the first page of the Statement of Evidence (SEF) Form, should contain the Home Office Reference number (usually starting with a capital letter followed by several digits). This number is important for any enquiries to the Home Office. Asylum Registration Card (ARC) UASC are usually issued with the ARC photo card either on the day of their asylum claim or at their second screening appointment. This is usually their only identification with a photograph. The ARC card states the full name, Date of Birth, Nationality and languages spoken by the young person. Letter from a legal representative If the young person has a solicitor, they should issue them with a letter on headed paper confirming the fact that they will be acting on their behalf in immigration matters and stating the young person's current asylum status. A copy of all the above should be taken and placed on the young person's file. 4. Decision on services offered When a young person is accepted as a child in need for whom Children's Services has responsibility, a decision will be made on whether they should be accommodated under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 or supported under section 17. Where a newly arrived young person has no parents or suitable carers in the UK, the presumption of the Department of Health is that he or she "would fall within the scope of section 20 and become looked after, unless the needs assessment reveals particular factors which would suggest that an alternative response would be more appropriate". However, wishes and feelings of the young person, who may not want to become looked after, need to be taken into account. In some cases young people may wish to live with friends or relatives. If the needs assessment concludes that accommodation under section 20 is not a suitable course of action, young people will be supported under section 17, as detailed below. It is important to explain the implications of different services to young people as part of the assessment and decision-making process. Young people who, when presenting to Children's Services, are aged over 17 years and 9 months, will receive a limited leaving care service post 18 years old as a qualifying child. 5. Refusal of services The circumstances in which a family or young person may be refused a service are: 5

6 The young person has provided inadequate documentation; The young person has provided documentation believed to be fraudulent or tampered with in any way; There is an age dispute and an unaccompanied young asylum-seeker presents as over the age of 18. Where an Initial Assessment identifies that a young unaccompanied asylum-seeker does not meet the criteria for a service from Children's Services, but appears to be in need of services from elsewhere, the social worker will refer the young person to the appropriate agency which may be a different Children's Services authority, the Refugee Council, the UK Border Agency and/or an appropriate voluntary agency. In such circumstances, the social worker should make an appointment for the young person and advise him or her of the name, address (including a map where necessary) and contact number of the person with whom the appointment has been made. In addition, the social worker must fax a copy of the Referral Form and Initial Assessment Record to the relevant office. In all cases where a service is to be refused, the social worker must consult his or her manager before the decision is made and the letter confirming the decision is sent. Any correspondence received in relation to the decision should be referred to the manager. 6. Withdrawal of services The provision of a service is dependent on the young person continuing to qualify for the service and/or meeting the local authority's requirements, for example, where the young person does not keep the Department informed of their asylum claim, or where the young person is evicted from accommodation due to their conduct or behaviour or fails to attend appointments. The circumstances in which services to an unaccompanied young person may be withdrawn are: Where another adult wishes to assume Parental Responsibility and this is considered appropriate; If the young person is not residing in the accommodation provided (as evidenced, for example, by their failure to collect their weekly allowance, not engage with key work sessions and the absence of any belongings from their room); The young person's conduct - assault or extremely abusive behaviour - towards staff or the provider of accommodation; The young person has clearly stated that they do not want a service. The service should not be withdrawn without the agreement of the social worker's manager. Any such decision must be clearly recorded, with reasons. In all such cases, legal advice should usually be obtained before a final decision is made. Where a service is withdrawn, the social worker should inform the Finance Office, if appropriate, immediately. 7. Review of service Where a young person is Looked After, his or her case will be reviewed in accordance with the Looked After Reviews Procedure. 6

