Home Office announces support for Afghan child refugees
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Details of the government’s initiative to support refugees from Afghanistan, including children, arriving in the UK have been revealed by the Home Office.
The operation includes offering families immediate indefinite leave to remain, as well as unlocking further funding for school and healthcare places.
This includes an extra £12m for schools to “prioritise additional” places for children. The funding also covers school transport, specialist teachers and English language support.
Families arriving from Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s control of the country last month, will be given access to liaison officers to help them communicate with councils, register with a GP as well as access accommodation and “more tailored support”.
An additional £5m is being offered to councils in England, Wales and Scotland to support families, including meeting the cost of renting properties.
A total of £200m is being committed to meet the first year of the resettlement scheme. This will see 20,000 Afghan refugees resettled in the UK over the next three years, including 5,000 this year.
The initiative is being overseen by home office minister for safeguarding Victoria Atkins, who has been appointed to the new role of minister for Afghan resettlement. The initiative involves several government departments, including the Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care as well as the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Operation Warm Welcome is a huge effort across government to make sure that those fleeing Afghanistan are able to make a success of a new life in the UK,” said Atkins
“The stability of indefinite leave, the security of access to healthcare and the opportunity of education are the foundation upon which those resettled to the UK can build.”
In addition, the government is developing a portal for members of the public to submit offers of housing and work. It is looking to expand this for further offers, such as donations of clothes and training.
The initiative has been announced amid concerns from councils around lack of funding and resources to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (USAC).
Last month it emerged that Croydon Council could become the second council to stop accepting new USAC into its care amid fears of “jeopardising frontline services”. The local authority says it is tackling a £2.3m government funding gap in the cost of looking after USAC. This funding black hole could reach £7m within three years, the council has warned.
In June, Kent County Council stopped accepting USAC for the second time in ten months.
Charities have urged ministers to ensure that child refugees from Afghanistan are housed in “safe and supportive accommodation”.
From September 9 councils will be banned from placing children under 16 in unregulated accommodation, such as hotels, hostels and B&Bs. However, unregulated settings can still be used for vulnerable 17-and 18-year-olds under the rule change.