Notifications to High Commissions and Embassies of Children in Care

The request was successful.

Dear City of York Council,

Re: NOTIFICATIONS TO HIGH COMMISSIONS AND EMBASSIES OF CHILDREN IN
CARE

To ask the Local Authority’s Children’s Services Head of Service:

1. What is the Local Authorities policy for notifying High
Commissions and Embassies (their Consular Welfare Sections)
regarding non-UK national children that are?

A. Taken in to Care
B. Being Adopted

2. What is the Local Authorities policy for enabling High
Commissions and Embassies Consular Welfare access visits to non-UK
children in its care and prior to adoption?

3. Has the Local Authority sought any legal or other advice from
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding High Commissions
and/or Embassies Consular Welfare visits to non UK children in it’s
care?

4. Has the Local Authority refused any High Commission or Embassy
Consular Welfare visits to non UK children in it’s care and if so
how many?

And
5. By the Local Authority:
How many foreign national children have in the last five years:

A. Been taken into Care
B. Been Adopted
C. What list of counties were they from

And
By the Local Authority:
6. How many High Commissions and Embassies Consular Welfare
Sections in these cases as in 5. A. & B. above were:

A. Notified
B. Were not notified

To High Commissions and Embassies Consular Welfare Sections

7. In the cases of doubt regarding nationality and other
unconfirmed/un verified information such as history what is the
Local Authorities policy regarding enquiring of High Commissions
and Embassies for confirmations that may be available outside of
the UK regarding non UK children in it’s care and prior to
adoption.

8. What is the Local Authorities Policy regarding non-UK children
in its care or as adopted being able to ensure their right of
access to their non-UK Identity and Nationality once they reach age
16 and should they wish assistance to leave the UK.

PLEASE NOTE FOR CLARITY SAKE:

This FOI is made by the following organisation and not by an
individual

This FOI Request is made by the Advocacy Fund which is an
organisation and not by an individual.
http://advocacy-fund.org

ICO Section 8 Guidance states:

In the case of a company, it is not necessary to provide the full
registered name. It will be acceptable to provide another name
which exists as a real entity, such as a trading name.

Also under the guidance an email address is considered sufficient
under the DPA for an address.

FOR CLARITY:
The Advocacy Fund is the Name of the organisation managed by
Advocati Massa Ltd (Reg In England), who appoints it officers. Both
are Not for Profit Organisations.

Both are real names in law and this FOI request is therefore
compliant
with the FOI Act and section 8 Guidance.

Responses can be made to either

A. The Advocacy Fund.

or

B. The Chairman, The Advocacy Fund

Yours faithfully,

Advocacy Fund

City of York Council

Dear Advocacy Fund

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom Of Information Act 2000, of which we acknowledge receipt.

Your request has been passed to the appropriate officer to provide a response as soon as possible, and in any event within 20 working days, as required by the Act.

Kind regards

Paul Atkinson, for

Information Governance Officer
City of York Council
Telephone 01904 552933
[City of York Council request email]

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Lovelady, Howard, City of York Council

Dear Enquirer

Your enquiry was as follows

Re: NOTIFICATIONS TO HIGH COMMISSIONS AND EMBASSIES OF CHILDREN IN

     CARE

    

     To ask the Local Authority’s Children’s Services Head of Service:

    

     1. What is the Local Authorities policy for notifying High

     Commissions and Embassies (their Consular Welfare Sections)

     regarding non-UK national children that are?

    

A.      Taken in to Care

City of York Council has very few children in care of non-UK nationality.
In those instances which do exist, the Home office has been notified and
extensive interaction takes place with the immigration service but the
High Commission and Embassy for the countries  have not  been notified.

B.      Being Adopted

City of York similarly has very few children being considered for adoption
, who are non-UK nationality. In those instances which do exist, the High
Commission and Embassy for the country may be consulted or  notified
depending on the circumstances.

    

     2. What is the Local Authorities policy for enabling High

     Commissions and Embassies Consular Welfare access visits to non-UK

     children in its care and prior to adoption?

City of York Council does not have a policy on this issue.

    

     3. Has the Local Authority sought any legal or other advice from

     the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding High Commissions

     and/or Embassies Consular Welfare visits to non UK children in it’s

     care?

No

    

     4. Has the Local Authority refused any High Commission or Embassy

     Consular Welfare visits to non UK children in it’s care and if so

     how many?

No

    

     And

     5. By the Local Authority:

     How many foreign national children have in the last five years:

    

A.      Been taken into Care

2

B.      Been Adopted

0

C.      What list of counties were they from

Afghanistan, Iraq

    

     And

     By the Local Authority:

     6. How many High Commissions and Embassies Consular Welfare

     Sections in these cases as in 5. A. & B. above were:

    

A.      Notified

0

B.      Were not notified

2

    

     To High Commissions and Embassies Consular Welfare Sections

    

     7. In the cases of doubt regarding nationality and other

     unconfirmed/un verified information such as history what is the

     Local Authorities policy regarding enquiring of High Commissions

     and Embassies for confirmations that may be available outside of

     the UK regarding non UK children in it’s care and prior to

     adoption.

City of York Council does not have a policy on this matter.

    

     8. What is the Local Authorities Policy regarding non-UK children

     in its care or as adopted being able to ensure their right of

     access to their non-UK Identity and Nationality once they reach age

     16 and should they wish assistance to leave the UK.

City of York Council does not have a policy on this matter.

I hope that this response assists you.

Yours Sincerely

Howard Lovelady   

    

Howard Lovelady

Head of Service (Resources)

City of York Council

Adult Children and Education

Holly Croft

Wenlock Terrace

York

YO10 4DU

01904-555357

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Dear Lovelady, Howard,

We wish to remind you that we submitted the above FOI in October 2011, and are yet to receive a reply. Could we please ask you to look at this as a matter of urgency and confirm the answers within the next 14days or we shall have to log it as refused.

Yours faithfully

Jane Clearly
Information Officer, Advocacy Fund

Dear Lovelady, Howard,

I apologize for sending a follow up on this response, I can now confirm that your answers are showing as provided in October 2011, and as such I have finalised this request.

Yours sincerely,

Advocacy Fund 3