A long way to go: Young refugees and asylum seekers in the UK

Eleanor Stringer & Tristan Lumley

April 2007, 52 pages

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Young refugees & Asylum seekers - Kristian Buus Imagine you arrived in a new country, not sure of where you were and not speaking the language. Now imagine you are an eight-year-old child.

NPC's report, A long way to go, explores the reality of this situation, which affects thousands of young refugees and asylum seekers every year.

Did you know?

8,000 children arrive in the UK each year claiming asylum—enough to fill eight secondary schools.
Young refugees and asylum seekers can be left without a school place for many months, despite having the same rights as other children in the UK.

The report highlights three areas where the work of charities is critical and donors can make an important contribution. These are:

supporting children through the asylum process
improving access to school places and other support, and
increasing refugee children's integration into the community.

‘I think sometimes when people talk about young refugees and asylum seekers they forget we are talking about children. One charity I met told me about a boy, Stefan, who had been forced to flee the Ukraine, hidden inside a tyre after both his parents vanished. He had not heard from either of them since arriving in the UK. Most of us in the UK can’t even imagine what that must be like.‘
Ellie Stringer, Research analyst

Charity insight

''Over 500 children aged 11-16 arrive in Greenwich and Lewisham from abroad each year. Many have to wait months for a school place.''

GREENWICH AND LEWISHAM YOUNG PEOPLE'S THEATRE runs art and drama classes for children not in school, where they make friends and learn English.