Age Assessments
About Age Assessments
The age of an unaccompanied child is important. It determines a child’s access to education and support, effects the way in which their asylum claim is processed and can even be a decisive factor in a claim for asylum. If a child or young person’s age is disputed, an age assessment should be conducted.
Coram Children’s Legal Centre has a great resource detailing the age assessment process, which is linked via the button below.
Age Assessment Guidance in England
Resources and guidance on when and how to undertake an age assessment in England.
Association of Directors of Children’s Services Guidance (ADCS)
The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) published guidance in 2015 to assist social workers and their managers in undertaking age assessments in England. The guidance was written by a group of specialist social workers and practitioners from local authorities and non-governmental refugee and legal sectors, and also includes several resources for after an age assessment has been undertaken.
British Association of Social Workers (BASW)
The British Association of Social Workers has produced a practice guide for conducting age assessments. The PDF guide includes an introduction to age assessments, the principles for the interview, reaching a decision, and next steps to take.
Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit
The Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit has produced resources for age assessments. The Young People’s Guide to Age Assessments was written by young people for young people. There are also separate factsheets for key professionals supporting young people.
Home Office ‘Assessing Age’ Guidance for Professionals
The Home Office ‘Assessing Age’ guidance sets out the policies and procedures that must be followed when an asylum seeker or migrant claims to be a child and their claimed age is doubted by the Home Office, or they claim to be an adult but are suspected to be a child. The guidance also has a section on unaccompanied claimants and other documents that may evidence age.
The Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee (AESAC)
Through the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, the government introduced the Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee. The committee provides advice on existing and emerging scientific approaches that could be used for age assessment in the living, and recommendations for best practice guidance on any existing and proposed scientific methods.
Age Assessment Guidance in Scotland and Wales
Guidance on when and how to undertake an age assessment in Scotland and Wales.
Guidance in Scotland
The Welsh government developed a toolkit to support local council staff carrying out age assessments. The toolkit covers the legal background of age assessments, context before and approaching an age assessment, support for the young people around the age assessment, and guidance for preparing and undertaking the assessment. It also includes a section on guidance following the age assessment.
Guidance in Wales
Good practice guidance on age assessments was published by Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Refugee Council with contributions from the Coalition of Scottish Local Authorities, Edinburgh City Council, UK Border Agency, and Legal Services Agency, among others. It supports social workers, their managers, and others involved in carrying out and contributing to age assessments in Scotland.
Resources on Age Assessments
Age Assessment Process Factsheet
CORAM Children’s Legal Centre (CLC) has created a useful factsheet on the age assessment process.
Free Age Assessment Resource Pack
The Immigration Social Work Service (ISWS) has designed a useful free guide and resource pack for those undertaking age assessments.
Age Assessment Video
Young people in Birmingham created a short video about age assessments as part of the Surviving to Thriving Project. Click play to watch, or the button below to open the video in a new tab.
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