The National Transfer Scheme becomes mandatory

The Home Office has stepped up efforts to help unaccompanied asylum seeking children, by directing all local authorities with children’s services to provide care placements for them.

The government announced in November 2021 that it was making the National Transfer Scheme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children mandatory for local authorities with children’s services. At that time, many councils did not accept the transfer of children, resulting in significant pressure on the few which did.

The government insists that the decision to mandate the scheme will ensure unaccompanied asylum seeking children receive the critical care they need and end the use of hotels for them.

In December, 177 local authorities were directed to take part in the mandatory scheme, meaning they received legal notices setting out that they would now be required to accept transfers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Now, the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration Kevin Foster has written to the final group of 29 local authorities and directed them to take part.

He said: “I am grateful for the continued support of local authorities who have already stepped up to help more unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Mandating the scheme has already led to additional placements but we know there is more work to be done.”