Notifications to High Commissions and Embassies of Children in Care
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
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]
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
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
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