English councils get £29m for asylum seeking children

19 Jan 18

English councils will receive an extra £29m to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children and care leavers, communities secretary Sajid Javid has said.

He said this would allow councils with spare capacity to increase the number of homes they can provide for those children who are resident in other local authority areas that are full.

Communities minister Lord Bourne said: “This new funding will enable more councils across England to provide support to those children who need a place to call home.

“The funds will also bring a range of benefits to the whole community by increasing the number of foster carers available and reducing pressures on existing services.”

Case studies cited by Javid included that Shropshire Council will use £170,000 to reduce pressures on neighbouring local authorities by developing specialist support including training for foster carers and expanding English language teaching.

North Yorkshire County Council is to provide young people with a chance to integrate through an intensive 12-week programme of introductions to the region and British culture, fast tracked English language lessons and peer mentoring.

The London Borough of Croydon plans specialist training and support for more than 360 to help them understand cultural barriers.

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