Children and Young People
of the people we supported last year were children and young people aged under 21.
young people received our support last year and most arrived in Britain alone, without their parents.
Adam’s Story
“I was shocked. I’m 15 years old. How can you say I’m 35?”
Adam* is from Sudan and was not believed about his age.
In Dover, they interviewed me and asked me about my age. I told them I was 15 years old and the person who was interviewing me didn’t believe me. He said, ‘how can you be 15 years old? You are not 15 years old!’
I said ‘my father told me my age and I am 15 years old’. He didn’t believe me and wrote down that I am 35 years old. I was shocked, I’m 15 years old, how can you say I’m 35
When I got here in the hotel they asked me for proof. I tried to contact my family back home but because of the war I couldn’t reach them. Three weeks later my brother got in touch, and I asked my brother to provide proof, he sent me a national ID card with my age on it.
I told them ‘this is the proof, give me my right age back!’ But they said I had to show the original… My day is full of stress and I can’t sleep. I feel unwell.
*name and image changed for privacy.
We want to make sure our work is having the greatest impact possible, so, this year we have been collecting information about the experiences of the young people we work with.
That includes where they live, if they are accessing education and where they are in their asylum application process. This information helps us respond to where need is greatest and ensures our services are giving people the support they need.
Three quarters of the children and young people we work with told us they live in initial asylum or temporary accommodation.
This means many of the young people we work with don’t have a permanent place to call home or the benefit of a stable family environment such as foster placements. It is also harder for young people to build friendships locally and find adults to connect with and trust.
Here at the Refugee Council, we recognise these challenges and have been providing specialist youth projects for over 30 years. These services include:
- A reception service for vulnerable children who arrive here alone by small boat in Dover.
- A Children’s Advice and Support Service – including a free Youth Advice Line and Regional Youth Advice teams.
- Resources and guidance, so young people feel more informed and independent.
- Specialist therapeutic support to spot and cope with challenges before they escalate into crises.
- Youth activities to support young people to find friends and get involved in their communities.
Nine out of ten of the young people supported by our Children’s Advice and Support Service told us they feel satisfied or very satisfied with the support Refugee Council has provided.
But satisfaction with our work doesn’t necessarily mean it’s also having the right impact. That’s why we are also monitoring the difference our projects and services make in improving outcomes for children and young people.
Amir's story
“Coming to these sessions makes my heart happy … it’s helped a lot.”
Amir* is a teenager from Afghanistan who was supported by Faye, an experienced psychological therapist with our MyView service.
Amir escaped to the UK after his brother was killed by the Taliban, and survived a difficult and dangerous journey aged just 15.
Coming to these sessions makes my heart happy, I can express myself and I am being listened to. I've noticed that it's helped a lot.
I feel like my view is being heard and taken seriously by you…This is a space I can share freely.
I don't do that anywhere else. It's helping me to notice things. Because I couldn’t share before, I found my voice here. It took things off my chest.”
Faye says:
When he was referred to me, Amir* was a scared, anxious boy showing signs of PTSD after experiencing repeated trauma. He did not trust anyone and felt isolated and lonely. He was grieving his brother and worried for the rest of the family.
I had 12 sessions with Amir plus an extra three crisis sessions. It took a few sessions before he started to trust me. For one of our sessions I posted him some ingredients and we cooked his Mum’s favourite dish together and then we sat down and ate together online. We laughed a lot in that session, it was lovely to see him letting his guard down. It was after this that he started to tell me all his stories and flashbacks.
Amir is now safe, he is studying to be a mechanic and has received his leave to remain. He calls me sometimes and wishes me Eid Mubarak or Merry Christmas and tells me that he will never forget me.
*name and image changed for privacy.
My View
Our MyView service provides specialist therapy for refugee children and young people who arrive here alone, separated from their family. Last year, we supported 447 young people through our MyView Service.
We asked the children and young people that had used MyView what felt different to them after using the service. This showed that:
had improved mental and physical wellbeing
had improved feelings of safety
felt more socially included
had improved their ability to make informed choices
Our work is far from done, and each year, we strive to make improvements to our services, informed by our impact data. We also work to change government policies that negatively affect the young people we work with.
Thank you to our supporters and funders for continuing to support both our Youth Services and our influencing work. It is because of you that we can keep improving the impact we can have for children and young people seeking safety.
Age Disputes
A huge problem for many young people is that their age is assessed incorrectly. These children are often housed in inappropriate adult accommodation or detained in immigration removal centres.
have been supported by our Age Disputes Service to challenge incorrect age assessments or assumed age
As parents ourselves we feel that in supporting the age dispute programme not only are we ensuring that young people have the right to live a life without fear where they can thrive, but we are also honouring their parents who have either had to make the desperate decision to send their children away or who for whatever reason can no longer help their children themselves.
Dr Melanie Macleod
Our Services teams and our policy experts work closely together to use evidence from our Age Disputes Project. We push for reforms to prevent more young people from being given the wrong age and denied the support they need.
This year this included launching a research report, called Forced Adulthood, in partnership with the Helen Bamber Foundation and the Humans for Rights Network.
