Youth service cuts leave unaccompanied refugees unsupported, says case worker
Fiona Simpson
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Cuts to youth services have left the most vulnerable young people struggling to access and engage with support, a case worker for young refugees has said.
Benny Hunter is the co-ordinator of the Da’aro Youth Project which works with asylum seekers and refugees aged 14 to 21 from Eritrea, Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.
Hunter helped set up the organisation with members of the Eritrean community in London, after four teenagers seeking asylum in the UK from Eritrea committed suicide after struggling to access support.
Hunter described how he met one of the men, Alexander Teckle, at a refugee camp in Calais when he was 16 in 2017.
The pair stayed in touch but when Teckle arrived in the UK he was wrongly age-assessed and placed in a hostel for adults where he was violently assaulted, Hunter said.
He turned to drinking as a way of coping with concerns over his family in Eritrea and the pressures of his asylum claim.
“Instead of receiving the support and help that he desperately needed, upon his arrival in the UK, he told he was not eligible for support as a child or care-leaver.
“Alex was stressed about the wellbeing of his family, about the uncertainty of his future and in particular was stressed by his asylum claim and the thought that he might be deported,” Hunter said.
Da’aro Youth project runs a weekly youth club and offers bereavement support for young people.
It is looking to expand to offer befriending and mentoring services.
Hunter has called on the new government to reverse cuts to youth services and invest in more support for young refugees and asylum seekers.
Hunter, who is also a case worker for young refugees, challenged Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson over the cuts as she campaigned in south London last week.
He said: “There is a view across the youth work sector that cuts to youth services in general have led to a rise in homeless, poor mental health and crime among young people.
“Speaking from my experience working with refugees, it is the most vulnerable of people that are missing out on support.
“These young people are suffering from trauma and often they don’t want to, or aren’t ready to, engage. Social workers now have huge caseloads and, often rightly, will say they want to spend the little time they have with the young people who do want to engage.
“This leaves the most vulnerable with more infrequent visits and contact time when what they need is patience and to build trust before they can fully engage.”
“Cuts have left the system under-resourced and unable to deal with this group of people. Case workers and solicitors working or volunteering for charities shouldn’t be the only ones supporting these people,” Hunter added.
