Age Assessment — Foundations for Practice Training
Age assessment is a legally complex and ethically significant area of social work practice involving important safeguarding, welfare and human rights considerations. This foundation session introduces practitioners to the legal and policy framework governing age assessment in the Uk, the principles of Merton-compliant practice, and the key stages of the assessment process.
The session will explore why age assessments are undertaken, how assessments are approached in practice, and the implications of decisions for unaccompanied children and the professionals involved. Designed for social workers at any stage of their career, the session provides an essential introduction to age assessment practice grounded in social work values, rights-based and trauma-informed practice.
⭐ Learning Outcomes:-
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Explain the legal framework governing age assessment and why it derives from case law, not statute
• Identify the Merton principles and how key subsequent cases have developed them
• Apply a structured, holistic approach to assessment including signposting, indicators of age and evidential weighing
• Recognise common process and reasoning errors that lead to assessments being overturned on judicial review
• Describe good practice in analysis, the minded-to process and report writing
⭐ Programme Outline
🔵 Welcome and scene-setting (5 mins)
• Introductions and session aims
• Overview of learning outcomes
🔵 Why we do age assessments (15 mins)
• Why age matters: legal, safeguarding and accountability consequences
• The legal framework: case law, the Merton judgment and key subsequent cases
• Assessment vs determination: the social worker's role and the court's role
• What gets assessments overturned on judicial review
🔵 How we do age assessments (30 mins)
• Overview of the assessment process and the two-assessor model
• The signposting requirement and core areas of enquiry
• Indicators of age and how different categories of evidence are weighted
• Inconsistency, trauma and credibility
• Holistic and trauma-informed practice
• Working with interpreters and documents
• The minded-to process
🔵 Implications for young people and practitioners (20 mins)
• Impact of decisions on welfare, rights and immigration status
• Professional accountability, defensible decision-making and write-up
• Current policy landscape, including the National Age Assessment Board
🔵 Reflection and Q&A (15 mins)
• Open discussion, questions and signposting to further learning
🔵 Close (5 mins)
• Summary of key learning and CPD confirmation
⭐ Trainer Bio:- Matt Vincent, Social Worker, Director, Independent Migrant Services
I am a Registered Social Worker with over 25 years of experience in children’s services, including nine years as a Team Manager in a specialist Children’s Asylum Team. I am the founder and lead practitioner of Independent Migrant Services (IMS), a specialist consultancy providing Merton-compliant age assessments, consultancy and training to local authorities and legal firms across England.
I have undertaken and overseen a significant number of age assessments involving unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and have extensive experience managing complex cases with important legal, safeguarding and welfare implications. I regularly deliver training to social workers, managers and legal professionals, and develop practitioner-focused learning resources including the IMS Age Assessment Foundations course and Age Assessment Masterclass.
I am registered with Social Work England (No. SW35797), a BASW member, and based in the South East of England.
Delivered using MS Teams in an interactive virtual classroom with limited group sizes. Corporate multi booking rates available - contact ProfDE@basw.co.uk for details.
If you’re not yet a BASW member, now’s the perfect time to join. Membership starts from just £5.39 a month and gives you access to this training, plus a huge range of BASW events, at a significantly reduced rate. It’s a great way to invest in your professional growth while connecting with a supportive community. Learn more here: https://basw.co.uk/why-join-basw