Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children and Young People
Please find [below] FOI request for information about support for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people in your local authority area. FoI questions on support in local authority areas for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people in Wales The number of unaccompanied children and young people in your local authority area 1. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people are living in your local authority area? 2. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking young people who are care leavers under the age of 25 are supported by your local authority? 3. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children, who are looked after by your local authority, are placed in a different local authority area? a. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children, who are placed in a different local authority area, are placed in a local authority area in Wales? b. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children, who are placed in a different local authority area, are placed in a local authority area in England? 4. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been transferred to your local authority through the National Transfer Scheme in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023? Support for unaccompanied children and young people in your local authority area 5. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people living in your local authority area are accessing the Belong Project? 6. What support is available for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people living in your local authority area to help with understanding and engaging with the asylum seeking process? By this, we mean support such as: i. Helping the child or young person to obtain legal advice and representation ii. Keeping the child informed of legal and other proceedings iii. Liaising with lawyers, social workers, healthcare professionals, police and Home Office officials on behalf of the child iv. Working with young people to help them develop statements to support their asylum claims v. Attending Home Office appointments with the child vi. Providing young people with holistic support to enable integration, continued advice and emotional support 7. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people living in your local authority area accessed support for understanding and engaging with the asylum seeking process (that is, the forms of support described in Question 6) during the timeframes of 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23? 8. What other forms of support are available for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people? By this, we mean support for: a. Accessing education, employment or training b. Accessing financial support, such as benefits c. Accessing health services, both physical and mental 9. How many unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people accessed this support (that is, the forms of support described in Question 8), during the timeframes of 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23? 10. Do unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young in your local authority area have access to an Independent Visitor, in accordance with Section 98 of the Social Services and Well Being Act? 11. If Yes, how many unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people in your local authority area had access to an Independent Visitor, in accordance with Section 98 of the Social Services and Well Being Act, during the timeframes of 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23? Working with immigration lawyers/legal services providers 12. Do you have working relationships with immigration lawyers or legal advice providers in your local area? 13. If Yes, do you work with immigration lawyers or legal advice providers in your area to assist unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people with their asylum claim? 14. If Yes, with how many unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people has your local authority worked to help them access immigration lawyers or legal services providers during the timeframes of 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23? Additional information 15. If there is any additional information about support available for unaccompanied children and young people in your area, please do include that information