Under the Government's five-year immigration strategy unveiled last week, unaccompanied young asylum seekers whose applications are refused will be deported to their country of origin.
The policy will be tested with Albanian asylum seekers under the age of 18 later this year.
The Home Office said the UK would work with Albania to offer the young people support once they are back home. "We do not believe it is right that children who can return should remain in the UK indefinitely and be separated from families," said a Home Office spokesman.
But the Refugee Council's Children's Consortium said the policy could put young people in danger as asylum applications are not well assessed.
Nancy Kelley, chair of the consortium, said: "They should not be returned unless there is a 100 per cent safe placement."
Caroline Ffrench Blake, director of Albanian Youth Action, said: "Deportation needs to be done with great care."
In a recent report on Albania, Amnesty International claimed torture and beatings by police, including of children, was rising.
See Briefing, p11.
