Schedule 3 - Advisory and support services for family proceedings
Children Bill [Lords]
5:00 pm
Ms Annette Brooke (Home Affairs Spokesperson, Home Affairs; Mid Dorset and North Poole, Liberal Democrat)
I beg to move amendment No. 199, in
schedule 3, page 42, line 7, at end insert—
'In section 12, in subsection (1), after ''in respect of family'', insert ''or immigration''.'.
I realise that it is late, but this is a probing and serious amendment, which seeks to test the Government's intentions to provide in this Bill and through the most appropriate existing legal framework a statutorily appointed guardian for all unaccompanied and separated children in the United Kingdom, particularly, although not exclusively, those seeking asylum. It also seeks to ensure that the welfare needs of these children are properly safeguarded within the context of their status, as determined by the immigration authorities and the courts, and to ensure that the support and care needs of this especially vulnerable group are met by all agencies charged with those functions.
The Committee has not passed earlier amendments to provide safeguards for asylum-seeking children, so in many ways the concept of a children's guardian becomes all the more timely and necessary. It is important to appreciate that the number of new asylum claims from unaccompanied children aged 17 and under, excluding age-disputed cases, was, according to Home Office statistics, 725 for the first quarter of 2004 and 585 for the second quarter. We really are talking about large numbers of children.
''Every child matters'' identifies unaccompanied children as the ''most vulnerable,'' and specifically asks how we can improve support for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, building on the work of the
children's panel. The Bill does not answer that rather difficult question, and the amendment would offer a solution or at least open the debate on what the solution might be. It is quite clear that a full model of guardianship would need to be worked out carefully and backed by detailed research to ensure a best-practice model that worked in the context of the UK.
The children's panel is often quoted as providing a guardianship role for unaccompanied children in the UK, but many professionals believe that that is a misconception. The panel has, without a doubt, played an important role, but the question is whether that is enough. Are these very vulnerable children accessing services in the way that they need to so that they are given the utmost protection after they have reached this country? I believe that we are all concerned about these children receiving that utmost protection while they are here. Will the Minister say what consideration has been given to developing the role of the children's panel to include that of a guardian?