Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people

The care of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) continues to be a priority for LASC and the London boroughs.

An unaccompanied asylum seeking child (UASC) is:

(i) An individual who is under 18 and applying for asylum in his or her own right, and is

(ii) Separated from both parents, or is not being cared for by an adult who by law or custom has responsibility to do so.

Young people are those in the 18 - 25 age bracket.

UASC arrive in the UK for various and often traumatic reasons. Some children will have been sent away by their families to avoid conscription into the armed services or because it is unsafe to remain in their country of origin. Other children may have lost or been separated from their families. As at February 2007 there were approximately 6000 UASC and young people in the UK (source: Home Office) and 2548 in London (source: NRUC). Current data is available here.