BASW urges parliamentarians to protect universal child welfare system

BASW has joined with Article 39 and other campaign groups ahead of a key debate on the Illegal Migration Bill to persuade parliamentarians to reject proposals that would radically reshape England’s child welfare system.

Clauses 15 and 16 of the Illegal Migration Bill would allow the Home Office to effectively remove unaccompanied children from the child welfare statutory scheme.

This would be the first time a central government department is legally empowered to take responsibility for highly vulnerable children who are without parental care and for whom local authorities have clear statutory duties to care for, protect and support.

The briefing paper, co-ordinated by children’s rights campaign group, Article 39, describes the proposals as “ill conceived and discriminatory in principle” and therefore calls on parliamentarians to remove clauses 15 and 16 from the Bill.

Read the full briefing paper here.

BASW has been unequivocal in our opposition to this problematic Bill since day one and will continue to work closely with campaign groups and parliamentarians to challenge it at every stage of the parliamentary process. 

Peers in the House of Lords will begin examining the proposals at Report Stage today (Wednesday, 28 June).