The Assistant Director (Performance, Commissioning & Partnerships) will submit a report (Document “B”) which provides an update from the report submitted in September 2019 regarding issues of Citizenship and Passports for Children who are in Care in particular regarding children who are EU Citizens and plans to apply for Settled Status or citizenship for those children.

Recommended –

The Corporate Parenting Panel are asked to note the report.

(Rachel Curtis - 01274 435779)

The Assistant Director (Performance, Commissioning & Partnerships) submitted a report (Document “B”) which provided an update from the report submitted in September 2019, regarding issues of Citizenship and Passports for Children who were in care, in particular regarding children who were EU Citizens and plans to apply for settled status or citizenship for those children.

Members were informed that:

·         There were currently 59 children who were EU nationals in care;  some of these children, where their permanence plan was that they would remain looked after separate from their family and they would live in the UK; measures were being put in place to apply for British Citizenship. 

·         For children who continued to live within their own family, or continued to have significant links with their family and home country, it was important that they had the necessary paperwork and identity papers, and that an application for Settled Status was made. The application itself was free, but the documents needed to prove eligibility such as birth certificates and passports did cost money if they were not already in place.

·         Often parents did not have the necessary paperwork or refused to give this to the social worker. Social workers therefore needed to work to get hold of the necessary documentation and if the families did not have the paperwork new copies were needed. This was not straightforward and involved working with the individual embassies or consulates and the children being seen at the embassy (usually in London). Passports could not be issued without identity papers and birth certificates.

·         Some creative work was being undertaken to ensure children had identity papers and passports to allow them to go on school trips etc. 

·         The Settled Status application scheme opened at the end of March and plans were being put in place for children in care to apply for Settled Status, however to submit the application the child needed all the necessary documentation so the focus now was on ensuring this was in place first.   

·         The delay in Brexit had meant that the work regarding applying for Settled Status had become less of a priority but it still needed to happen. All workers of children who were EU migrants had been asked to meet with the Through Care Service Manager in July to update on plans and progress regarding Settled Status or Citizenship for the children they were working with.

·         The cost of citizenship applications was at least £1,000 per child.  Significant costs could also be incurred through travel to embassies in London; legal costs needed to be met and there was a shortage of Legal Advisors who specialised in children’s asylum and immigration issues.

In response to the information provided, Members commented on the following:

·         What did settled status mean for an individual?

·         Did settled status allow young people to have access to higher education?

·         Was anything being undertaken in relation to the shortage of Legal Advisors who specialised in Children’s asylum and immigration issue?

·         The Council needed to lobby the government to raise concerns about the settled status application scheme and its implications.

In response to the comments raised it was reported that:

·         Settled Status gave an individual the right to live in Britain and access benefits but did not result in an individual acquiring a British Passport.

·         Settled Status did give young people access to higher education.

·         Settled Status had become less of a priority for the government due to the delay in Brexit but the authority needed to make progress due to the delay and complexity of obtaining appropriate paperwork.

·         There was a team leading on Brexit in Bradford looking into amongst other things the shortage of legal advisors who specialised in children’s asylum and immigration issues who had links with the Home Office; citizen advice bureau also provide support in this area; a few new immigration lawyers had just started through work from the Yorkshire and Humber Brexit Group.

·         Staff who had success in this area were being asked to write a guidance note for others to follow.

Resolved –

That the Chair of the Panel write to the Local Government Association raising concerns about the Settled Status Application Scheme and the implications it has for Local Authorities.

Action:           Assistant Director (Performance, Commissioning and Partnerships)