Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

‘Shocking’ that UK is moving child refugees into hotels

‘Shocking’ that UK is moving child refugees into hotels

Children’s Society criticises practice of placing unaccompanied minors in hotels with limited care
Record numbers of unaccompanied child asylum seekers who arrived in the UK on small boats are being accommodated in four hotels along England’s south coast, a situation that the Children’s Society has described as “shocking”.

About 250 unaccompanied children who arrived in small boats are thought to be accommodated in hotels, which Ofsted said was an unacceptable practice.

In September, Home Office officials told the home affairs select committee it was accommodating 70 unaccompanied children in hotels.

On 23 November the government announced that a scheme for this group of children to be dispersed to different local authorities was temporarily being made mandatory. But individual councils have two weeks to make representations against this new rule. London councils currently care for 1,500 of these children – a third of the total.

Kent county council officials said they were at capacity, caring for 363 unaccompanied child asylum seekers as of 23 November along with 1,071 care leavers.

Children’s and refugee charities say their concern for young refugees’ welfare is mounting as record numbers of adults as well as children continue to arrive in the UK in small boats.

Marieke Widmann, policy and practice adviser at the Children’s Society, said: “These are vulnerable children and young people who have often fled war and persecution and may be frightened and distressed after an unimaginably traumatic journey.

“It’s crucial they get the help, support and security they need when they arrive here alone, including access to appropriate accommodation. Moving unaccompanied children into hotels with limited care and supervision is shocking and places these already vulnerable children at incredible risk. We are aware several children have already gone missing.

“The Home Office has a duty to protect all children and promote their welfare. It must ensure these children receive proper care and support so they feel safe and secure and can recover from the terrible trauma they have been through.”

The question of who is legally responsible for these children has been raised by lawyers. Rebecca Ives, a solicitor at Wilsons, said: “The home secretary is effectively acting as the corporate parent for these children. Central government does not have any statutory powers to act in this way or to accommodate [unaccompanied asylum-seeking children] in hotels.

“We are concerned that the Home Office practice of accommodating unaccompanied asylum seeker children in hotels is removing them from the protections and safeguarding afforded to them under the 1989 Children Act. Some of them will be victims of trafficking and/or torture and therefore particularly vulnerable and at risk.

“It has been stated that these children will only be in hotels for very brief periods whilst alternative arrangements are made, but for some children this period lasts for more than one month.”

Bridget Chapman of Kent Refugee Action Network said: “We were concerned to discover that these unaccompanied asylum seeker children who recently arrived on small boats are being accommodated in hotels on the south coast.

“We have a lot of expertise in supporting these young people and it is our remit to do so. But the Home Office has not contacted us about this. The children are being guarded by security guards. We don’t know if they have enough privacy, if they are being supported by qualified social workers, nor whose jurisdiction they are under.

“Hotels are not suitable places to accommodate these children. Who is checking up on them and how long will they be in the hotels?”

A government spokesperson said: “We are working around the clock with local authorities to seek permanent places for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children across the UK. Our efforts remain focused on ensuring every single unaccompanied child receives appropriate support and care whilst we seek a permanent place for them.

“We are determined to end the use of hotels as soon as possible and our nationality and borders bill will fix the broken asylum system.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×