Councils in crisis as lone child refugees double

THE number of lone child refugees cared for by English councils has more than doubled in four years because of the spiralling migration crisis.

There were at least 4,560 unaccompanied youngsters seeking asylum at the end of March – a rise of 134 per cent from 1,950 in 2013, a report shows.

Council chiefs have warned they are struggling to cope because of the influx of young refugees without parents or carers who have travelled across the Channel.

Most come from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Albania, Iran, Vietnam, Iraq and Syria. If a child claims asylum in the UK they become the legal responsibility of the local authority where they are found. Kent and Croydon had the highest numbers in their care, with 485 and 390 respectively.

The Department for Education report said: ‘After a large rise in numbers last year, the number of looked-after children who were unaccompanied asylumseeking children continues to increase in 2017.’

Some 92 per cent of those being supported by councils are boys.