A new report has revealed that hundreds of migrant children have been wrongly assessed as adults by the Home Office, resulting in their placement in adult accommodation or detention centres. The Helen Bamber Foundation has documented at least 755 cases in the past year where children were placed in adult facilities after border officials concluded they were adults.
Government Data Shows High Proportion of Children
Government data, published for the first time, indicates that in the year to March 2026, 57 per cent of migrants whose age was evaluated were found to be children. Charities, including the Helen Bamber Foundation, have condemned this practice as a 'serious safeguarding failure,' emphasising the significant harm caused to children placed in inappropriate settings.
Plans to Introduce AI Age Assessments
The government has announced plans to replace human judgement with AI facial-recognition technology for age assessments by 2026. This move has been criticised by rights groups as an 'experiment on migrants.' It remains unclear whether the technology will be applied to children arriving in the UK on small boats.
The report underscores the urgent need for more accurate and child-sensitive age assessment procedures to prevent further safeguarding failures.
