National Age Assessment Board: BASW receives response from Home Office following consultation submission

In the response, the Immigration Minister referred to plans for a National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), a proposal that 50% of respondents to our survey disagreed with.

Following on from BASW’s submission to the New Plan for Immigration consultation launched by the Home Office earlier this year, BASW CEO Ruth Allen has now received a response from the Immigration Minister, Chris Philp MP.

In the response, the Minister referred to plans for a National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), a proposal that 50% of respondents to our survey disagreed with.

In the letter, the Minister said: "We will bring in rigorous age assessment processes with a National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) to stop adult migrants pretending to be children. 

"The NAAB will primarily consist of a team of social workers. It will be able to undertake age assessments upon the request of local authorities and will work with local authorities to set out the criteria, process and requirements to be followed to assess age. 

"We have set out that we want to use new scientific methods to improve abilities to accurately assess age, and we will be guided by the research and evidence on which scientific methods to use. We are committed to supporting local authorities better to achieve swift and sustainable assessment outcomes."

When the proposals take the next step and become draft legislation, BASW will ensure that the voices of members are heard, as we continue to campaign for a fair and just immigration system.