An inspection of support arrangements for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children has identified problems with the system used to transfer children from the care of one local authority to another.
The review by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration found that the Home Office-run National Transfer Scheme - used to disperse unaccompanied children evenly around the country - is broadly succeeding.
Established in July 2016, it was set up to relieve pressure on so-called "gateway" authorities, such as Kent and Hillingdon, that were having to care for large numbers of unaccompanied children entering the country via ports and airports.
According to Home Office data, in the first 14 months of the scheme, 549 unaccompanied children were transferred from a gateway authority into the care of another. Authorities in the East of England received by far the most cases, followed by the South West and South East (see graphics).
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