Dear Sir or Madam

Information Request: FR1319 and FR1319A

I refer to the above requests dated 25 May 2009 and 27 May 2009 respectively. These requests were amalgamated and have been dealt with together. Please accept my apologies for the slight delay in responding to you. Your request is detailed below in italics with our responses in bold.

can you Confirm or Deny the following:

1) Age assessments are always conducted by at least two Social

Workers?

In as many cases possible, age assessments are conducted by 2 qualified Social Workers. Where this is not possible a qualified social worker and  a worker with experience of  working with Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children will conduct this piece of work.

     1.1 If they are not always conducted by at least two Social

     Workers, can you provide information that explains this apparent

     anomaly and provide details of the job Titles of those who

     currently conduct age assessments.

The main reason would be pressure on Social Work time particularly if a number of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children require assessment at the same time or at  a time when Social Workers are engaged on other business eg attending statutory child care reviews, visiting young people.

There is also a desire to provide Social Workers with training opportunities to ensure Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children receive best possible service from Social Workers once qualified.  

In most cases Student Social Worker, on rare occasions Personal Adviser

     2) That since 01 April 2005 you have always used at least two

     Social Workers?

Since 1 April 2005 age assessments are conducted by 2 qualified Social Workers. Where this is not possible a qualified social worker and  a worker experienced in working with Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children who has received training in the area of Age Assessment will conduct this piece of work.

     2.1) If you have not always used two Social Workers, since 01 April

     2005, please provide details of the job Titles of those who

     currently conduct age assessments.

See response to 1.1 above

     3) ...

During said Court case a Helen Johnson, Refugee Council's

     Children's Panel, questioned the assertion by a Ms Janet Patrick,

     senior manager of the Croydon Council's Unaccompanied Minors' Team,

     that Council's are routinely advising applicants that they can have

     an adult present to give support during their age assessment.

     Therefore can you provide copies of any information you hold, such

     as policies, memos, notes and guidance, (showing dates

     issued/written/drafted) as given to Social Workers, the applicants

     or anyone else, that Confirms or Denies that applicants are

     routinely advised that they can have an adult present to give

     support.

It is not the practice of Northamptonshire's Asylum Support Team to advise the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children can/should an adult present.

     4) Please provide copies of any age assessment guidance or training

     material you hold.

Please find this attached.

1) Confirmation or denial that it is the practice of your local

authority to always send the UKBA/Home Office a full copy of the

age assessment and that doing so complies with your Confidentiality

and Data Protection Act duties and policies and is done so with the

informed consent of the person age assessed or with the written

agreement of the assessed person's legal representative.

 It is not the practice of the team to always send Home Office a full copy of the age assessment. When we do, we understand this to be compliant with our Confidentiality and Data Protection Act duties and policies. There are occasions when we do not have the informed consent of the child or young person concerned. It is the recently introduced practice to notify all young people in advance that we may be doing this.

1.1) If you do send the UKBA/Home Office a full copy of the age

assessment, but only in certain circumstances, can you give details

of these circumstances and that doing so complies with your

Confidentiality and Data Protection Act duties and policies and is

done so with the informed consent of the person age assessed or

with the written agreement of the assessed person's legal

representative.

We send a copy of the full age assessment when it is asked for either by the home office or the child's solicitor

1.2) Confirmation or denial that it is the practice of your local

authority to always only send the UKBA/Home Office a summary of the

outcome of the age assessment and that doing so complies with your

Confidentiality and Data Protection Act duties and policies and is

done so with the informed consent of the person age assessed or

with the written agreement of the assessed person's legal

representative.

It's not the practice of the team to only send a summary

In connection with (1), (1.1) and (1.2) above can you please

provide copies of any procedures, operational policy or guidance

that explains the manner by which these age assessments or

summaries are shared with the UKBA/Home Office and that doing so is

perfectly legal and professionally ethical. Together with copies of

the relevant age assessment forms or summaries you currently use.

Please see attached.

The disclosure to you of the enclosed information does not give you a right to reproduce or publish such information without the express permission of the County Council or any other owners of the copyright therein.

If you are unhappy with my response, you can ask the Council to review it. To do this you write to the address below:

Paul Edwards

Head of Business Intelligence and Performance

Northamptonshire County Council

PO Box 93

County Hall

Northampton NN1 1AN

If our internal review does not resolve the issue to your complete satisfaction, you have the right to apply to the information Commissioner for a decision at the following address:

Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

Or, if you have any complaints in respect of your information request please complete the on-line comments form that can be found at www.northamptonshire.gov.uk, along with a full set of guidance.

Yours sincerely

Maria Damigos

Senior Freedom of Information/Data Protection Officer

Legal & Democratic Services

Enc.

Northamptonshire County Council

Please ask for: Maria Damigos

Tel: 01604 236707

Our ref: FR1319/A/MAD

Your ref:

Date: 3 July 2009

Northamptonshire County Council

County Hall

PO Box 136

Northampton, NN1 1AT

w. www.northamptonshire.gov.uk

t. 01604 236707

f. 01604 237004

e. [email address]