Reiterating the duty on local authorities under the Act to care for all children in their area regardless of immigration status, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan wrote to councils asking for their support in caring for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, given the considerable challenges facing KCC.
The High Court judgment also confirmed that from December 2021, the systemic and routine use of hotels by the Home Office to accommodate unaccompanied asylum-seeking children was unlawful.
Keegan said: "The concentration of arrivals by small boat across the English Channel places by far the greatest expectations on KCC."
Applauding Kent for its ongoing commitment to supporting a number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children at or above the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) threshold level, in addition to their immediate response to the High Court judgment and engagement with the government on the required action to enable the council to accommodate all children arriving within its area, Keegan said all authorities need to comply with the terms of the mandated NTS.
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