• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Government demands councils ‘take responsibility’ for lone migrant children

Campaigners have branded the interim measure of keeping children in the processing centre – known as the Kent Intake Unit – as deeply worrying.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2020-08-20 14:56
in News
A Border Force officer carries a young child as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent, on a Border Force vessel following a number of small boat incidents in the Channel earlier today.

A Border Force officer carries a young child as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent, on a Border Force vessel following a number of small boat incidents in the Channel earlier today.

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

The Government has called on councils to “take responsibility” as it urgently tries to find care for lone migrant children who have crossed the Channel to the UK.

Officials have issued a plea to local authorities to take in unaccompanied migrant children as a surge in arrivals means Kent County Council (KCC) – which takes in those coming ashore on the south coast – has reached capacity and can no longer “safely accommodate” any more.

The children are in the meantime being left with Border Force officers in a processing centre in Dover while arrangements are made with social services.

The Home Office, the Department for Education and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) are writing to all local authorities urging them to “come forward, play their part and take responsibility” in tackling the problem.

200 places for children

Since June, 48 councils have pledged to provide at least 200 places for children but more are needed, the Home Office said.

Migrant Channel crossing incidents
Many young children have made the perilous journey across the English Channel to Britain this summer (Gareth Fuller/PA)

A department spokesman described the situation as “unprecedented” and said KCC is being provided with “significant increases in funding” and support, but added: “The burden being placed on them is unacceptable and cannot continue.

“We are grateful to the 48 local authorities who have pledged more than 200 places to support our National Transfer Scheme, but we need more to come forward and do their bit for vulnerable children.

RelatedPosts

Ministers to launch probe into the BBC’s ‘Islingtonian left-wing bias’

Brits react to new ‘affordable foods’ list

Top Tory STANDS BY fellow party MP convicted of abusing 15-year-old boy

Watch: Murdoch monopoly isn’t taking Aussie election result well

“The Home Office, Department for Education and MHCLG are writing to all local authorities, urging them to come forward, play their part and take responsibility.”

Campaigners have branded the interim measure of keeping children in the processing centre – known as the Kent Intake Unit – as deeply worrying.

The short-term holding facility is temporarily housing migrants who have arrived in small boats across the Channel in a large communal area, or a separate room reserved for families and lone children, while they receive medical checks and have their initial asylum interview.

Washing facilities, food and places to sleep are provided, officials said.

By law children can only be detained for 24 hours.

Children prioritised

Children are always prioritised and are being held there for as short a time as possible, the Home Office added.

The department insists the UK does more to support lone migrant children than any EU member state, adding that last year UK asylum applications accounted for approximately 20% of all claims made in the EU.

Migrants crossings
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)

In 2016, the National Transfer Scheme was launched to encourage all local authorities to help care for unaccompanied migrant children in a bid to spread responsibilities more evenly between councils.

Councils now receive £240 per child per week, with more funding provided for those helping the greatest number of children.

Since 2016 more than 960 children have been transferred under the scheme, with more than a third moved from Kent, according to the Home Office.

But critics have said because it is voluntary it is ineffective and should be made a mandatory requirement for councils.

Coronavirus lockdown restrictions meant children could not be moved from one social services provider to another during the height of the pandemic. But transfers began again in June with more than 100 children taken into care by other councils, the Home Office added.

The department is set to review the scheme to avoid a repeat of the problem, saying it would launch a consultation “imminently”.

Related – Daily Mail calls for Britain to “wake up to the migrant tragedy”

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Faulty batteries among common flaws in popular cars

Hugh Grant accuses Tories of ‘exploiting pandemic to enrich friends and donors’

Flat engulfed by flames 2 years after residents were assured “it doesn’t have the same cladding as Grenfell Tower”

Lotto Results LIVE for Wednesday 23 June 2021 Lottery winning numbers

Gary Neville tipped for politics after holding Starmer talks

Johnson suffers embarrassing Lords defeat

BAO of Soho: Restaurant Review

Profits at Greggs soar as vegan sausage rolls boost sales

Sixteen – Film Review

Luxury Chess Boards taken to a new level of plush

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.