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1676631

registered interest
date	08/12/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguarding information his Department collects on unaccompanied children who are seeking asylum.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	6027
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2023 answer text <p>The Home Office collects information from individuals seeking asylum for the purpose of progressing asylum claims. When that information affects the type of accommodation an individual may require, that information is also recorded for the purposes of meeting our statutory obligation.</p><p>In respect of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, responsibility to accommodate them sits with the local authority and they are required to collate appropriate safeguarding information for each child in their care.</p><p>All unaccompanied asylum-seeking children receive a welfare interview on arrival in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Young people who were placed in emergency interim hotels which were operated by the Home Office had additional standard information collected from them to ensure that referrals or actions required due to any identified safeguarding concerns or issues could be made, including notifying the relevant local authority.</p><p>Young people in the hotels are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 18/12/2023 12:23:47 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1676632

registered interest
date	08/12/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that unaccompanied child asylum seekers are provided healthcare.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	6028
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2023 answer text <p>We maintain that the best place for these children to be accommodated is within local authority care. As part of the national transfer scheme, the receiving local authority must provide suitable support for all children being moved into their care, including health care, irrespective of the child’s immigration status.</p><p> </p><p>Asylum seekers have access to health and social care services from the point of arrival in the UK. The Home Office and its contractors work closely with the NHS, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to ensure that people can access the healthcare and support they need.</p><p> </p><p>All accommodation providers, including those who were responsible for the unaccompanied asylum seeking children hotels that were previously set up and run by the Home Office, have a contractual duty to assist people in accessing the health care they need.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office also operates a Safeguarding Hub to support vulnerable individuals in accessing these services. In addition, the Home Office contracts Migrant Help to provide advice and guidance to asylum seekers should they have an issue with their accommodation or support, and for signposting to health and welfare services. Asylum seekers can access Migrant Help 24/7, every day of the year by a freephone telephone number, via an online chat or completing an email enquiry form both of which can be accessed free of charge on the Migrant Help website. Interpreting and translation services are available through Migrant Help when the need arises for asylum seekers to raise any queries or concerns.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 18/12/2023 11:25:41 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1676634

registered interest
date	08/12/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that local authorities have adequate resources to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in their care.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	6030
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2023 answer text <p>The safety and welfare of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children is our utmost priority. We recognise that providing care placements for them is a national issue that requires participation from local authorities across the UK. We continue to work alongside other government departments, devolved administrations, and local authority representatives, to ensure this vulnerable group of children have timely access to the statutory placements that local authorities must provide.</p><p>Local authorities receive funding to support Children’s Social Care through the Local Government Finance Settlement, and finance arrangements which apply to the devolved administrations. In addition, the Home Office also provides funding contributions to the costs incurred by local government in looking after unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and former UASC care leavers.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office has also introduced our new Incentivised Funding Programme for 2023-24 which provides £6,000 for every unaccompanied child moved within 5 working days either from a UASC hotel, or from Kent County Council.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 18/12/2023 12:26:22 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1676636

registered interest
date	08/12/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what processes his Department has in place to help protect unaccompanied children seeking asylum who have been victims of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) sexual exploitation.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	6032
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2023 answer text <p>We maintain that the best place for these children to be accommodated is within local authority care where they can receive the most appropriate support based on their individual needs.</p><p> </p><p>We had robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people who were temporarily accommodated in Home Office run hotels were safe and supported as we sought urgent placements with a local authority.</p><p> </p><p>Young people were supported by team leaders and support workers who were on site 24 hours a day. Further care was provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites had security staff on site 24/7 and providers liaised closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 18/12/2023 11:49:06 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1676638

registered interest
date	08/12/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to locate the unaccompanied children seeking asylum who have gone missing from their accommodation.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	6034
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2023 answer text <p>The wellbeing of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children is our priority. We maintain that the best place for these children to be accommodated is within local authority care.</p><p> </p><p>There are currently no unaccompanied children in hotels and unaccompanied children’s hotel accommodation has been empty since 18 November 2023. Of the 7 hotels which were operational in 2022, 6 of those were closed permanently on 30 November 2023.</p><p><br> We take the safety of those in our care seriously.  We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in emergency interim hotels were safe and supported as we sought urgent placements with a local authority.</p><p> </p><p>Police forces are responsible for locating missing children, in their region, in line with standard processes for any missing child in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>When children who were provided with emergency Home Office accommodation went missing the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol was followed. The local authority works with multiple agencies to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe.</p><p> </p><p>Children staying in the Home Office hotels were supported by team leaders and support workers who were on site 24 hours a day. Further care was provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites had security staff on site 24/7 and providers liaised closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 18/12/2023 12:27:55 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1607057

registered interest
date	24/03/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who went missing were subsequently found and returned to safety in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	173049
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2023 answer text <p>The safety and wellbeing of those in our care is our primary concern. We have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.</p><p>Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites have security staff on site and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.</p><p>Since July 2021, when unaccompanied asylum seeking children were first accommodated in hotels, there have been 447 missing episodes (the term episode used as some children have gone missing been located and subsequently gone missing again). 186 of these young people are still missing.</p><p>This is based on local management information and therefore liable to change.</p><p>If a young person goes missing from a care setting, including a UASC hotel, the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed. A multi-agency, missing persons meeting is chaired by the local authority to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe. When used correctly, similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.</p><p>The Home Office work with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe and the Police are responsible for locating any missing children.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick grouped question UIN 173050 question first answered 03/04/2023 15:04:00 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1607058

registered interest
date	24/03/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to help (a) find and return to safety and (b) prevent the further disappearance of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	173050
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2023 answer text <p>The safety and wellbeing of those in our care is our primary concern. We have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.</p><p>Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites have security staff on site and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.</p><p>Since July 2021, when unaccompanied asylum seeking children were first accommodated in hotels, there have been 447 missing episodes (the term episode used as some children have gone missing been located and subsequently gone missing again). 186 of these young people are still missing.</p><p>This is based on local management information and therefore liable to change.</p><p>If a young person goes missing from a care setting, including a UASC hotel, the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed. A multi-agency, missing persons meeting is chaired by the local authority to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe. When used correctly, similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.</p><p>The Home Office work with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe and the Police are responsible for locating any missing children.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick grouped question UIN 173049 question first answered 03/04/2023 15:04:00 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1302660

registered interest
date	15/03/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the National Transfer Scheme will restart; and when the outcome of the review of that scheme will be published.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	168989
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2021 answer text <p>The National Transfer Scheme never stopped. I am very grateful for the ongoing assistance of many local authorities. In 2020, the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) placed 480 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children into local authority placements across the UK.</p><p>We recently consulted on a more sustainable long-term future model for the NTS designed to ensure unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are placed in an equitable and fair manner in local authorities across the UK.</p><p>I am grateful to local authorities for their thoughtful and considered consultation responses. We received over 200 responses, including some which captured the views and experiences of young people. It is crucial that we get the new scheme right. We are carefully considering the responses and working through the issues raised with local government partners. We are aiming to deliver the new scheme as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 22/03/2021 10:30:01 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq