Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the training available to asylum application caseworkers; and whether they plan to revise the guidance for them.

There is a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework in place to support asylum decision makers. This is delivered by a dedicated team of senior grade trainers and technical experts.

The initial training for asylum decision makers is a 9-week programme designed to give an understanding of relevant legislation, policy, and the Refugee Convention. Alongside the initial training, a range of other technical training is available to decision makers to consolidate their learning, this includes a specialised course which focuses on assessing all medical evidence, training to help detect potentially fraudulent documents, training on identifying and making appropriate intelligence referrals, as well as training on how to respond to and consider any underlying factors, such as trauma, which may be evident in a claimant’s account. The wellbeing of decision makers is also addressed in training and covers issues such as vicarious trauma and resilience.

Training materials are subject to continuous review, informed by insights from policy, operational teams as well as independent expert stakeholders. When training has not been delivered for a period of time, it undergoes a formal and rigorous review process and is updated as necessary to ensure it remains accurate, relevant, and fully compliant before being delivered.