Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for the publication of a specific safeguarding framework which will provide specific safeguarding to all vulnerable service users in asylum accommodation.

The welfare of vulnerable asylum seekers in our care is of the utmost importance to the Home Office. We have worked closely with providers and stakeholders to develop a safeguarding assurance framework which is available at Asylum support contracts safeguarding framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Asylum Support Contracts Safeguarding Framework is a supplementary document to others that are publicly available. The framework is designed to provide a high-level overview of the responsibilities of all parties and is to be read in conjunction with the safeguarding elements of the Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) - Schedule 2 - and the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility Contract (AIRE) - AIRE Contract. These contracts were designed with safeguarding of the individual at their heart.

In addition to the existing contract governance and stakeholder engagement, a joint safeguarding board has been established between the department and its providers to oversee progress on all aspects of safeguarding work. Furthermore, a national safeguarding forum has been established with local authorities to discuss safeguarding across the contracts and help develop and share best practice.