Homes for Ukraine: Councils slam lack of government guidance as unaccompanied minors added to scheme
Fiona Simpson
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Local authorities “urgently need robust guidance and sufficient funding” to support unaccompanied young people who will now be allowed to enter the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, children’s services leaders have said.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has today (22 June) announced that the scheme “will allow eligible children and minors under the age of 18 who have already applied to come to the UK without a parent or guardian.”
Steve Crocker, president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has criticised the government after it failed to provide guidance to local authorities alongside its announcement.
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In a brief statement on the changes, which will impact around 1,000 lone under 18s who have previously applied for the scheme, Gove said that they will “enable a child to apply for a visa if they have proof of parental consent”.
“This must be certified by an authority approved by the Ukrainian Government such as notary authorities or Ukrainian consul abroad.
“Extensive sponsor checks will also be carried out by local authorities ahead of any visa being granted, with councils able to veto any sponsor arrangements they deem unsuitable.
“The sponsor should also, except in exceptional circumstances, be someone who is personally known to the parents,” he added.
However, no further information has yet been published or sent to local authorities.
Crocker said: “Local authorities urgently need robust guidance, and sufficient funding, to support us to keep children safe and to meet their needs, we are disappointed that this was not published as this announcement was made.”
He added that councils “want to play our part in this humanitarian crisis, but we need government’s support with this”.
Raising a series of concerns around the safeguarding of unaccompanied children and the potential risk of placement breakdowns, Crocker said: “It is vital that all the necessary checks are completed prior to visas being issued and that funding is forthcoming before checks are undertaken.
“Should the situation arise where a child’s placement breaks down, the legal status of those children and the role of the local authority needs to be clearly set out in guidance.
“Furthermore, there are currently several schemes in place to welcome refugees and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children into the UK, and so it will be important for government to consider these schemes together to understand the pressures on the system as a whole and to ensure equity between the different schemes.”
The concerns come following the publication of the results of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request sent to local authorities by CYP Now about the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
It finds that 16 per cent of local authorities had told the Home Office that at least one person registered as a sponsor on the scheme as a safeguarding risk.
The findings prompted calls for a central matching system to be created by the government amid fears criminals could be using the scheme to exploit children and young adults.
Further analysis by CYP Now also highlights concerns over the pressure put on overstretched local authorities by the government’s failure to centrally coordinate the scheme.