Home Office proposals to disperse unaccompanied asylum-seeking children contradict the progressive spirit of this week's green paper on children in care, charities have said.

The plans are understood to have featured in a draft version of a HomeOffice consultation that is expected to be published in January. Theyincluded dispersing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to 20 councilsaround the country. Originally the Government was thought to be planning10 dispersal sites.

The proposals could also include a pilot scheme to x-ray children whoseage is disputed to estimate how old they are.

Children's organisations said the dispersal plans were in completeopposition to the looked-after children green paper plans, which willemphasise that children in care must have stable care and schoolplacements.

Nushra Mapstone, professional officer at the British Association ofSocial Workers, said: "All the research says moving looked-afterchildren is bad for them and that is what the green paper will say. Weshould not treat unaccompanied children differently but, anticipatingwhat is likely to come from the Home Office, it looks like we will. Wewill be arguing for equality for them when it comes to the green paperand where it leaves unaccompanied minors."

Lisa Nandy, policy adviser at the Children's Society, feared that therecould be a delay between children arriving in the UK and reaching theirfinal destination under the dispersal scheme. She was most concernedabout children whose age is disputed and have to be interviewed byspecially trained social workers before they can be dispersed.

It has been suggested that the Home Office wants the system to workfaster, to take the burden off the small number of councils thatcurrently get most asylum-seeking children, to send the children toareas where there is expertise in caring for them and to createeconomies of scale. Nandy said: "We have no problem with decisions beingmade faster, but they have to be the right decisions and, in themeantime, children should be treated as we would treat any otherchildren."

Helen Johnson, project manager for the children's panel at the RefugeeCouncil, said the dispersal system for adults had been set up withoutproper support services in place and "lessons must be learned" for thechildren's version of the scheme.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "It is true that we wish to introduce amore rational system that governs where unaccompanied asylum-seekingchildren are geographically located. For example, numbers are currentlyover-concentrated in Hillingdon solely because it covers Heathrowairport, and this is something we hope to change. We have shared ourthinking on these changes with many stakeholders and know of none thatdisagree with the need to provide a better solution."