Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they carried out a risk assessment when deciding to place unaccompanied children seeking asylum in hotels; and if so, (1) whether any risks were identified as a matter of safeguarding, and (2) whether any safeguarding mitigations were put in place to deal with each of those risks.

The rise in the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) crossing the Channel in small boats has led to significant challenges for local authorities in identifying care placements for young people.

The wellbeing, welfare and security of children and minors in our care is an absolute priority. Robust safeguarding procedures are in place to ensure all children and minors are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with local authorities.

When considering whether to accommodate Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children in Home Office operated hotels, advice and guidance was sought from organisations with expertise and experience with young people. These included the Department for Education, the Home Office Safeguarding Advice and Children’s Champion and local authorities.

This information was used to develop the processes and procedures to ensure the safety of the young people accommodated in the hotels.

Safeguarding is a key consideration when identifying potential hotels for temporary use. The Home Office undertake hotel specific risk assessments before contracting any site.

We continue to consult multi-agency partners and subject matter experts to ensure our processes and procedures are robust and evolve as new trends or risks emerge.