BASW reaction to planned reforms to age assessment process

BASW spoke to BBC Newsnight and Radio Kent last week about Home Office plans to reform the age assessment process for asylum seekers arriving in the UK.

The proposals would introduce mandatory age-check x-rays when carrying out assessments, which would involve examining the development of a person’s teeth and bones as part of the age verification process.

Scientific methods, such as x-rays, are no more accurate than age assessments carried out by social workers. Yet, they carry significant risks and ethical concerns, such as exposure to radiation and adding to trauma that a young person may have faced on their way to the UK.

We therefore question the need for it to be introduced as part of the age-assessment process. It certainly shouldn’t be used as the sole or main method to determine a person’s age since there is too much variation in the estimate it provides, meaning it is limited in both reliability and accuracy.

Ultimately, age assessments must always be carried out ethically, fall within our national and international responsibilities to child welfare and have the best interests of the age-disputed person at their heart.

Listen to BASW's reaction and comments on the following links: