Addressing the needs of asylum seekers in the borough
The UK has a responsibility to refugees because it has signed the 1951 United Nations Convention and the 1967 Protocol on refugees.
The Convention says a refugee is someone who is forced to flee his/her country due to: "a well founded fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a social group".
To be accepted as a refugee in the UK, an individual must first apply for asylum. While the Home Office decides on a claim the applicant is classified as an asylum seeker. The Home Office Immigration and Nationality Department which deals with applications and the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) are based at Lunar House in Wellesley Road, Croydon.
As a result of this, Croydon receives a large number of asylum seekers comparable only with local authorities which have major ports of entry e.g. Kent County Council and the London Borough of Hillingdon (Heathrow Airport).
Since NASS became operational in September 2000, it has been responsible for new destitute asylum seekers. People with special needs, e.g. a physical or mental disability, or a person caring for someone with special needs, are entitled to an assessment from the local authority under community care legislation.
Unaccompanied children (under 18s) are the responsibility of the social service department under the Children Act 1989.
The scrutiny review
The aim of this cross-cutting review was to ascertain whether services are accessible, integrated and cost effective in meeting the needs of asylum seekers in Croydon and to make recommendations for improvement in the services provided.
The Scrutiny Review of Services to Asylum Seekers aimed to:
- Identify and assess the information available to asylum seekers and make recommendations for improvement where applicable
- Identify and assess the effectiveness of the working relationships and arrangements between the different agencies involved in service provision and make recommendations for improvement where applicable
- Look at services to unaccompanied minors and adults, to assess whether needs are being identified and met, whether services are culturally sensitive and equally accessible to all asylum seekers, and to make recommendations where applicable
- Ascertain what contribution asylum seekers and refugees have made to Croydon's voluntary sector and local economy.
