This inspection by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in the UK examined how the Home Office considers the ‘best interests’ of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
The inspection focused on 6 areas:
- the reception arrangements for unaccompanied asylum seeking children, specifically the support and information provided to the child, collation of information about the child, referrals to other parties, and how where the child is encountered and by whom affects their experience
- the Home Office’s role in carrying out age assessments, the information provided to the child when their age is assessed, and how the Home Office works with Local Authorities in the case of age disputes
- the Home Office’s role in the National Transfer Scheme, and its part in making ‘best interest’ judgements when considering whether to transfer a child from one Local Authority to another
- the Home’s Office’s role in carrying out family tracing
- Home Office and stakeholder views about whether granting ‘UASC leave’ is in the ‘best interests’ of the child, the impact of granting such leave, and the information and support provided to children about it
- progress in implementing the recommendations from previous inspections
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