7 Any other services provided should be reviewed at least every 6 months. The young person should be invited to the Review and an interpreter should be booked as necessary. Where a Review confirms the service, the Plan should be updated to reflect this. Where services are withdrawn as a result of the Review, the relevant teams should be notified immediately. 8. Support under Section 17 (New Cases) The service under section 17 may include accommodation (in exceptional cases), financial assistance and social work support relevant to the developmental needs of the young person. This involves regular meetings with the young person (home visits, office appointments). The support under section 17 usually continues until they reach the age of 18, or until they no longer require support as children in need through other circumstances. If they are granted leave to remain, young people under section 17 may be able to access benefits (see section on Asylum Status). Issues around accommodation and support after their 18th birthday, such as application for relevant housing schemes, Housing Benefit, or, depending on their status, UK Border Agency support, need to be addressed through a Pathway Plan. 9. Support under Section 20 Young people who are deemed in need of accommodation and support under Section 20, will be offered a Looked After service. This is likely to affect the majority of new cases. The relevant procedures for accommodation under section 20 should be followed. The Contact and Referral form should be completed before the young person is placed. The allocated social worker is responsible for carrying out statutory visits every 6 weeks and for completing further LAC paperwork, including the Care Plan, referral for a LAC Medical, PEP and LAC Review In line with statutory requirements, LAC reviews will be held at regular intervals, during which decisions will be made on whether the young person should remain accommodated or become a relevant child. Particularly young people who have developed good self-care and independence skills may after some time prefer this to being formally looked after. In this case, young people will become de-accommodated through a review meeting. A Pathway Plan should be started no later than 3 months after the young person's 16th birthday. The Plan is subject to regular review, and follows existing procedures for children leaving care but should take particular account of the status and specific needs of unaccompanied children. For new UASC, a care plan is completed for the initial LAC Review and a pathway plan is incorporated as part of the second LAC Review. 10. Young people formerly supported under Section 17 7

8 As a result of the Hillingdon Judgement, young people who were formerly supported by a local authority under section 17 could be entitled to services as a relevant or former relevant child. In these cases an initial assessment of their current circumstances should be carried out, including issues around health, education, housing, income, social integration and community support and current immigration status. 11. Placements 11.1 Foster Care Young people supported under section 20 may be placed in foster care if this appears the best option due to their development and vulnerability. These placements need to be requested by application to the Fostering Team. Existing LAC / procedures should be followed for this Supported Housing For many young people aged 16-17, a placement in semi-independent supported accommodation may be more appropriate, where they receive support from key workers. It is important to take into account that young people may require additional support in the initial period after arrival. The Leaving Care/UASC Team will place UASC with care providers registered with LASC (contact details at the end of this document). Efforts should be made to place young people within or near Kingston or Richmond in order to facilitate access to local services. 12. Areas of supported for unaccompanied children and young people 12.1 Health Young people should be helped to access relevant primary health care services (GP, dentist, optician) as soon as possible after their arrival. This task is usually undertaken by carers or supported housing key workers, and needs to be addressed in Care Plans. For young people supported under section 20, a LAC Medical should be arranged as soon as possible, as most UASC will have no previous health records. The Designated Nurse for LAC should be notified, who will ask for UASC LAC referral form and the Family history UASC form to be completed by the allocated social worker (details in Documents Library). Once completed, the worker sends it back to the LAC Nurse to arrange a LAC Medical. In some cases it may be necessary for the LAC Nurse to arrange an interpreter Where the LAC Nurse is unable to get the LAC Medical carried out within the timescale, the child/young person's GP may be requested to undertake the examination. UASC usually have no health records, it is therefore important to establish as part of the initial risk / health and initial assessment process if they suffered from any medical conditions or are likely to have been exposed to certain diseases, which may be more common in their countries of origin. It is also important to establish whether the child/young person has completed an immunisation programme. If not, then the GP will be asked to commence an immunisation programme. As a precautionary measure, all UASC are screened for TB and UASC from Syria are tested for polio. For female UASC, it is also important to establish whether they have been the victim 8

9 of female genital mutilation (FGM) if that is the practice in their country of origin. If so, a referral will need to be made to the Women's Health Services, Department of Gynaecology at Guy's Hospital, London. A referral is ideally made by the LAC Paediatrician, as part of the initial LAC Medical. In these instances, it is important for a female LAC Paediatrician to undertake the health assessment. Experiences in their countries of origin or during flight may cause young people to suffer emotional problems- where appropriate referrals to counselling services such as Refugee Action should be considered (details at the end of this document). Freedom From Torture (details at the end of this document) provides specialist counselling and therapeutic support to victims of political violence and has a specialist Child and Adolescents team. However, there are long waiting times. In some cases, solicitors will have already discussed or made a referral to Freedom From Torture for young people to obtain a medico-legal report as evidence for their asylum claim Education Young people will need particular support in accessing appropriate education. For many, this includes English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes which are held at local colleges or community learning centres. In addition to this, UASC can access other courses for year olds at colleges of further education, and these should usually be free of charge, provided the young people are able to present Home Office documentation. The young people are also encouraged to continue education during half term and the summer holidays. If agreed, the allocated social worker will make a referral to International House London for further English classes. For children under the age of 16 years, a local primary or secondary school will be identified for them to attend. Good Practice also entails encouraging young people to maintain their first language. Libraries should have books in some more common languages, and young people should be provided with funds to purchase a dictionary. Refugee community groups may be able to offer further advice on language groups. The Refugee Training and Advisory Service (RETAS - contact details at the end of this document) may be able to provide specialist advice on education opportunities for young refugees. Young people in care or care leavers can apply for the education bursary fund (formerly Education Maintenance Allowance). The young person may receive a maximum bursary of up to 1200 annually which is paid by the college if the young person has good attendance Referral to the Refugee Council Children's Panel The Refugee Council Children's Panel can provide advice and support for UASC, particularly in the following areas: accessing appropriate and competent legal immigration advice, contact to refugee community organisations, advocacy or contact to family tracing services. If a young person is considered to be particularly vulnerable and in need of additional support, the Refugee Council may allocate a Panel Advisor who will have regular contact, usually during the initial period after a young person has arrived in the UK (details at the end of this document) Community Support 9

