Are there any useful resources for carrying out non-medical age assessments of unaccompanied asylum seeking children?
See Who decides the age of a young asylum seeker - the Home Office or the local authority? for an overview of age assessments.
There is currently no statutory procedure or guidance issued to local authorities as to how to conduct an assessment of age of a person claiming to be under 18 for the purpose of deciding whether they might be eligible for support under the Children Act 1989. [1] The current approach to undertaking these assessments has evolved through practice by social service departments and legal challenges to the process.
In March 2003, Practice guidelines for age assessment of young unaccompanied asylum seekers were developed by the London boroughs of Hillingdon and Croydon. In the same year, the High Court in R & B v London Borough of Merton [2] considered this and the judgement contains guidance as to the requirements of a lawful assessment by a local authority of the age of a young asylum seeker claiming to be under the age of 18.
Part of the guidance states:
"The decision maker must seek to elicit: the general background of the applicant including his family circumstances and history, his educational background, his activities during the previous few years (ethnic and cultural information may also be important)" [3]
Revised 28/07/08
Notes
[1] See Part III
[2] R & B v London Borough of Merton [2003] EWHC 1689 (Admin) (14 July 2003)
[3] Merton , paragraph 37
