Call for better support for asylum-seeking families

The government wants to end such detention and launched a consultation last month to find better alternatives.

In their joint response, the commissioners call for each family to be allocated a caseworker to help them with legal and welfare issues as they move through the immigration process.

The commissioners’ response says that in Sweden, asylum-seeking families live in the community and meet regularly with a caseworker, who often has a social-work background. They carry out welfare and risk-assessment checks, as well as ensuring they have legal representation.

Maggie Atkinson, children's commissioner for England, said: "I urge the government to look at the whole process to ensure a fair system is in place. Part of which is making sure families receive good legal representation rather than rely on a postcode lottery."

It is also important that the new system for supporting asylum-seeking families ensures that children’s rights are not breached when a family is removed, she added.