Foster care focus for child asylum strategy

In a written statement to parliament, Edward Timpson, minister for vulnerable children and families, said that the government will look to publish the strategy by 1 May 2017, which will set out "further detail on how children should be safeguarded and their welfare promoted".?

In recognition of the important role fostering plays in caring for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children, Timpson said the strategy will set out measures to increase the number of foster carers.??

It will assess the additional training needs foster carers and support workers require in looking after unaccompanied children, and set out ways to encourage supported lodgings provision. ??

The move follows the recent closure of the Calais "jungle" refugee camp, which has seen hundreds of children from the camp resettled with relatives in the UK. Home Secretary Amber Rudd has also announced "several hundred" more children will arrive in the next three weeks. ?

Timpson said the strategy will complement and build on existing safeguarding guidance and procedures, and set out the practical steps the government will take to implement the plan.

?The Department for Education and Home Office will also work together to ensure the system for identifying children and uniting them with family or potential carers is further strengthened. ??

"Specifically, we will regularly review funding to support and care for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children, working closely with the Local Government Association and local authorities," he said.

?"We will evaluate the procedures for, and speed of, transferring unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children who have been identified for transfer from Europe.??

"We will also ensure that the strategy is informed by evidence from other immigration programmes, including the measures in place to ensure sufficient safeguarding and security checks are undertaken on those being transferred to the UK."

?In addition, the government will review the information currently provided to asylum-seeking and refugee children about their rights and the role of local authorities in caring for them.

"In doing so, we will seek the views of local authorities to identify any further action that might be taken to prevent unaccompanied asylum-seeking or refugee children going missing and we will consider whether to introduce a new set of standard actions for the police on first encountering an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child," Timpson said.