There has been an important judgment from the High Court today that found that Kent County Counil had breached their duties under the Children Act 1989 by not accommodating unaccompanied children who arrived in their area. The Home Office were also found to have acted unlawfully in accommodating unaccompanied children who had just arrived in the UK in hotels.
CCLC and many other children’s charities have previously raised serious concerns about the policies of accommodating children in hotels, placing significant barriers to their rights and putting them at high risk of going missing and being subject to exploitation.
ECPAT UK had judicially reviewed both the Council and the Home Office. Further information can be found on their website. We add our voice to their call that no more children should be treated this way. The UK’s child rights framework does not allow children to be treated differently just because of their immigration status and it is crucial that the Home Office and local authorities remedy these issues as soon as possible.
