West Sussex Councillor Criticises Local Authorities Not Taking In Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

A West Sussex councillor has criticised local authorities which have not taken in unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

West Sussex currently cares for 97 youngsters – though that number changes daily – a fact of which Stephen Hillier (Con, Haywards Heath East) said the county should be proud.

During a meeting of the Children & Young People’s Services Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday (January 12), members were told about the work being done and the resources in place to help the children.

Mr Hillier, who chaired the meeting, said:

“I think we should be proud of the fact that we are doing our bit regarding asylum seeking children.

“It’s rather shameful for many other areas of the country that they don’t.”

In November, the government’s immigration minister Kevin Foster wrote to all top-tier authorities saying they would be required to take in youngsters under the National Transfer Scheme.

The aim was to ease the burden on counties which were supporting disproportionate numbers.

After Kent and Portsmouth, West Sussex is the next highest provider in the region.

The authority has already accepted five of the children allocated to the county, with three more to come by the end of the month.

A question was asked during the meeting about young people pretending to be children when they were actually adults.

Andrew Baldwin (Con, Holbrook) asked what processes were in place to ‘whittle out’ those who abused the system.

Daniel Ruaux, assistant director – corporate parenting, told members that an initial age assessment was carried out by Border Force and the Home Office when each child arrived.

West Sussex social workers would then carry out a ‘well-validated longer process’ once the new arrivals had eaten and rested and had any health issues attended.

Mr Ruaux said issues did sometimes arise – though not often – when some one who had previously been listed as an adult then announced they were under 18.

He told the meeting:

“The age assessment we go through is very rigorous. It’s a tried and tested model and it’s pretty accurate.

“Of course, it’s very hard to say, hand on heart, that all of those 97 are under 18. Some of them may not be.

“But what I can give you as an assurance is I’m not concerned that we’ve got significantly older people within our cohort of 97 at the moment.”

As for the National Transfer Scheme, he added:

“I have not doubt that once we’ve taken our quota we will be approached to take more children, which is absolutely the right thing to do.

“It can’t be Kent’s burden alone. Everyone in the country and the region has a responsibility to do this.”

Mr Hillier added:

“For many of these people, they probably were younger children when their journeys started out.

“And some of the traumas and things they go [through], I don’t think a lot of you would wish to know about.

“So I think every sympathy and leeway we give in this is what we should do.”