REFUGEE CRISIS
Families offer housing help
Kent has reached saturation point for dealing with young asylum seekers, say social services chiefs.
Kent County Council reopened a reception centre in Cranbrook this week and has already transferred 28 teenage boys there. They have come from its other reception facility in Ashford, the Milbank centre.
The Swattenden Centre, in Swattenden Lane, has space for 12 more boys, although it was confirmed these will come from outside the country.
Milbank has been dealing with close to twice as many children as it has space for.
Andrew Ireland, KCC’s director of social services, said the council had been under a huge strain because of the escalating refugee crisis. While KCC has met its obligation to find a place for every young asylum seeker, it has only done so with the help of other councils and by placing some with foster families outside Kent.
Mr Ireland told a cross-party backbench meeting: “This has put a huge strain on the service, particularly on senior managers and on our placement finding staff, all of whom have done a sterling job. We have, to date, had 33 young people taken by other councils, which we are very grateful for.” The councils include Bath and Hartlepool. Mr Ireland went on: “We have, in terms of our ability to place youngsters in the county, reached saturation point.”
The opening of the centre in Cranbrook had eased the situation greatly, along with a lull in the numbers arriving in the UK, he added. Another centre in Whitstable, involving the conversion of a former old people’s home, is due to open shortly.
Despite the pressures, the publicity given to the death of three-yearold Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi on a Turkish beach has seen KCC inundated with offers to help.
Cranbrook county councillor Sean Holden (Con), who last week said he hoped the children in the town would be shown “comfort and care” said he was delighted with people’s responses. He said: “I’ve been overwhelmed with the help offered from the people of Cranbrook and Goudhurst.
“I’ve had approaches from a football referee and psychiatric assessor to offer their services at the Swattenden Centre. These children have been through extremely hard times, with many of them losing loved ones.”
Cllr Peter Oakford, the cabinet member for vulnerable children’s services, said there had been a notable change in mood among the public: “It ranges from offers of clothing to sports equipment to offers of English lessons through a school. I have had a retired English teacher from Norwich offering to come and help.”
He said he had personally received some “very unpleasant emails and letters” but was now receiving more positive messages: “To me, the big difference is that people are beginning to see the difference the economic migrant and those that are leaving wartorn zones and have had horrendous experiences in their lives and are genuine refugees seeking safety.”
KCC has been approached by 28 families around the county offering to foster refugee children, as well as a further 30 from outside of Kent.
Cllr Oakford said the council had almost run out of foster carers and is very grateful for all offers of help.