Children who arrive unaccompanied from overseas seeking asylum are a diverse group with many different experiences and cultural backgrounds. Any child who enters the UK without a parent or carer is considered an unaccompanied. The term ‘children who arrive unaccompanied from overseas seeking asylum’ is used to describe all those who are under 18 and who have been separated from their family and carers, have fled their country, and find themselves alone and seeking protection in this country.
These children have had to leave their homes, their families and friends and everything they have ever known. In many cases, parents have had to take the difficult decision to send them away for their safety, making considerable sacrifices to be able to pay for their journey. The children may not have been involved in this decision.
Some of them will be escaping from danger or ill-treatment, such as war, forced recruitment to fight as a child soldier, or abuse; some will be seeking safety from persecution, perhaps because of their political or religious beliefs, or their ethnicity; some may have been taken from their families and trafficked; others may have seen their parents and relatives imprisoned, killed or going missing.
Some children leave their homes in the hope of escaping extreme poverty and deprivation.
Many children who arrive unaccompanied from overseas seeking asylum come from countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and arrive in the UK without a parent or responsible adult.
Most are teenagers aged 14-17 and have been separated from their families and find themselves in a new country facing the challenge of different customs and a different language.
Most children have fled countries such as Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Sudan.
In many cases, these children are fleeing danger and war, they may have been victims of trafficking or exploitation, or their parent or carer has disappeared. These circumstances are hugely challenging, and these children desperately need a safe and welcoming home environment where they will receive practical and emotional support and care.
It is our wish that these children will be able to integrate into local communities, make new friends and learn English.
We are actively recruiting foster carers and supported lodgings hosts who are in the position to support these vulnerable children who come from a range of ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
The purpose of this appeal is to increase the pool of foster carers and supported lodgings hosts for any child who arrives in the East Midlands seeking asylum without a parent or carer, regardless of their country of origin.
The appeal is being run by The East Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership on behalf of:
The ongoing war in Ukraine has resulted in increased humanitarian needs with many people being displaced and seeking refuge outside their country. Work is also being progressed to welcome refugees from Ukraine under schemes run by the UK Home Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government which is a different scheme to this one.
More information on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme is available at: gov.uk/register-interest-homes-ukraine
Foster carers offer a safe, supportive and caring home to children up to the age of 18 who are unable to live with their birth parents. In some cases, young people stay with their foster family until they are 21 under an arrangement called staying put.
You can always talk to your local authority about what staying put is. All children under 16 need to live with a foster carer.
Children who are 16+ can live with either a foster carer or a supported lodgings host and this decision is made based upon their need and the level of care and support they require.
Unaccompanied children who arrive at the East Midlands can be placed with foster carers who welcome them into their home and provide a nurturing family environment.
Supported lodgings is an alternative to foster care that offers children aged 16+ the opportunity to live in the home of an approved ‘host’ or family for up to two years. Children living in supported lodgings are given the opportunity to develop the life skills they will need in preparation for moving to their own home at a time when they are ready.
Since the majority of children accommodated through supported lodgings are aged 16+ the host can work as long as they have enough flexibility to support a child with their health, attend some appointments and engage in education and training. You will need to be available for training, meeting with your social worker and any emergencies.
Foster carers are usually paid more than supported lodging hosts as they are expected to provide care as well as support and accommodation for children, generally below the age of 16.
Foster carers and supported lodgings hosts will be expected to provide a safe and supportive home environment for children to enable their recovery from previous trauma.
Carers and hosts should be able to offer a child a room of their own, provide emotional support and a chance to learn life skills. They will support children with day to day needs such as education, health care (e.g. booking GP appointments) and general welfare needs, including supporting them with their emotional and mental wellbeing. You will be required to attend some meetings with the team of professionals around the child so we can all work together to meet their needs.
Unaccompanied children arriving from overseas can show remarkable resilience, but they need good support, help to establish links in the local community, to make friends, know how to get around and build support networks. This will help them to feel supported, gain confidence and adapt to life in a new country during what is otherwise a challenging time in their young lives.
Alongside the tasks of caring for and providing support to these young people on a day-to-day basis, you will also need to support them through the process of applying for permission to stay in the UK. Don’t worry about this your local Childrens Services can help you through this process by offering advice and guidance.
