Thursday 12th March

ECPAT UK warns that government proposals to bring into force provisions of the Immigration Act 2016 could place vulnerable young people at serious risk of exploitation and re-trafficking by removing essential support when they leave care.

The proposals, included in the government’s Family Returns consultation, would prevent local authorities from providing leaving-care support under the Children Act 1989 to some young people without immigration status when they turn 18. 

ECPAT UK warns that the measures would undermine child welfare protections and create a two-tier system of support for care leavers based on immigration status, leaving some of the most vulnerable young people without the support they need at the point they transition into adulthood.

Removal of vital safeguards

Young people leaving care normally receive ongoing support from their local authority because they do not have family members to rely on. This includes accommodation, financial support, a personal adviser, a pathway plan setting out their needs until age 21, help with education and training, and the opportunity to remain with foster carers through “Staying Put” arrangements.

Under the proposals, former looked-after children who require leave to enter or remain but do not have it when they turn 18 and who do not have a pending asylum claim, would be excluded from these protections. Instead, support would be limited to minimal assistance only in narrow circumstances.

This would affect many young people in care subject to immigration control. ECPAT UK is particularly concerned for those who arrived in the UK as unaccompanied children but were not granted refugee status, including those given temporary leave as child victims of human trafficking or those who were trafficked to or within the UK from a very young age but whose immigration status was never resolved while they were in care.

Increased risk of exploitation and re-trafficking

ECPAT UK warns that forcing care leavers out of accommodation and removing their support networks on their 18th birthday would expose them to serious harm.

Young people leaving care already face significant challenges as they move into adulthood. For migrant and other undocumented children, many of whom have experienced trauma, exploitation or trafficking, these vulnerabilities can be even greater.

Without safe housing, financial support or trusted professionals to guide them, young people may be pushed into homelessness and destitution. These conditions are widely recognised as key risk factors for exploitation.

Removing leaving-care support could therefore increase the likelihood that young people are targeted by exploiters, including traffickers who prey on those with insecure immigration status and no support networks.

For young people who have previously been trafficked, this loss of support significantly raises the risk of re-trafficking.

The proposals would also prevent local authorities from providing support in education, training fees and higher education tuition fees for care leavers with limited immigration status, a vital safeguard to secure positive outcomes for child victims as they are critical to stability and preventing re-trafficking. 

Patricia Durr, CEO of ECPAT UK said:

“Children who arrive in the UK alone, including those who have been trafficked, often rely entirely on the support of the local authority as they transition into adulthood.

These proposals would remove that support overnight for some young people simply because of their immigration status creating the conditions that exploiters target. Removing these safeguards could significantly increase the risk of exploitation and re-trafficking.

The government must ensure that all young people leaving care receive the support they need to build safe and stable futures, regardless of their immigration status.”

 

Notes:

Family Returns: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns, Home Office March 2026