Children 'intimidated' by family returns process

A Home Office-commissioned evaluation of the family returns process, introduced in 2011 as part of the government's pledge to end child detention in immigration cases, found that overall it has had a positive impact on family welfare and safeguarding children.

But concerns were raised about the number of officers attending enforcement visits, and the use of body armour.

The report also said that increased contact between UK Border Agency staff and families in the process often heightened pressure on families, increasing threats of self-harm and disruptive behaviour.

“Disruptive behaviour ranged from threatening to drink bleach if they were made to go home, to refusing to listen to the case owners or physically attacking an enforcement officer,” the report states.

It recommends that the government should consider introducing special family teams to deal with enforcement visits.

Under the new system, families who refuse to leave are referred to the Independent Family Returns Panel, which scrutinises UK Border Agency plans for their removal.

As a “last resort”, families with children can be kept for 72 hours in “family-friendly” pre-departure accommodation – the Cedars centre near Crawley, West Sussex, where Barnardo’s provides welfare and social care services.

The report found that the new system has been beneficial to family welfare and child safeguarding by “enabling children to carry on life as normal to a greater extent than previously, and providing a supportive environment for children and families at Cedars”.

But the report does suggest that open accommodation could be used as an alternative form of pre-departure accommodation.

It states that open accommodation could encourage compliance among families by moving them away from community links and ties, and to signal that departure from the UK will happen.

“A further alternative option may be to explore the provision of specialist support for children, for example, as provided by Barnardo’s at Cedars, within an open environment (either in the family home or an alternative location),” the report adds.

Campaigners have consistently criticised the government over its claim that it has ended child detention in immigration settings, pointing to the fact that Cedars is still a secure establishment and a total of 202 children were held in some form of secure setting during 2012/13.