Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Mark Townsend

Asylum seekers: Home Office accused of ‘catastrophic child protection failure’

A child picked up trying to cross the Channel in April is disembarked from a UK Border Force vessel in Dover
A child picked up trying to cross the Channel in April is disembarked from a UK Border Force vessel in Dover. Photograph: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images

More than 220 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are missing from hotels funded by the Home Office, prompting claims that the chaos-stricken government department is presiding over a “catastrophic child protection failure”.

Ministers have admitted that the Home Office has no idea of the whereabouts of 222 vulnerable children it was meant to be protecting.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.