Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: Working with partners to provide a holistic package of support for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC)

Local authority teams do not always have sufficient in-house resource or skills/knowledge to provide all of the wraparound care needed to fully welcome, support, house and integrate unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

As The Separated Child Foundation says, “For safety on their tortuous journeys, separated children and young people usually travel in groups at night and sleep during the day, taking turns to keep watch. When they arrive in the UK most are completely nocturnal, unable to settle and frequently suffer from nightmares. Likewise, those who have spent time in detention centres or makeshift camps experience disturbed sleep. These children have difficulties in falling and staying asleep at night, in waking in the morning and staying awake during the day. These struggles contribute to poor concentration and a lack of emotional stability, in addition to the PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from which many lone refugee children and young people suffer.”

Unaccompanied young people are at increased risk of harm or exploitation from others, and don’t have the family or local network to rely on that we know young people need to support positive transitions into adulthood.

Unaccompanied young people require intense support from the moment of their arrival to ensure they have the greatest chance of settling and achieving the best outcomes from their life in this country. This includes suitable accommodation, community networks and support for their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) has developed strong working partnerships with local third sector organisations. These bodies have worked with those seeking refuge for many years and so have experience, expertise, understanding, contacts and the time to offer a package of support to UASC alongside the work of the LA.

The Separated Child Foundation provides arrival and sleep packs for UASC. These packs include the basic essentials that a child will need; warm clothing, personal items (such as toothbrush) and sleep aids (such as a night light and lavender bags, developed by a psychotherapist who specialises in children’s sleep). These are provided to UASC arriving into the Reception Accommodation as well as when they move into their longer-term placements.

“We find that separated children are really appreciative of these packs. We know that they often have issues with sleep and we were really surprised that teenage boys really liked having a lavender bag” Project Lead, The Separated Child Foundation

This service is funded and the packs are available for any service in the UK.

ICN is a charity that has been supporting refugees and vulnerable migrants for over 20 years. They state that befriending is at the heart of their service and they aim to support individuals and families on the journey to rebuilding their lives to become settled, healthy, hopeful and integrated members of the local community. ICN are commissioned by BCP council to provide accommodation and support to UASC moving into the area.

They have a ‘new arrivals’ house which can accommodate four young people over the age of 16. This facility has a live-in support worker. They also have semi-independent accommodation and Supported Lodgings placements. There are also foster carer based placements available for these children through BCP children’s services, though these settings are not always where UASC feel comfortable, and each young person is considered as an individual.

The key consideration for placements is that they provide the best quality and safest placement for an unaccompanied child to be in. Supported lodgings carers and foster carers go through a thorough assessment process to ensure they are the right match for the young person and prepared to offer the support needed.

In a recent OFSTED monitoring visit of BCP children’s services, inspectors commented on the sensitivity with which UASC coming to the local area are treated and found “The response to [UASC] has been timely and sensitive. Managers at all levels have made themselves available to secure safe transfers from hotels to supported accommodation… Interpreters are used consistently, and religious practice is prioritised...” . The importance of delivering a high level of service between the agencies in the BCP area is recognised across the borough.

ICN deliberately limits the number of young people it can place and support. This is in order to keep the quality of their service high and ensure workers are able to give the amount of support needed to each young person. ICN ensures there is a member of staff contactable for the young people or foster carers 24/7.

The services ICN provide go beyond just providing a place for UASC to live. They also help with getting the young person established in the area. Support workers are allocated to each young person. These support staff can help young people to contact solicitors, register with a GP, optician and dentist, accompany them to meetings, and let them know about counselling and support services. Later on in their journey they can help with entering education, applications for Universal Credit and finding work.

These supports are a complement to the work of the LA through social workers, personal advisors and the virtual school who have regular contact with UASC and former UASC young people, and lead as the main agency responsible for sourcing and supporting with education, accommodation, employment and wellbeing for each young person.

“The key is to build relationships and trust with the young people. We help them access services initially but our aim is to help them become independent and empowered to live the lives they want by themselves.” ICN, UASC Manager

ICN are conscious of preparing the young people they work with for adulthood and to transition out of LA care. They keep the focus on positive next steps throughout the young person’s journey. They feel that uncertainty, no plan or goals, and limited contact with a community can all adversely affect the young people they are working with.

As ICN run a wider refugee support system UASC are able to have contact with members of their home community, including in their offices from which many of the services are run.

Once a week The Separated Child Foundation run a youth group for UASC and former UASC aged 16-25. Club Class is delivered in partnership with ICN and BCP children’s services and held in a specifically designed Young People’s Hub run by BCP Council; the sessions are young person-focused and friendly.  The aims of the sessions are to provide learning (English, life skills, education and careers support, mental health and wellbeing) as well as social interaction. The sessions allow UASC to talk in a safe space and meet others who are in a similar position to them. This is also an opportunity for UASC to have contact with the professionals supporting them such as youth workers, personal advisors and social workers who can all attend the sessions. Around 15-20 children and young people attend the sessions every week, with an increase in participation around special celebration sessions such as Eid.

• By providing this level of support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people are less likely to go missing from care and more likely to engage with, and integrate into, the local community.
• Jointly the organisations provide a wide range of activities to ensure the young people have their needs met and are set up to have a successful life.
• The team try and support young people to pursue their interests. For example, they recently helped a young person get a volunteering role in a charity shop as they had expressed an interest in a career in retail. Another young person has been funded by BCP children’s services to attend University and is about to embark on their Masters course with support.

• Partnership working leads to more efficient and effective delivery of support packages to UASC.
• Exploring what exists locally, and what services, expertise and capacity are available allows LA teams to explore who is best placed to meet the wide range of UASCs needs.
• Supporting all aspects of a child’s needs leads to more positive, sustainable outcomes for UASC and the local community.

Email: [email protected]