Social workers, not AI, are the best way to assess ages of asylum seekers

BASW has criticised plans to trial use of AI age estimation tools at the UK's borders from next year. The UK Government has confirmed that the technology is expected to be trialled on asylum seekers at Western Jet Foil, a processing centre in Dover, with intentions of rolling it out further in mid-2027.

Responding to the announcement, BASW Interim CEO, Prof. Sam Baron asserted that ‘the social work method’ is the best way to assess a young person’s age, given that AI estimation technology is fallible.

"Assessing the ages of migrants is a complex process which social workers are best placed to do. This important task should not be open to shortcuts through artificial intelligence, especially as the pitfalls of getting it wrong can lead to major safeguarding risks," explained Prof Baron.

A 'Hunt' for Adults, rather than Safeguarding Children

BASW member and director of Immigration Social Work Services, Jo Schofield, commented: “This announcement undermines the seriousness of the work the Home Office should be doing. By framing this new approach as an effort to “catch adults falsely claiming to be children”, they reveal their bias. It positions the issue as a "hunt" for adults rather than a safeguarding responsibility towards children.”

Currently, age assessments of young people who are, or who claim to be, under 18 and are claiming asylum, are carried out by social workers either by direction of the local authority or by the Home Office’s National Age Assessment Board. 

Social workers use the Merton Complaint method for age assessment. This responsibility is not primarily about immigration control; it is about meeting the needs of the child and to provide appropriate care and accommodation, and alongside other professionals, appropriate education and health services.

“Social workers are best placed to determine age as they take a ‘whole picture’ approach, whereas these other methods put forward by the government do not,” continued Baron. “A 16-year-old from Syria and an 18-year-old from Syria can look the same to AI, yet a social worker can consider their background and their life so far to identify maturity, and the best likelihood of their correct age.”

“Instead of focusing on expensive technology, the Home Office should put the money back into local authorities to give social workers the best training available so they can do their jobs to the highest standard.”

These assessments are done by interviewing the young person as part of an in-depth evaluation, which is designed to not be adversarial or hostile. The social worker will consider issues such as the young person’s background and their appearance, while also considering any material evidence such as documents they may have.  

Scientific Methods are not fullproof

The ‘scientific’ methods proposed over the last few years by the Home Office, such as MRIs and X-rays, have been dropped in the face of opposition by professional bodies such as BASW and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. 

These methods, including facial age estimation technology, have a margin of error of several years, making them no more accurate than current assessments.

Facial age estimation technology cannot detect where a young person has gone through significant trauma, experienced developmental delay or been malnourished, or has an illness, all of which can make someone look older and ‘toughened’.  Different ethnicities will also produce varying results, as one group of people may age differently to another group of people.

The Home Office focuses on the small risk of adults being placed in child settings as a result of incorrect age assessments, but, at present, there are a series of checks and balances in place both for individual cases and across the system for UASC children. If a person is misplaced, that can be rectified. But if a child is wrongly assessed to be an adult and placed in an adult setting with minimal protections, this is a much greater concern for that young person.

BASW will be thorn in Home Office's side

The government cannot push forward with these proposals without first meaningfully engaging with social workers. Gambling on AI technology, which is prone to mistakes, without hearing from those professionals who are highly skilled and experienced in carrying out age assessments, would be deeply irresponsible. There can be no risk of causing catastrophic consequences to people's lives.

Any serious trial shouldn't just assess how the technology works or not, but should also include a commitment to consulting with the social work profession to get a fuller picture of whether or not this is the correct approach to adopt. Should this not happen, BASW will indeed be a thorn in the Home Office's side on these plans, where we'll be vocal in demanding that the profession's voice is heard.