Landing in the Kent: The experience of unaccompanied children arriving in the UK A report by the Office of the Children's Commissioner on a visit to Milibank Reception and Assessment Centre in Kent

The Children’s Commissioner and her team made an announced visit to Millbank Reception and Assessment Centre in Kent on 6 August 2010. Millbank is a residential reception and assessment centre commissioned and funded by Kent County Council. It provides services for up to 30 newly arrived unaccompanied asylum-seeking young males aged between 16 and 18.

This visit demonstrated a very good model for the reception and care of asylum-seeking children. The centre’s staff and Kent County Council can be proud of the services provided. The young people interviewed also reported mainly positive experiences with immigration and police officials at the point of entry into the UK. However, the visit also demonstrated that in these children’s countries of origin, and in transit across Europe to the UK, some of their fundamental rights appear to have been breached. This raises concerns about both existing and proposed UK policies which might lead to further breaches. The report draws Government’s attention to these issues in the recommendations.