Our Dialogue with BASW

May 24th, 2007

The British Association of Social Workers was proposing to look at the wording of CAYR’s policy to consider modifications that would enable their organisation to support such a position. CAYR’s policy wording is currently “To seek alteration to regulation to entitle individuals admitted to this country as ‘unaccompanied asylum seeking children’ to automatically receive right of residence”. We did not ask for unequivocal support indeed almost the opposite.



CAYR’s policy is primarily the presentation of a desired outcome which will enable children currently abused by the domination of immigration priorities to be protected. With such an outcome in mind we were very pleaded with BASW to propose to us a wording in pursuit of such a goal which would be acceptable to BASW members. If CAYR in the end did not like the wording put forward then it would be “tough luck on CAYR” and we accept that.



The reasonable and comradely options open to BASW were:



1. To amend CAYR’s policy in a manner which was consistent with BASW policy.



2. Write to CAYR saying “BASW has considered your request and regrettably we are not prepared to amend CAYR’s policy in a manner which is consistent with BASW policy”



There is no 3. in which you simply do not respond to a responsible and business like request and subsequently label that request as a demand for “unequivocal support”. Such a 3. is unfair and even could appear disingenuous.



Sadly in the case of the RCC, perhaps for various motivations, the decision was to adopt 3.



Enough history, we are asking BASW to once again propose a rewrite of our policy. One of the recently used attempts at paraphrasing may be of help to BASW in suggesting alternatives. The words I used were “that any child (person under 18 years) who arrives in this country without an adult carer is treated exclusively as a child welfare subject, Following from this such a child shall be immune from expulsion from the country before or after their 18th birthday” . Once again this is a declaration of a goal with a real purpose to that goal. It is quite simply aspirational. In Kent we are currently facing a situation where people who attended our schools and lived in our communities as children are being expelled to a war zone on adulthood. We believe there is a very clear distinction between a child who has never lived in a particular country as an adult and someone who had lived in that country as an adult, come to the UK and is then being returned to that country. It is distinctions of this type that have led to British child welfare provision to progressively extending into post care support and protection. A child who experiences disruption in their adolescence is rightly seen as a special case.



“On the RCC’s sterile justification as to what they believe the government can be persuaded of. If their position had been adopted in the past we would not have inconvenient things like women voting to bother us. If making a justified request of the government is going to damage the RCC’s relationship with that government then the relationship itself is clearly a very unhealthy one. If either BASW or the RCC feel that CAYR’s aspirations are wrong or incorrect or the outcomes sought are undesirable then CAYR is prepared to hear that stated and explained and such a response will be treated with respect.”


-Wes McLachlan - CAYR Chair



BASW’s Website: http://www.basw.co.uk/