Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the special thematic report by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services’ <i>Safeguarding Pressures Phase 5, </i>on unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children published on 3 November 2016, and of its finding that the higher funding rates available from 1 July 2016 are not sufficient to meet the full costs of caring for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

The Government significantly increased the funding provided to local authorities looking after Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) in July 2016. These rates are based on a detailed analysis of financial information sent to the Home Office by local authorities about their actual cost of caring for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children. That analysis showed the average cost across all local authorities of looking after an Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child aged under 16 was approximately £41,610 per annum and the average cost of supporting those aged 16 and 17 was approximately £33,215 per annum. The Government has made additional funding available for local authorities through the Controlling Migration Fund.

We have committed to regularly review the rates and will work with the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and local authorities to ensure their views form part of that review.