England programme: Child protection

About 2,000 asylum-seeking children are detained every year for the purpose of immigration control. We are appalled at this. In April 2006 we launched the No Place for a Child Campaign, aimed at ending this practice. We are now working to develop alternatives to detention.

There are currently more than 9,000 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the UK. These children, separated from their families, are particularly vulnerable.

Save the Children believes that these children are currently not adequately protected and cared for. The majority face an uncertain future. 

We're calling on the government to set up a system of guardianship for all separated children subject to immigration control in order to ensure that the child's best interests are taken into account. When these young people turn 18, they no longer have any of the protection afforded to them as children. They need support at this point and we run workshops and training for the young people concerned, and the professionals working with them.
We've also set up a number of projects working with young refugees and asylum-seekers.

• Brighter Futures enables groups of these young people in Tees Valley, Manchester and London to speak out on their own behalf and run campaigns on the issues that affect them. The groups have produced publications and posters, set up a website, arranged workshops and taken part in conferences and consultations. Through this work the young people have learned communication skills and gained self-confidence. This helps them to integrate into the communities where they live. Their activities have been reported in the regional and national press, TV and radio. Currently they're working on campaigns to stop racist bullying and to get better access to higher education and social services.
  

• BUMP is the Befriending Unaccompanied Minors project in Birmingham. It gives young people the opportunity to meet with members of their own communities and with British young people. It aims to help them overcome isolation and develop the confidence and skills to help them rebuild their lives in the UK. BUMP runs a drop-in session, advice surgery and one-to-one befriending support.
  

• In Newcastle, the Kumasi Project works with 150 unaccompanied young refugees and asylum-seekers. It enables them to meet and take part in group work and social activities. It also offers support and advice relating to social services and asylum processes.
  

• Young refugees and asylum-seekers face a great deal of discrimination, fuelled by hostile media coverage. Through the Positive Press project, Save the Children is helping over 75 young people in London, Coventry and Newcastle to work together, using different forms of media to challenge racism and bullying and reduce community tension.
  

• Some children arriving in the UK from abroad have been the victims of child traffickers. There is a lack of awareness of this problem among local authorities. We are working partners such as children's services, Local Safeguarding Children's boards and the Police to strengthen the
  response to this and ensure children are adequately protected. Together with ECPAT UK we undertook research which highlighted the depth of the issue in Manchester, Newcastle, Coventry and Birmingham. Of grave concern were the 52 children who had gone missing in those locations. This gives an indication of the scale of the problem across the country. In the Midlands we organised a conference on child trafficking, and a task force is being set up to work on the recommendations that were drawn up. We've helped the government develop an anti-trafficking action plan, with children as a priority group. These trafficked children are in urgent need of appropriate protection and care, and we're calling for the government to make sure that they get it.

More information

• For more details on any of our projects please contact us.
• Read related publications including the Young Refugees series and regional Trafficking Reports.

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