ChildRIGHT: Duty of Care -- Care of former asylum-seeking children

The shift from childhood to adulthood is a difficult time for any young person, struggling with concerns around relationships, education and careers. In recognition of this, the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, which came into force in October 2001 and builds on and amends the Children Act 1989, sought to ensure that young people do not leave care until they are ready and that they receive more effective support once they have left.

For those who are unaccompanied or separated and claimed asylum in the UK as children, the future holds considerable additional anxieties when they turn 18. As well as those problems and challenges faced on arrival in England, including separation from family and friends, social isolation, language barriers, emotional and mental health problems, discrimination and racism, many unaccompanied young people will also have to live with an uncertain future and the anxiety of possible removal from the country. Furthermore, their immigration status can have a significant impact on their entitlements, and often both statutory service providers and the young people themselves, are unclear as to what housing, subsistence and other support former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are entitled to when they turn 18.