Home Office-led age assessments should end, says BASW

The National Age Assessment Board should be abolished and control of age assessments passed to local authorities. 

The call was made by BASW following the publication of a highly critical report by David Bolt, chief inspector of borders and immigration.

The 126-page document reveals young asylum seekers are subjected to "crude and cruel" processes on arrival in the UK.

The report shines a light on chaotic procedures at Dover, where asylum seekers are forced to wait in uncomfortable conditions, sometimes overnight, and are subjected to cursory, visual assessments of their age.

Interviews are “not child-friendly or trauma-informed” and young people are being damaged as a result.

Bolt states: "Over the years, and again during this inspection, I have listened to young people who felt disbelieved and dismissed by the Home Office, whose hopes have been crushed, and whose mental health has suffered.

“Many people and organisations who support and advocate for the rights and interests of children believe that the Home Office falls well short of its legal and moral responsibilities, and regard the initial age decision process, in particular, as crude and cruel.”

Asylum seekers crossing the English Channel on small boats are initially processed at Western Jet Foil, a facility in Dover.

Inspectors investigating conditions there found: "The environment at Western Jet Foil, and the physical and mental condition of the migrants after a long, arduous, and perilous journey, make the already difficult task of assessing age even more challenging."

During their visit, they observed a lack of cultural awareness and decisions reliant on physical characteristics. Officers talked among themselves about a young person’s “soft face”, “developed shoulders,” or “huge hands” and were seen on one occasion to be laughing.

Staff “working under pressure” had not all received age assessment training at the time of the inspection, and others said the training they had received had “not equipped them for the reality” of working at Dover. 

Mistakes are being made. Between January 2023 and January 2025, a third (20 out of 59) of asylum seekers identified as adults and sent on for processing were later returned, after it was accepted they were children.

Social worker involvement

The report outlines how the presence of social workers improves proceedings later on in the ‘migrant journey’: "The greater reliance on qualified social workers, whether employed by local authorities or by the NAAB… makes for a more careful and thorough process," inspectors note.

However, when the NAAB was launched in 2023 BASW warned social workers not to apply for roles, with chief executive Ruth Allen warning such work posed "a risk to professional objectivity and could compromise the judgment of social workers”.

When the independent inquiry was announced, she said: "We hope that this is the start of the dismantling of the National Age Assessment Board and the move back towards local authorities being responsible for the conducting of age assessments.”

The subsequent report has uncovered evidence of a worrying "blurring of boundaries" between NAAB operations staff and social workers, BASW believes.

Head of policy Luke Geoghegan said: "This very troubling breach suggests that the objectivity of assessments is being compromised, sadly vindicating what BASW has warned all along – that the NAAB cannot, and is not, operating entirely independently.

“The fast-growing body of evidence all points to an agency that is not fit for purpose. The government should dismantle it and instead focus on diverting funding to local authorities, so they are no longer starved of the resources they need to conduct fair, timely and ethical age assessments under their own auspices.”

Wider concerns

The findings of the inquiry are backed by the Refugee Council, which found around 1,300 children were incorrectly assessed to be adults and sent to immigration removal centres, hotels and even adult prisons over an 18-month period. Hundreds experienced abuse and exploitation.

Researchers at the London School of Economics and the University of Bedfordshire have recommended that the Home Office be stripped of the power to age assess lone child asylum seekers.

The government said it will accept all of the eight recommendations arising from the inquiry, which include greater involvement of external stakeholders, a formal evaluation of age decision training, and better data sharing with local authorities. 

Geoghegan added: “The chief inspector’s very thorough investigation reveals several red flags around the NAAB’s processes and approach to conducting age assessments that need to be immediately addressed. On that basis, we welcome the government’s willingness to implement the report’s recommendations fully.

“Ultimately though, the report’s findings do not ease our long-held reservations about the impartiality and functionality of the NAAB. In fact, at times it makes for distressing and shocking reading.”

New AI tool 

The government is to trial new AI facial recognition technology to determine cases disputed by asylum seekers who say they are children.

The decision comes after the previous government issued regulations on the use of other scientific methods of assessment, including x-rays and MRI scans. The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 allows for the use of these in age assessments, despite widespread opposition.

The AI tool, which assesses age based on facial features, is expected to be rolled out by 2026, subject to tests.

It has been described as "the most cost-effective option" by border security and asylum minister Dame Angela Eagle.

In a statement to parliament, made the same day as the publication of David Bolt’s damning report, Dame Eagle said: "We have concluded that the most cost-effective option to pursue is likely to be Facial Age Estimation, whereby AI technology – trained on millions of images where an individual’s age is verifiable – is able to produce an age estimate with a known degree of accuracy for an individual whose age is unknown or disputed

“In a situation where those involved in the age assessment process are unsure whether an individual is aged over or under 18, or do not accept the age an individual is claiming to be, Facial Age Estimation offers a potentially rapid and simple means to test their judgements against the estimates produced by the technology."

However, social workers are concerned the new tool will not account for factors other than biological age that can affect physical appearance. 

BASW member Jo Schofield told BBC Radio Kent: “We're sceptical about this technology. 

“How does it factor in things such as racial profiling, trauma, malnutrition, abuse, sleep deprivation – all of these things we know have an impact on the way someone physically presents. 

“We all know if we've had a bad night's sleep, we look different to how we look when we have rested and eaten and slept. We want to know how AI is going to account for that when making these decisions, because we are concerned that this leaves young people really vulnerable to being misclassified as adults.”

A BASW spokesperson added: ““Assessing age is a complex process. Social workers who specialise in carrying out Merton-compliant age assessment are highly skilled and trained, not only in accurately determining age, but in upholding and protecting the individual’s rights during the assessment.

“This should never be compromised in pursuit of quicker outcomes. We certainly wouldn’t support this technology being used as the only solution for working out someone’s age.

“There are currently too many questions unanswered. We urge the government to set out clearly and promptly how the trial will be conducted, including the evidence base that will be used to measure its effectiveness and appropriateness. 

“We also stand ready to work with ministers to ensure that social workers are properly consulted before any final decision is taken on whether to implement it fully or not.”