UNITED KINGDOM SCOTLAND
MAIN STRENGTHS AND KEY CHALLENGES
Access to quality, individualised guardianship services The guardians have specialised knowledge and experience in assisting with asylum procedures. They are trained in issues such as child protection, child trafficking, victim support and age assessment procedures. The guardians are able to identify the best options to secure children’ s rights, plan for their future, provide access to education and promote children’ s emotional well-being.
Durable solutions in accordance with the best interests of the child By providing information, legal representation and legal aid, the service safeguards children’ s rights and contributes to identifying and implementing sustainable solutions in line with their best interests. The fact that the children it supports are considerably more likely to receive permission to remain in the UK after the age of 18 than other asylum-seeing children demonstrates the benefit of providing specialist support appropriate to children’ s needs and assigning an adult who is responsible for advocating for children’ s welfare.
Sustainability Following a pilot period of 30 months, the service was recognised by law and received funding from the Scottish Government, which has secured the future of this guardianship model and its place in the child protection system.
Empowerment and participation of children Guardians represent and advocate for the children and young people they work with in their interactions with other service providers. They help children to understand the services that would best meet their needs and make them aware of the available options and the nature of public services in the country( i. e. NHS, schools, collages, social care, housing, etc.). Ultimately, the project enables children and young people to make informed decisions about their future.
Involvement of children in service design and implementation The service was developed in response to a specific need. The development of the model took a year and involved children and young people from the target group. As a result of extensive consultations and children’ s participation, the service is designed in a way that reflects their needs, wishes and aspirations.
133