Lead Member/s – Councillor David Minnery – Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People and Councillor Mal Price – Portfolio Holder for Planning, Housing, Regulatory Services and Environment.

Report of the Director of Adult Services

Contact: Andy Begley         Tel: 01743 258911

RESOLVED:

a)        That Cabinet confirms its ongoing commitment to providing support, as appropriate, to Syrian refugees and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeker Children and notes the further update regarding the Asylum Dispersal Scheme

b)        That Cabinet agrees to Shropshire supporting up to a further 5 Syrian refugee  families under the Syrian repatriation programme managed by UNHCR to take the total cohort in Shropshire up to 15 families over the next 12 months,   or around 60 or so   people, dependent on family size.

c)       That Cabinet agrees to participate in the UASC dispersal scheme on a voluntary basis to reach the 0.07% of our total child population.  This will include assisting Kent with their challenge of supporting up to 2000 children that have arrived there as Unaccompanied Asylum Seeker Children, and future requests to support UASC and refugees from Europe when further clarity is provided on the position regarding how the dispersal scheme will operate,  and that delegated responsibility is allocated to the Director of Children’s Services to agree any requests for support and to ensure that appropriate staffing resources are in place.

d)       That Cabinet note the number of UASC already supported in Shropshire which will contribute to the overall total required under the UASC national dispersal scheme.

e)        That Cabinet notes the need to undertake a further recruitment drive for supported accommodation for UASC.     

f)        That Cabinet agrees to any further funding being made available for the resettlement of Syrian refugees through extension of the scheme being ringfenced within a dedicated cost centre in Adult Social Care to provide support to this group of people over the 5 year term of the funding.

g)       That Cabinet agrees to the funding being made available to support the UASC dispersal scheme being ring fenced within a dedicated cost centre within Children’s Services.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning, Housing, Regulatory Services and Environment presented a report from the Director of Adult Services that provided an update on the Refugee Resettlement Programme and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children [UASC] Transfer Programme.  He explained that Shropshire had capacity to take another five families and the original offer of 60 people had not yet been reached.  Cabinet and all parties present agreed that this was a humanitarian issue and Shropshire should take in as many people as it could afford to.  Thanks were voiced to the great efforts and dedication of all those serving on the Cross Party Working Group who were working hard to provide support to refugees in the county.

Councillor Mosley stated that the broader issue of stirring the Government’s social conscience to achieve an increase in the quota of refugees being taken by the United Kingdom needed to be considered in the wider arena of a future meeting of full Council.

RESOLVED:

a)        That Cabinet confirms its ongoing commitment to providing support, as appropriate, to Syrian refugees and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeker Children and notes the further update regarding the Asylum Dispersal Scheme

b)        That Cabinet agrees to Shropshire supporting up to a further 5 Syrian refugee families under the Syrian repatriation programme managed by UNHCR to take the total cohort in Shropshire up to 15 families over the next 12 months, or around 60 or so   people, dependent on family size.

c)       That Cabinet agrees to participate in the UASC dispersal scheme on a voluntary basis to reach the 0.07% of our total child population.  This will include assisting Kent with their challenge of supporting up to 2000 children that have arrived there as Unaccompanied Asylum Seeker Children, and future requests to support UASC and refugees from Europe when further clarity is provided on the position regarding how the dispersal scheme will operate, and that delegated responsibility is allocated to the Director of Children’s Services to agree any requests for support and to ensure that appropriate staffing resources are in place.

d)       That Cabinet note the number of UASC already supported in Shropshire which will contribute to the overall total required under the UASC national dispersal scheme.

e)        That Cabinet notes the need to undertake a further recruitment drive for supported accommodation for UASC.     

f)        That Cabinet agrees to any further funding being made available for the resettlement of Syrian refugees through extension of the scheme being ringfenced within a dedicated cost centre in Adult Social Care to provide support to this group of people over the 5 year term of the funding.

g)       That Cabinet agrees to the funding being made available to support the UASC dispersal scheme being ring fenced within a dedicated cost centre within Children’s Services.