Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to end the practice of placing unaccompanied refugee, migrant, or trafficked children in hotels without supervision.

The UK is experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of people making life-threatening journeys to cross the Channel. These boats are often carrying unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), which have placed unprecedented pressure on the National Transfer Scheme. Out of necessity with the children’s best interests in mind, we have arranged for UASC to be accommodated on an emergency and temporary basis in hotels whilst placements with local authorities are being vigorously pursued.

The rise in dangerous small boats crossings means there are significant challenges on local authority care places. The Government has had no alternative but to urgently use hotels to give UASC arriving in the UK a roof over their heads. The Government wants to stop using these hotels but the Home Office cannot do this alone. We are working round the clock with councils to boost the number of long-term care spaces available, through the New Plan for Immigration, and are offering them additional funding in addition to existing monthly funding.

The National Transfer Scheme (NTS) enables a more equitable distribution of responsibility for UASC between local authorities across the UK. However, the high number of UASC arrivals, particularly as a result of small boat crossings, continues to place unprecedented pressure on the NTS.

In November 2021, we took the decision to move to a directed NTS, in addition to the package of NTS improvements implemented in July 2021. Since 15 February all local authorities with children’s services in the UK have been directed to participate in the NTS. However, intake remains very high, and the situation remains challenging.

We continue to take action to ensure the NTS works effectively so that children are transferred promptly and to end the use of hotels.

On 24 August 2022, we wrote to all UK local authorities and devolved equivalents with children’s services, announcing changes to the NTS. We have increased the threshold up to which councils have to accept UASC into their care from the previous level of 0.07% to 0.1% of their general child population, halved the transfer deadline to five working-days for all UASC not currently in the care of a local authority, and for UASC awaiting transfer into local authority care, we will provide councils with an additional £2000 per child per month for 3 months.

It is not the case that these children are unsupervised. UASC temporarily accommodated in hotels are supported with wrap-around care, including from professional care workers, social workers, and nurses.