The “routine” housing of unaccompanied youngster asylum seekers in accommodations by the Home Office is illegal, the High Court has dominated.
The charity, Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (ECPAT), had introduced authorized motion in opposition to the Home Office over the apply of housing unaccompanied children in Home Office accommodations – claiming the preparations are “not fit for purpose”.
In his ruling, Mr Justice Chamberlain stated the usage of accommodations for unaccompanied asylum-seeking kids has develop into illegal.
He advised the court docket the ability to position kids in accommodations “may be used on very short periods in true emergency situations”.
The decide added: “It cannot be used systematically or routinely in circumstances where it is intended, or functions in practice, as a substitute for local authority care.”
He continued: “From December 2021 at the latest, the practice of accommodating children in hotels, outside local authority care, was both systematic and routine and had become an established part of the procedure for dealing with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
“From that time on, the house secretary’s provision of resort lodging for unaccompanied asylum-seeking kids exceeded the right limits of her powers and was illegal.
“There is a range of options open to the home secretary to ensure that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are accommodated and looked after as envisaged by parliament.
“It is for her to resolve how to take action.”
Source: information.sky.com”