The gap between asylum support and mainstream benefit rates is leaving thousands of children in severe poverty, new analysis from The Children’s Society shows.
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Dr Sam Royston is a poverty and early years policy adviser for The Children’s Society
The gap between asylum support and mainstream benefit rates is leaving thousands of children in severe poverty, new analysis (pdf) from The Children’s Society shows.
Many families cannot even afford the basics, including clothing and powdered milk or nappies for their babies.
Asylum seeking families with children are often entitled to receive asylum support under Section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (pdf), until their claim is decided, and they are either granted leave to remain, or if they are refused asylum, until they leave the United Kingdom.
Single adults or couples without children will lose their Section 95 support and accommodation if their claim is refused. And if an adult has a child after their asylum claim is refused they are not entitled to Section 95 support.
These families, however, may be able to access Section 4 support under the Act, which is meant to provide short-term voucher-based support to adults who are destitute, if they meet specific strict requirements – if they are taking all reasonable steps to leave the UK, if there is no viable route of return or if there is a physical or medical reason why they cannot travel.
However, at £35.39 per person, Section 4 support rates are even lower than those provided under Section 95.
Trapped in severe poverty
Section 95 support for a couple with a four-year-old child is just 67% of that received by an equivalent family on income support, and around half of what they would need to escape poverty; Section 4 assistance is considerably lower.
In some cases, children and families on asylum support would need as nearly three times more than they receive in order to be pulled out of poverty.
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Graph 1 shows income support, asylum support under Section 95 and Section 4 support, for a couple with one child aged four, compared to poverty thresholds – the poverty threshold (after housing costs) and the severe poverty threshold.
Graph 1:
What needs to be done?
The government in its current review of asylum support needs to take key steps to bring asylum support in line with income support in order to ensure families seeking asylum are not left in severe poverty; specifically, it needs to:
Provide asylum seekers affected by disabilities with some level of additional support
Families receiving income support receive additional help for disability. However, even though many asylum seeking families face ill health and disabilities which may incur considerable additional living costs, they receive no additional assistance through Section 95.
Treat 16 and 17-year-olds as children
Additional support for asylum seeking children stops when they reach 16, even though they would normally be treated as dependent children under the mainstream benefits system and are recognised as children under international law.
Also, the government has indicated the standard age of entitlement for the new Universal Credit will be 18 rather than 16.
All children in the asylum system should be provided support under Section 95
Under the current guidelines, children born after their family is denied asylum receive the significantly lower support provided under Section 4 until they are able to return to their home country.
Despite being intended as short term support, 40 per cent of those receiving it in April 2011 had been living on it for more than two years.
Children of asylum seekers are no less deserving and have the same needs as all children in the UK. It is vital the government takes into account children’s needs and its commitment to tackling child poverty for all children by ensuring asylum support does not put children’s health and well being at risk.
58 Responses to “Gulf between asylum and benefit support leaves thousands of children in severe poverty”
Anonymous
The difference boils down to the legal system.
I don’t see why one group should be singled out to be treated differently when it comes to the legal system. I think the legal system should be universal, and the same rules apply to all.
Changing the appeals system isn’t the solution because the problem orginates elsewhere. It orginates are I think we both agree, with abuses.
So lets make the abuses expensive for the lawyers who abuse the system. Asylum seekers are only appealing via lawyers.
[Unlike MPs who exempt their expenses from taxation and investigation by HMRC. Thanks for that one Gordon]
As for funding the groups, on balance I agree. If people want to fund them they can. Although it looks like now that they will be taxed on giving to any charities.
Anonymous
I agree with you that one group (asylum seekers) should not be singled out to be treated differently when it comes to the legal system.
We shouldn’t have a situation whereby when our own people are found guilty, they/we claim the decision is flawed, the accused refuses to accept the decision, refuses to go to prison, court says OK, away back to your house. ’course not, but that’s what’s happening with asylum seekers and refugees.
I agree with you we should cease paying lawyers for failed representation.
All easier said than done – taking on the legal system in the UK – taking their money away from them – is a formidable undertaking.
Anonymous
taking their money away from them
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It’s going to happen anyway. With debts of 12-13 times income, the government is bust. Party is over. They will try and postpone the inevitable.
So all of those with debts owed by the government will be hit hardest.
Those who have been prudent, and saved, will have assets confiscated by the fraudsters to try and postpone the inevitable.
Ever wonder why they are so keen to tax charity? The above is a hint.
Anonymous
I know the government(s) is, are bust, or more to the point, the working class are bust.
Being short of cash didn’t stop Cameron upping the foreign aid handouts – whilst making cuts across the board in the UK.
Same will apply to those (of us) who have been prudent and saved, eg, elderly persons entering home care will have their assets taken to pay for same. Elderly assorted immigrants will receive all free.
Anonymous
They haven’t made overall cuts.
Spending is up, above the rate of inflation. i.e. In real terms.
It’s not just elderly migrants, there are huge numbers in the UK in similar positions.
What you will find is that they won’t get it. There isn’t the money.
Now for migration. Importing elderly migrants isn’t a good move, for the reasons you have pointed out. The wrong sort of migration. Similarly importing lots of unskilled migrants isn’t a good move either. They end up being an economic liability rather than asset.
However, there are migrants, the high paid (because they are high skilled), that we should be accepting. ie. Stay for so long as you pay more tax than the government spends on average.