Organisations co-ordinated by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) have produced good practice guidance aimed at assisting frontline social workers in conducting age assessments of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the UK.
You can download the guidance here.
Representatives from local and central government, health, the police and a number of non-government organisations, including Coram Children’s Legal Centre, have collaborated with experienced social workers and practitioners on this piece of work which brings together the fundamental elements of what constitutes a lawful assessment whilst promoting best practice. It contains practical advice on preparing for, and conducting, age assessments, as well as a range of useful resources covering issues such as trafficking, trauma and memory, and legislation and case law. Young people with experience of age assessments were consulted and some of their reflections appear in the final document.
This document forms part of a suite of publications including the ADCS and Home Office Age Assessment Joint Working Guidance and the Information Sharing Proforma.
