The National Transfer Scheme (NTS), which is designed to fairly disperse unaccompanied children across all local authorities, was made compulsory in 2021.
Speaking to CYP Now, Loughton said the scheme needs to be scrapped and rebuilt to properly relieve pressure on councils such as Kent and Croydon which are common entry points for migrants.
-
Asylum transfer reforms prompt questions over commissioning
-
Good practice in resettlement of migrant children
“We've got to have a properly functioning sustainable dispersal system so everybody is funded to take on their fair share of migrants coming here,” he said, noting that government should give councils ring-fenced funding to support placements of unaccompanied children.
“Local authorities are best placed to identify potential accommodation, build new accommodation or adapt existing accommodation. The problem has been that national government is not paying a fair amount to local authorities to provide the full gamut of accommodation and support services to go with it.
“Central government has got to fund local authorities to deliver the goods.”
The Home Office and Department for Education announced £20m of additional funding for local authorities when the NTS was made compulsory in 2021.
Any local authority receiving a child transferred under the scheme now receives a funding contribution of £143 per child per night and £270 per person per week to support migrant care leavers.
Loughton’s calls come as the Home Office’s controversial Illegal Migration Bill passes through the House of Commons.
The MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, who was children’s minister between 2010 and 2012, is calling for government to amend the bill to include safe and legal routes for people, including minors travelling alone and with their families, fleeing countries other than Syria, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine, where legal passage is already available.
It currently removes all legal routes for migrants from other countries seeking asylum in the UK.
Yesterday (3 April), the Home Office reiterated plans for a National Age Assessment Board made up of specialist social workers, who will support local authorities and the Home Office to resolve age disputes involving unaccompanied migrants who claim to be children by conducting age assessments.
