Asylum assessment error could cost Derby City Council £600k

Asylum seeking children have been wrongly sent to the Laverstoke Court, off Uttoxeter New Road, Derby

Child asylum seekers who were wrongly assessed by the Home Office as adults could cost a council an extra £600,000 per year, the authority has claimed.

An accommodation centre for adults seeking asylum opened in Derby in February, but 17 wrongly-assessed children were sent there and had to be taken into care by social services.

Derby City Council's leader said the cost "wasn't anticipated".

The government said it had "robust processes" to handle age dispute cases.

The council said since G4S opened the centre in Laverstoke Court this year, 17 people - initially assessed as adults by the government - were found to be children travelling alone, meaning they had to be taken in by the council's social care service.

The authority estimated the cost of caring for the children at £600,000 a year.

Chris Poulter said the extra costs came as social care budgets were under pressure

Council leader Chris Poulter said the authority was not warned of the "extra burden" it would face when the centre opened or potential issues with age assessments.

"It's fair to say it wasn't anticipated," he said.

"Adult and children's social care budgets are already under significant pressures, so any level of increase in responsibilities and resources needed is a serious concern to us."

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The council said it was still waiting for a response from the Home Office to a request for additional funding.

A Home Office spokeswoman said staff were only able to treat an asylum claimant as an adult "if their physical appearance and demeanour very strongly suggest they are significantly over 18".

She said when there is a "doubt" about the claimant being a child, they are referred to a local authority, but added the government was "reviewing the funding arrangements with councils".