Carers and hosts will support young people to develop the skills they will need to make the transition to adulthood in a new country.
One of the main challenges for children is likely to be communication. Being in another country is confusing in itself, but if you do not speak the language, everything seems even more baffling.
If the child does not speak your language, an interpreter will be needed for important meetings. But this service will not normally be available on a day-to-day basis.
Overcoming language barriers can seem daunting at first but being creative in the way you communicate with each other can also be a great bonding (and fun) opportunity! Many carers have said this was what worried them the most however now they have done it, it is a lot easier than you first think.
Children will be keen to learn your language. A priority should be to enrol them in education and to access language support. Many translation apps and websites can help you both to communicate.
Children and carers often very quickly adapt their own creative ways of communicating (e.g. visuals, emojis, google translate).
No. Your religion is not a barrier. Children should be placed with foster carers and supported lodgings hosts that can meet their needs, including their religious needs.
You need to be open to learning about new cultures and faiths, accepting of the young person’s cultural values and prepared to actively support them to access their faith.
If you do not share the religion and culture of the child in your care, you will need to find out as much as you can about it and what it means to them. The religious belief may also have implications for food – some foods may be forbidden or need to be prepared a certain way – or clothing, such as covering legs or hair.
But even if you do share religion, bear in mind that there are always individual differences – you need to establish how keen the young person is to worship and observe religious practices. You may need to find out whether there is a suitable place of worship locally.
The vast range of cultural differences which you and the child will have to contend with are, of course, complex but it is always stimulating and enjoyable to learn about this. It is important you give each other the opportunity to explore these differences together.
We are seeking foster carers and supported lodging hosts who are in the position to provide love and support to children who come from a range of ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
If you are able to provide this support and have a spare room that you are willing to use to support a child, then we would love to hear from you.
To provide a home for an unaccompanied child arriving from overseas seeking asylum the first step is to fill out our online form. Your details will be forwarded to your local Childrens Services, and they will be in touch to talk to you through the options of being a foster carer or a supported lodgings host.
They will need to check you meet the initial criteria and of course answer any questions you may have. They will then arrange to visit you at home, so that you can find out in more depth information, and they can to get to know you better.
You’ll then need to fill in an application form and, if accepted, you’ll start your full fostering or supported lodgings assessment.
This assessment process may take a while to complete as it is important that this is right for carers and hosts and for the children.
In some cases, children may not know or be unsure about their age. This may be because their country uses a different calendar, or because birthdays are not celebrated. Sometimes children arrive in the UK without any documents showing their age.
If the Government thinks someone who says they are under 18 might be older and they can’t prove their age with documents, then they might ask a social worker to carry out something called an age assessment. An age assessment is used to decide what date of birth someone will have in the UK.
Having their age disputed can cause young people incredible anxiety. While the age assessment is being carried out the young person should be treated as if they are a child and provided with a home and the care they need.
Often after the allocated social worker meets a young person, they accept the age they claim to be, and an age assessment is not required.
This could be because after having a few good night’s sleep, some food, rest and reassurance, the child looks a lot younger than when they first arrive.
Education is extremely important to children, and they can be keen to start this right away. An assessment of their education needs is undertaken, and this will determine whether they attend mainstream schooling or alternative education provision.
Many children quickly find their feet in the school or college system, make friends and integrate well, and their language skills rapidly improve.
Even if they are not in full time education or are doing night classes, many children are capable of remaining home alone during the day if the carer is at work.
Often, they engage in hobbies, meet peers or practice their faith/ religious observance during the day. It is important to remember that unaccompanied children are typical teenagers and as such enjoy activities such as football, gaming, social media, and shopping.
All children receive a high level of support from their social worker, personal adviser and a range of other professionals and support services depending on their needs.
Legal advice relating to their asylum claim is provided by an Immigration Solicitor.
Children, carers and hosts are able to access interpreting services to address any language barriers.
Your home is your home, and they do not have any legal rights over your property regardless of how long they stay with you.
The first step is to fill out our online form, (right).
This appeal is being run by the East Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership on behalf of the 10 local authorities in the region. Your details will be shared with your local authority, and they will be in touch to provide you with more information on being a foster carer or a supported lodgings host for an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child.
However, if you would like further information at this stage please visit the FAQs page.