Under the 1989 Children Act, local authorities have a duty to look after unaccompanied children. This duty ultimately falls to social workers to discharge.
The last month or so has seen a significant increase in the number of migrants and asylum seekers travelling across the channel from France and arriving in the UK.
Whilst The Government is calling on councils to take responsibility, and despite extra funding and support being offered, the sudden increase has left Kent County Council struggling with the demand that has arose from this and they recently announced that they can no longer safely take care of the young adults and children that are arriving.
A lack of staff and resources has led to challenges in finding placements for all of these young adults and children, leaving them in desperate need for help and security.
The Home Office, the Department for Education and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have written to all local authorities asking for their help and commitment to tackling the issues.
With this pressure on Local Authorities and Councils, the need for more Social workers is evident. Agencies could be the source of much needed help and support in this time of crisis and will need to be ready for the supply demand that this is going to bring. Sourcing suitable candidates for local authorities to use and offering candidates sustainable work will be the way forward in tackling this problem head on.

From the Team here at Select Social Care