Safeguarding duty on Border Agency

In a joint announcement, the Home Office and the Department for Children, Schools and Families said the UK Border Agency should share the same responsibilities as agencies that are subject to Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 with regard to the safety and welfare of children.

The two government departments said this would be a legal obligation under the terms of the forthcoming Immigration Bill.

Beverly Hughes, children’s minister said: Aligning the UKBA with those agencies which are already subject to the Section 11 duty is the right thing to do for children and young people.

She added that it was an opportunity to bring a stronger focus not just on the status of children and young people arriving in the UK but on their safety and welfare.

Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said: When it is implemented, the new duty has the potential to give these children an equivalent level of protection to UK citizen children – this is a significant step forward to creating an immigration regime that places the best interests of all children at the heart of the decision-making process.
 
Dame Mary Marsh, chief executive of the NSPCC, said:  It is brilliant news – once legislation is passed, it will make the UK a safer place for children.