Child asylum seekers in UK made to play game about who gets foster care places

Home Office inquiry opens after ‘insensitive, upsetting’ treatment of children in hotel, who had to guess who would be next to leave

The Home Office has launched an inquiry after staff made unaccompanied asylum-seeking children play a game in which they had to guess who would be the next one to be placed in foster care, a watchdog’s report has disclosed.

The report, one of 13 written by the borders inspectorate and released on Thursday, also found that agency workers employed to look after children as young as nine had received “insufficient” background checks and training.

An inspection of UK airports found that the “border is neither effective nor efficient” after finding posts unmanned. Neal was particularly critical of Luton airport, where the referrals desks were poorly positioned, creating a stressful and distracting environment.

The Home Office has a “culture of defensiveness” and “will not change” if it does not want to, the borders and immigration watchdog warned in a report produced before he was fired.