10 Young people should be supported in establishing community links, including access to local religious facilities, youth groups, Leaving Care groups and ethnic community groups. The Refugee Council or Refugee Action may hold social evenings for unaccompanied minors Family Tracing and Contact Where appropriate, a young person should be helped to make contact with the British Red Cross for international family tracing (contact details at the end of this document). It is important to bear in mind that this process might take a long time, be unsuccessful or even bring the young person bad news about their family. There are also risks of jeopardising the welfare of family members in the country of origin. Young people should be prepared for the fact that they will only be able to trace family members if they can provide enough details about last addresses etc. It should always be the decision of the young person to undertake family tracing, and the Red Cross will not take referrals from professionals. The Red Cross may advise a young person to write a letter to their family members if this is possible. 13. Asylum Status 13.1 Newly arrived UASC Newly arrived unaccompanied minors will usually be asked to return to the Home Office within 2-4 weeks. For this appointment, they should be accompanied by a responsible adult, i.e. a legal representative, Refugee Council Panel Advisor, social worker or key worker. It is important to establish who will accompany the young person. Particularly for young people who are looked after, Children's Services are seen to have a duty of care in this area. A letter from Children's Services needs to be provided to the Home Office to state that the unaccompanied minor is receiving support. In the first 4 weeks, young people will also need to see their solicitor to receive legal advice on their asylum claim and complete their Statement of Evidence (SEF) Form. In some cases, young people may need to be accompanied to some of these meetings by any of the responsible adults listed above. It is essential to discuss the importance of matters relating to their asylum claim with the young people, as well as to liaise regularly with their solicitors, particularly if the young person has received a decision on their claim or they are approaching Possible outcomes of asylum claims Timelines in which decisions on asylum claims are reached vary considerably. The following outcomes are possible: Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or refugee status Young people who are successful in their asylum claim are granted Refugee Status and Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. This gives young people the same benefit entitlements as citizens (subject to their status as eligible / relevant children, they may only be able to access DSS benefits after their 18th birthday). Only young people with refugee status are entitled to refugee travel documents, applications for family reunion and, after a certain period and providing they meet the relevant criteria, British citizenship Humanitarian Protection (formerly Exceptional Leave to Remain) 10

