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days and a second review after three months and
then further reviews every six months.
■ 7. An unaccompanied or separated child should
be accompanied by his or her social worker or key
worker or legal guardian to every appointment
connected with his or her application for asylum
whether these are with the Home Office, his or her
legal representatives, medical personnel, or others.
■ 8. The Department for Education and Skills
should devise guidance for local authorities as
to the appropriate level of support to be given
to unaccompanied or separated children and
implement a programme of training to ensure
that all social workers allocated to unaccompanied
or separated children are aware of the
level of support they are expected to provide.
7. 2 Unaccompanied
and Separated Children’s
Psychiatric and
Psychological Needs
The needs of unaccompanied or separated
children are often not responded to by
those caring for them. A pilot study of 50
unaccompanied or separated children in the care of
Westminster Social Services Department 40 revealed
that 54% of these children showed symptoms of
post traumatic stress disorder. Of these, 34% had
experienced serious injury, 40% had experienced
armed combat, and 48% had experienced the murder
of relatives or friends. Our research highlights
a general lack of awareness amongst social workers
in other locations regarding the extent of these children’s
trauma and consequent needs. Unaccompanied
or separated children are not generally referred for
a psychiatric assessment or offered the opportunity
to talk to a counsellor.
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These findings are echoed by solicitors representing
unaccompanied or separated children who state
that a failure to make a psychiatric referral is common
even when an initial medical examination
has indicated that this is necessary. 41 This failure
has a negative impact on the unaccompanied or
separated child’s ability to disclose the very information
which could secure the child’s protection
under the Refugee Convention.
As one expert in the field put it:
“[Unaccompanied or separated] children may have
experienced violence or torture...or may have witnessed
members of their family being tortured.
Some may have been abducted to become child
soldiers and forced to commit violent acts themselves.
They will also have suffered multiple loss.”
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