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<p>pressures on local authority care placements for young people. Out of necessity,
and with the best interests of the child in mind, we have had no alternative but to
temporarily use hotels to give unaccompanied children a roof over their heads whilst
local authority accommodation is found.</p><p>1,727 transfers from hotels took place
from 24 August 2022 to 27 February 2023, of which 886 (51.3%) transferred within 5
working days. The time it takes for a local authority to identify a placement varies
and has meant some young people experiencing delays in transferring. Delays may also
occur where a child refuses to transfer to the placement.</p><p> </p><p>The National
Transfer Scheme (NTS) transferred 4,187 children to local authorities with children’s
services between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2022. This is more than a fourfold increase
in number of children transferred compared to the same period in previous years. In
order to expand the scheme further, we are providing local authorities with children’s
services with an additional £15,000 for every eligible young person they take into
their care from a dedicated UASC hotel by the end of February 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The
safety and wellbeing of those in our care is our primary concern. Robust safeguarding
and welfare procedures are in place to ensure all children and minors are safe and
supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority. This includes support
workers being onsite in the hotels 24 hours a day, supported by nurses and social
workers. UASC are not detained and are free to leave the accommodation. All contingency
sites have security staff and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure
the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.</p>
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