11 In cases where criteria for recognition as a refugee is not seen to be satisfied, the Home Office may grant a young person Humanitarian Protection on the basis that they would be in danger if returned to their country of origin. This used to be granted for a period 4 years, but is now usually for 3 years or less. Young people are entitled to public funds (i.e. DSS benefits and Housing Benefit) while they have leave to remain. Access to travel documents is very restricted (young people need to prove they have good reasons for travel and for not being able to obtain a passport from their national embassies) Discretionary Leave - usually until 18 If the Home Office does not recognise the young person (UASC) as a refugee or a person who qualifies for humanitarian protection, they may give the young person another type of temporary permission to stay in the UK. This permission is called 'discretionary leave to remain'. How long the young person is allowed to stay will depend on their circumstances, but it is unlikely to be more than three years initially. The young person can apply for an extension/further leave before they turn 18 years old. If this application is made within time (i.e. before the Leave to Remain expires), their right to stay (and to receive DSS / Housing Benefit) continues until a final decision has been reached. Current experience is that the Home Office's decision on whether or not an extension is granted can take a long time, and it is important to identify a contingency plan within the young person's Pathway Plan Refusal without being granted Discretionary Leave This is mostly the case if the Home Office have not accepted that the young person is a minor. In this case, the young person has the right to appeal. Appeal hearings can be very stressful for young people. It is important that the young person is supported to access competent legal advice. 14. Support for UASC turning 18 Support upon turning 18 depends on support arrangements: Section 17 support, except for young people affected by the Hillingdon Judgement, ends at 18. Young people supported under section 20 will usually be entitled to Leaving Care Services as former relevant children. However, their support entitlements depend on their asylum / immigration status (see above). Young people with ILR are eligible for benefits (Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance and Housing Benefit), as well as to enter employment. They are also entitled to apply for Council Housing. This applies similarly to young people with Humanitarian / Exceptional Leave extending their 18th birthday, with the possible restriction that they may not be offered permanent housing. Young people who have been granted Discretionary / Exceptional Leave until their 18th birthday and who apply for an extension within time (before the leave expires) are eligible for benefits while the application is pending with the Home Office. They should be assisted to apply for Housing Benefit. Finding accommodation which is covered by Housing Benefit may be difficult. In some cases, agreements may be reached with providers of supported accommodation. Accommodation needs of all young people post 16 years is currently under review. 11

12 If the young person reaches 18 without being granted status or if they are appealing against a refusal of asylum, they should be referred to the UK Border Agency, usually 3 months prior to the young person's 18th birthday, due to the length of time it takes to process each application. Under new rules, young people who arrived in the UK after 8 January 2003 are required to attend an interview to decide whether or not they are eligible for support (Section 55 Interview). Local Authorities have the responsibility to contact UK Border Agency / Immigration to arrange for an interview. If a young person's asylum claim or application for further leave has been refused, and they have exhausted their appeal rights and have no leave to remain, they are no longer entitled to funds from benefits or UK Border Agency. However, until young people have actually been served with Removal Directions (legal notice from the Home Office ordering their deportation), Children's Services may still owe a duty to support their basic welfare needs as former relevant children. A Human rights assessment will need to be undertaken within 3 months of the decision and sent to the Home Office (details in Appendix). Policy and legislation in this area is frequently changing, and further advice should be sought from a manager and, where applicable, Children's Services' Legal Department. Young people should be offered advice on Voluntary Returns Programmes (available from the Home Office IND website or the International Organisation for Migration). However, workers should be aware that some young people might be reluctant to consider returning to their country voluntarily. In those cases it may be necessary to discuss the possible alternatives, such as loss of entitlements to support at age 21 and subsequent destitution, possible detention and deportation. Although young people may be reluctant to discuss these potentially distressing issues with their allocated worker, they may find practical information and advice useful (such as carrying a list of important contact telephone numbers with them in case of detention, the availability of legal support, etc). 15. Interpreting services Interpreting services can be accessed via telephone if necessary, but a face-to-face interpreter should be used whenever this is possible to arrange. Currently the contracted interpreting service is KISADMIN (contact details at the end of this document). It is important to establish if the young person speaks a particular dialect of a language and request the interpreter accordingly. Consideration should also be given to gender preference, particularly for sensitive issues. The interpreter should be briefed about the circumstances of the meeting. When working with interpreters, professionals should be careful not to construct too long sentences, because information may be lost in the process. In turn, interpreters should be asked to feed back all parts of the conversation to the workers rather than clarifying directly with clients, particularly during assessments. It is generally advisable to use the same interpreter if several meetings are needed. 16. Finance and administration The financial support policy for young people aged 16 to 25, who are either looked after or receive leaving care services from the Kingston and Richmond is currently being reviewed. 12

13 Appropriate forms need to be completed for payments / accommodation requests: All accommodation requests must be approved by the Accommodation and Resource Panel, which is held fortnightly. Petty cash request form for cash payments, which can be collected Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm. Payments for unaccompanied children and young people follow separate budget codes to allow tracking of the costs for Home Office grant applications. 17. Reference documents/ bibliography Ayotte, W. (2000) Separated Children Coming to Western Europe: Why they travel and how they arrive, Save the Children, London. Department of Health (2003) Local Authority Circular 2003/13. Department of Health (2000) Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families, London: The Stationery Office. Home Office (2002) Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children Information Note, Immigration and Nationality Directorate. Kidane, S. (2001) Food, Shelter and Half a Chance: Assessing the needs of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children. Hillingdon Judgement Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010 (now archived). London Child Protection Procedures. Save the Children (2005) Young Refugees: A guide to the rights and entitlements of separated refugee children, 2nd edition, Save the Children England. Save the Children (2003) Young Refugees: Providing emotional support to young separated refugees in the UK, Save the Children England. Separated Children in Europe Programme (2000) Statement of Good Practice, UNHCR / Save the Children Alliance, 2nd edition. Somerset, C. (2004) Cause for Concern? London Children's Services and Child Trafficking, ECPAT UK. The following documents, referred to in the text above, can be found in the Achieving for Children TriX Manual Documents Library: Initial health and risk assessment template LASC Pan London Protocol Age assessment template NRM referral form UASC LAC referral form for a LAC Medical Family history UASC referral form Referral form to Refugee Action Kingston Human rights assessment template Useful contacts are set out below: Organisation Address Contact numbers Description Croydon Children s Unit Co-Ordinator Permanence Service ext. Coordinator for the Pan London Rota 13

14 Social Care Chief Executive s Department Corporate Services 6 th Floor Jeanette Wallace House 1 Edridge Road Croydon CR0 1FE referral for UASC Refugee Council Children's Section Head Office PO Box London E15 9DQ (Duty number) Panel of Advisors support UASC with asylum process, establishing community links etc. advocacy Provides advice to young people whose age has been disputed. KISADMIN Guildhall Two (Kingston) Tel: Fax: Provides face-to-face and telephone interpreters Should be used primarily when interpreters are needed. Freedom From Torture 111 Isledon Road Finsbury Park London N7 7JW Specialist Counselling / Psychotherapy for refugees who have suffered violence and persecution Have a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Team British Red Cross London International Family Tracing Services Details of London branches can be found at British Red Cross website Self-referral by the young person only but supported by the allocated social worker. Refugee Training and Advisory Service 14 Dufferin Street London EC1Y 8PD Educationaction website Provide advice to refugees and asylum seekers with education, training and employment London Asylum Seeking Consortium lascdata@we LASC is a central resource of knowledge and expertise for London 14

15 stminster.gov. uk local authorities who deliver services to UASC. 15

16 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (Richmond) Introduction/ Definitions Unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) and young people over the age of 16 are supported by the Leaving Care/UASC Team Children's Services in Achieving for Children. An unaccompanied asylum seeking child is defined by the Home Office as a young person under the age of 18 making an application for asylum in his or her own right and who "has no adult relative or guardian to turn to in this country". These young people may have arrived in the UK by themselves or with an adult who later abandoned them or who does not present as a suitable carer or guardian. UASC are supported within the framework of the Children Act 1989 as Children in Need, and this should be guided by the principle that they are "children first and foremost". However, there are also special circumstances facing these young people, particularly the fact that they are seeking protection under the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees, which defines a refugee as follows: 'any person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear is unwilling to avail himself to the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his habitual residence, is unable, or owing to such fear unwilling to return to it,' (Article 1). Research shows that the adversities affecting many unaccompanied young people include traumatic experiences as part of their flight, as well as separation from or loss of family members, and that an increasing number fall victim to international trafficking for exploitative purposes. UASC Arrivals Post Rota Referral Check referral to see whether the young person is age disputed and needs an age assessment Check accommodation is available Complete transfer form and send to LASC Arrange an arrival date, interpreter and room Arrange post interview meet up with the accommodation provider Initial Interview Welcome this is what we do social care is separate from the asylum decision making process What we will be providing for you accommodation / money, clothing Feelings about proposed placement Detailed reason for claiming asylum Journey to the UK Family relationships and pen picture 16

17 Are you in contact with them / would you like to be? Where from? Family / friends in the UK? Health ( immediate issues ) - we will arrange a health assessment, GP, dentist Mental / emotional health how are you feeling having just arrived in the UK? Your education / what are you interested in doing? We will arrange English lessons for you Independent Living Skills in particular budgeting / cooking If Albanian, give copies of the Care Leavers Guide and Financial Provision The Living in London guide is available in French, Albanian, Portuguese, Amharic, Tigriniya, Dari and Pashto Subsequently Complete PP Pt 1 with the assistance of the accommodation provider ( within 45 working days of the arrival date ) Ask the accommodation provider to put together a detailed ILS plan Arrange a Health Assessment with the LAC nurse Ensure ESOL is arranged Ensure GP, dentist and optician registrations are set up Ensure HO / Legal rep appointments are arranged 17