Unaccompanied minors
Ringing the Changes: The impact of guidance on the use of Sections 17 and 20 of the Children Act 1989 to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children [January 2005]
The level and nature of support for unaccompanied children seeking asylum has been an issue of great confusion and concern in recent years. In 2003, government guidance finally clarified the duties of local authorities in this regard. However, as this preliminary report shows, there is still a lack of consistency in local authorities' response to asylum-seeking children and young people who are on their own in the UK.
This preliminary report is the first of a two-stage study conducted jointly by Save the Children and the Refugee Council. The study is assessing the implementation of recent guidance on caring for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children by local authorities and identifying barriers to providing appropriate levels of support.
Published in January 2005
