Review of the alternative to detention
The UK Border Agency is committed to exploring alternatives to detaining families who have no legal right to remain in the United Kingdom. Last year, in conjunction with Migrant helpline (a registered charity with extensive experience of dealing with asylum seekers), we ran a 12-month pilot in Ashford, Kent which was aimed at refused asylum seekers with children. An evaluation of this can be found in the external consultant's report, below. These findings are now informing a new pilot project to encourage refused asylum seeking families in Glasgow to return voluntarily to their home country.
The initial project at Ashford did not produce the outcomes we had hoped for: only one family was returned under the Assisted Voluntary Return programme during the pilot which ended on 31 October.
The Glasgow pilot will start at the beginning of June and is a partnership between Glasgow City Council, the UK Border Agency and the Scottish Government. The families will stay in designated flats, where they will receive targeted help to prepare for their voluntary return to their home country. They will receive dedicated family support to ensure that they realise their time in Scotland is at an end, and that they must make positive plans for a return to their home country to help build a successful life there.
Around five families will be accommodated in the project at any one time, and social workers will prepare an individual action plan for each family. While there is already a system in place for giving help and support to refused asylum seekers who wish to return home voluntarily, this is the first project in Scotland which brings these families together in designated accommodation to receive dedicated help.
Keeping families out of detention remains a priority. We all believe that it is much better if those found by the courts not to need our protection go home of their own accord.
We are committed to finding an alternative to detaining families wherever possible. That is why we have just begun a new pilot project in Glasgow, offering a select few families temporary housing and a package of support, building on what we learnt from our experiences with a similar scheme in Kent.
Last Updated: 13 May 2009