BASW insists government’s immigration bill must abolish the NAAB

The Border Security, Asylum & Immigration Bill is being scrutinised by MPs.

The legislation has been introduced by the UK Government to bring about new counter-terrorism style powers for law enforcement agencies against smuggling gangs. It also will repeal the previous government’s Rwanda scheme and large swathes of the Illegal Migration Act. Read a summary here.

A cross-party committee of MPs will begin their line-by-line examination of the proposals this week, which includes laying amendments which will then be debated and voted upon.

BASW has submitted written evidence to the committee ahead of its deliberations. It includes suggesting an amendment that would scrap the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), the ‘in-house’ facility for the Home Office to carry out age assessment created by the previous government’s Nationality and Borders Act. Read our full evidence here.

BASW has campaigned vigorously since the NAAB’s inception for it to be dismantled and has actively discouraged social workers from applying for and taking up roles within it. 

We remain deeply concerned that any agency that is part of the Home Office, and is therefore accountable to central government, risks age assessments being influenced by political priorities, such as reducing immigration, as opposed to child welfare and human rights. Instead, the Home Office should focus on resourcing local authorities for social workers to conduct age assessments that are truly fair and independent.

The current government has an opportunity to use their Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to scrap the NAAB for good. We therefore welcome an amendment that has been put forward by Lisa Smart MP that would repeal large sections of the Nationality and Borders Act, including the NAAB and use of scientific methods for age assessments. 

We will be following this amendment closely when it is considered by the committee and will continue to engage proactively with MPs to make our case to them on this important issue as the Bill moves through parliament. 

For any further updates on BASW’s work on this issue, please contact jonny.adamson@basw.co.uk 

Rich Devine led BASW Child Protection Social Work Practice Masterclass Series

BASW UK Statement: National Age Assessment Board

Given the risk of political priorities intruding on professional objectivity, BASW is discouraging our members, as well as other social workers from applying for, or taking up, age assessment roles in the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB).

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