Plea for people in Falkirk district to help care for children seeking asylum

The unaccompanied asylum seeking children have risked their lives to escape countries such as Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan. They could be fleeing war, famine, poverty or abuse. They may have seen adults in their lives tortured or murdered, or they may have been forced to fight as a child soldier.

Most of them are aged 16 or 17, although they can be younger – and they are all extremely vulnerable.

With the numbers of such children rising all the time, councils in the south-east of England have become overwhelmed. Currently, around 300 unaccompanied asylum seeking children are in hotels, with no adults to care for them.

Councils, including Falkirk, are now on a rota to take them in, given just five days to make sure that safe accommodation is in place before the child makes the long, lonely journey by taxi.

Falkirk Council service manager Sharon Laing often thinks about this journey and what it must be like for the children.

She said: “It’s a long, long drive – not knowing where they are going. They might have some information on a bit of paper, maybe a couple of photographs – but they don’t have any control over it.

“Even when they were travelling they had some choice about what happened but that journey…

“And then to have somebody warm, loving, nurturing saying ‘Come in – what do you want to drink? Here’s your safe, warm, comfortable, dry bed and a room that’s yours for as long as you need it. You’re safe now.”

As far as Sharon is concerned, Falkirk Council is more than happy to welcome them and give them some safety and security while they go through a rigorous legal process before being given leave to remain.

“They’re incredible young people when you think what they have been through – talk about resilience!” she said.

The National Transfer Scheme – monitored and implemented by the Home Office – is now compulsory for all councils but Falkirk took part even when it was voluntary.

Councillor Fiona Collie, the administration’s spokesperson for health and social care, said they were happy to be part of the scheme.

Fiona said: “We felt as an authority it was absolutely the right thing to do, to offer a place of safety and a place where these young people can thrive in our authority.”

Councils are asked to take young asylum seekers based on 0.1 per cent of the child population which means Falkirk has to find care for two children when it is their turn on the rota.

The numbers involved are so small that even their ages are kept confidential to make sure they are not identifiable. Often there are few details about the children arriving – and sometimes it will take a while before they feel safe enough to tell their story or think about what they have been through.

Sharon said: “Some of them have no family because they have been killed in war. Others have family who have made the really really difficult decision to arrange for them to leave their home, everything they know because of the risk to them in their home country.”

Fiona added: “I can’t imagine any parent having to make that decision but because of the circumstances it feels like the only one they could make.”

If necessary, Falkirk Council will have to find the money to look after the children out-with the authority – but they would much prefer to find local people who can take them into their homes.

Some of them will need the support that foster carers can give – but others will be fairly independent and will just need guidance to adapt to their new lives in Falkirk.

For this, the council is keen to develop the role of Supportive Carer, which is less intense than the traditional foster carer role and helps young people take further steps to independence.

Sharon said: “Some of the young people have had to be very independent and self-sufficient and what they need is to move on somewhere where they can be their own person again.”

“The level of support isn’t as intensive as for fostering – you won’t be doing the school run, for example, but you might be supporting them to go to college for the first couple of times until they get used to getting on the bus or the train.”

Many of the youngsters do not speak English, even as a second language, but all of them are desperate to learn.

“Learning English opens every door for them,” said Sharon. “We are asking our carers to use interpreters or they are using Google translate.

“They are making great relationships but there’s a lot of non-verbal communication, trying to get to know each other through gesture and through kind acts to make them feel safe and secure.”

Carers who have taken in unaccompanied asylum seeking children have also been adapting – perhaps making contact with the local mosque or finding out where they can purchase Halal meat.

“All of our foster carers have been fantastic,” said Sharon.

The role of Supportive Carer is something that they hope will become an important part of the options that are offered to all young people in the care system.

They stress that the level of support will be tailored to each individual and foster care will continue to be necessary for anyone under the age 16.

Crucially, having enough Supportive Carers or foster carers will mean they can keep the young people in the local area.

For Sharon, the feeling when she hears that one of the children has been granted leave to remain is very special.

“It’s a phenomenal feeling, when you know they are not going to have to return to the danger they left. They’re home.”

She was also delighted to hear that one young person now living in the district hopes to become a train driver.

“They’ve got hopes, they’ve got ambition and they are planning a future in Falkirk and in Scotland!” she said.

Cllr Collie is also thrilled to hear such positive results for such vulnerable young people.

She said: “Providing young people with that positive future is something that makes me immensely proud of the efforts of our staff and the foster carers and those who are supporting the young people.”

Sharon says that those who have been involved have got a lot out of the experience and it has been “a two-way street” as they learn more about a different culture and way of life.

She promises that anyone taking part will be well supported with training and an allocated social worker for ongoing support.

“They won’t be on their own,” she says.

Anyone who would like to find out more about fostering or providing Supportive Care to unaccompanied asylum seeking children should visit https://bit.ly/3xvgSFk