Up to 40 unaccompanied child refugees to be living in Shropshire by the end of the year

Around 40 unaccompanied asylum seeking children will be living in the county by the end of the year, Shropshire Council has said.

The figure represents 0.07 per cent of Shropshire’s child population – the maximum that local authorities are asked to take in.

Councillor Kirstie Hurst-Knight, portfolio holder for children’s services, told a meeting of the council’s cabinet on Wednesday that Shropshire is currently home to 17 unaccompanied children and 37 young people over 18, and has welcomed five more in the last few weeks.

She was responding to a question raised by Green group leader Councillor Julian Dean, prompted by the crisis unfolding in Afghanistan.

Councillor Dean asked: “How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children are currently in care in our area, what percentage this is of our child population and is this is therefore the required 0.07 per cent?

“Do we participate in the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) rota, and if so, when are we next expecting to take more unaccompanied asylum seeking children?

“Research suggests that one in 10 asylum seekers crossing the Channel is an unaccompanied child.

“Will you commit to supporting the large number of unaccompanied child asylum seekers currently in hotels in the South East waiting for local authorities to offer them a placement?”

Councillor Hurst-Knight said she had requested a full report on the issue to be brought before cabinet later in the year.

She said: “Children’s social care and safeguarding are working pro-actively with other local authorities in the West Midlands region to ensure that we offer safe homes for children who arrive unaccompanied.

“We have done so consistently over recent years and responded to children and young people as they have either arrived in Shropshire or where they have needed to be transferred from their arrival point.

“Initially we took children and young people from Kent, as they were the receiving local authority. In recent months we have received children and young people directly from the Home Office centre at the port.”

Councillor Hurst-Knight said the 0.07 per cent figure was not a “requirement,” but that when local authorities reach the figure they are able to stop taking additional children while other councils are under the threshold.

She added that it only includes under-18s, not care leavers and other young people who continue to receive support.

Councillor Hurst-Knight said Shropshire was on the NTS rota, and accepts children when it is “our region, and then our turn, to take a child”. Shropshire has accepted to take more children than its rota allocation.

She said the 0.07 per cent figure for Shropshire was around 40 children, and “we will most likely fulfil that allocation by the end of the year”.

Councillor Hurst Knight said: “They have been arriving here regularly in recent months. We have also supported other local authorities who have had larger numbers of asylum seekers in their area who are quarantining, and taken their turn on the rota to support them.

“We have been, and will continue to be, committed to supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

“Regionally, we work with the Home Office to meet the needs of refugees as they are resettling.

“These children come from a wide range of countries, not just Afghanistan.

“Many children who come from Afghanistan will come with a family, and therefore will be resettled as a family.

“We take whichever children the Home Office identifies as being in need of transferring to us. It is likely that in the weeks and months ahead more from Afghanistan will be coming.

“Currently we have 37 over-18s and 17 under-18s. Two arrived on the weekend of August 27 and three arrived at the end of August, so currently we have 59 young people.

“Since April 2021, we have taken 15 unaccompanied children and young people, of whom 13 have come to us through the NTS and two directly from the port. These children and young people have come from a range of countries.

“We are able to care for children and young people in a range of accommodation, including foster care, supported board and lodgings, and supported living.”

Council leader Lezley Picton said it was expected that a report on the issue would be brought to a cabinet meeting next month.