Almost 6,000 lone child asylum seekers entering the UK were taken into care over the past two years, newly released data shows.
The minors aged between two and 17 were placed across the UK, including 600 miles away in the Highlands, after arriving in Kent.
More than 1,000 remained in the county, with the remainder transferred across 179 local authorities. Norfolk took the largest number with 169 referrals, followed by Essex with 107 and Hertfordshire with 88.
The longest journeys under a transfer scheme were to Scottish regions including Highland Council, Moray and Aberdeenshire.
Kent County Council has expanded its services to meet the demand, which included 70 children on July 2 — the highest number ever on one day.
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The majority of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UAS) entering the UK arrive by small boats on the south coast, but unlike adults cannot be housed in hotels due to a court ruling.
Chris Palmer, Kent’s cabinet member for integrated children’s services, said the council is fulfilling its statutory duties to the new arrivals.
He referred to a 2023 High Court judgement which found that the ‘routine’ housing of the children in hotels was unlawful after campaigners said hundreds had gone missing from temporary accommodation.
The decision also required Kent to take ‘every possible step’ to increase its capacity to care for the unaccompanied children.
‘We received government funding and opened six new reception centres across the county, making a total of eight centres and increasing our capacity from 84 to 277 beds,’ Mr Palmer said.
‘These centres temporarily house UAS children while they await transfer from Kent to other UK local authority care via the government’s National Transfer Scheme, usually within 10 days or less.
“So far this year, we have received 1,631 referrals of UAS children.
‘Our reception centres have temporarily accommodated 1,220.
Hotels ‘were like jails’
The use of hotels as accommodation for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children ended after a High Court ruling in 2023.
They went missing ‘by the hundreds’ according to Every Child Protected Against Trafficking. Children housed in hotels said they felt like they were in ‘jail’, according to research by the charity and University College London. They were also found to be an ‘easy target’ for traffickers and to be vulnerable to exploitation
‘The remainder were either placed in foster care due to their needs/circumstances or in long-term Kent placements.
‘This ensures the council maintains its responsibility to permanently accommodate a number equivalent to 0.01% of Kent’s under-18 population to be able to transfer further arrivals out of Kent.’
In total, 5,879 children were referred to the council in the two years up to July 28 — with 1,015 of this number remaining in the borough, figures released by the local authority show.
On July 2 this year, the council received 70 referrals, the highest number ever recorded in one day.
Under the National Transfer Scheme, councils such as Kent where UAS in care account for at least 0.1% of their under-18 population can refer new arrivals to other authorities with a lower proportion.
‘Most other UK local authorities won’t receive as many children into care, be they asylum seekers or others, in a whole year,’ Mr Palmer said.
He added: ‘Looking at the current rate of arrivals, it’s possible that we could ultimately receive more referrals this year than 2024.
‘Currently, the transfer scheme and the government’s financial incentive scheme for other UK local authorities are working to ensure that the transfer of UAS children from Kent’s care is currently keeping up with new arrivals and our capacity has been sufficient.’
The pressures brought about by the number of lone children are playing out in the backdrop of the continued use of hotels to house adults, which has brought about protests and counter-protests across the country.
The risks faced by the young people have been highlighted by Every Child Protected Against Trafficking, which brought the legal challenge.
Research by the campaign group and University College London showed they are at risk of trafficking and exploitation, with 440 going missing from hotels before the practice was deemed unlawful.
Since 2018, just under a fifth of detected ‘irregular’ arrivals via small boats have been children, according to government statistics.
How children as young as two arrive unaccompanied is unclear, but possible circumstances include separation from family members en-route or arrangements with people smugglers.
Metro has approached the Home Office for comment.