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New Report – “This system destroys you”: Children trapped in adult asylum hotels by the Home Office
We’ve published a new report which shares the experiences of children from our All4One youth group who were wrongly treated as adults by the Home Office. These children arrived in the UK alone seeking asylum, were declared “significantly over 18” at the border, and sent alone to adult asylum hotels — a safeguarding crisis. This report reveals what life is like for children alone in these hotels, the interrogations at the border that cause them to be sent there, and the urgent support they need to escape harm.
Download our full report.
Download our policy brief for a shorter summary.
Over recent years, thousands of children have been wrongly treated as adults by the Home Office. These children are in the UK on their own seeking asylum. Following decisions made by UK border officials that they are “significantly over 18” they have been sent alone to adult asylum accommodation, usually hotels.
Based on their shared experiences, the young people have also written a letter to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, about their experiences of being wrongly age assessed as adults at the UK border, how it made them feel, and what needs to change.
Between January 2024 and February 2025, at least 296 children were wrongly sent to adult asylum accommodation, usually hotels, in the North West. This is a report about what children experience in asylum hotels, how they are sent there, and the support they need to get out.
We are sounding the alarm – as others have done before us – that these children are being put at significant risk. Much harm has already been done, and must be acknowledged; and the government, local authorities and accommodation providers must act now to prevent further harm.
Our recommendations:
To the Home Office:
The Home Office must admit children are wrongly treated as adults at the border and suspend all “significantly over 18” decisions until investigated.
Repeal recent changes to age assessments introduced by the Nationality and Borders Act, and end the for-profit asylum housing model.
Meanwhile, the Home Office should notify local authorities when children are placed in hotels and publish clearer data on age disputes.
To accommodation providers:
Immediately refer to the local authority when staff become aware that a potential child is in adult asylum accommodation.
Take all possible measures to safeguard potential children.
Update training for hotel staff so they are aware of the high likelihood of children being treated as adults.
To local authorities:
Ensure social workers’ decisions and training include an understanding of the child’s experience in the UK, including being traumatised by Home Office age assessment practice.
Ensure that potential children are not held to higher thresholds in assessments when local authority capacity is stretched.
Do not refer children to the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB).
We would like to thank the children and young people who gave their time to share their stories for this report. We know that the injustices they have faced in the UK were difficult to talk about, especially for those children who were still in asylum hotels, being treated as adults. We are grateful to them for choosing to courageously speak out for the sake of the children who will come after them, and we wish them all the best for the future.
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