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Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]

My noble friend Lord Ramsbotham was absolutely right to move the amendment. The whole area is one where children and young people can fall between many stools and there are quite frequently gaps between one form of authority or service and another. I will mention my own experience in dealing in the matter of disappeared children. About seven or eight years ago, the social services in Sussex had a safe house not too far from Gatwick and therefore suitably located for caring for such children. However, considerable numbers of children, several dozens at least, disappeared from that safe house. Subsequently, we were promised that there would be a kind of national safe house, probably in the London area, which would be operated by a voluntary organisation. I do not think that that ever came off. All the same, children have gone on disappearing both from placements with foster parents and from children’s homes run by local social services. The question that my noble friend raised about who is responsible for looking for those who have disappeared is very relevant and needs to be followed up. There are fears that in some cases children who disappeared were somehow spirited away to west Africa or re-exported from this country. It is a very serious matter.