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BID and The Children's Society have issued a briefing paper outlining their concern about two of the methods of forcibly removing families that the UK Border Agency (UKBA) is trialing: limited notice of removal and accommodation centres. Click here  for the full briefing.

BID and The Children's Society were very pleased when the new Government announced this May that the detention of children would be ended. However, we are gravely concerned that children continue to be detained, and that some of the alternatives proposed by the Government pose serious risks to children's well-being.

We recognise that, in the current asylum and immigration system, some families will be forcibly removed from the UK. However, there is clear evidence from overseas that far fewer families end up facing forced removal if overall improvements are made to the immigration and asylum system. For example, in Sweden, 82% of all returns of refused asylum seekers in 2008 were made voluntarily. By comparison, in 2009, only 14% of returns of asylum seekers and migrants from the UK were made through the Assisted Voluntary Return schemes. We are calling on the Government to make much needed changes to the asylum/immigration system which would mean that families whose cases are refused would be more likely to return voluntarily to their countries of origin.

We are also particularly concerned about two of the methods of forcibly removing families that the UK Border Agency (UKBA) is trialing as alternatives to detention: limited notice of removal and accommodation centres.

Please read the full statement, available to download here , for further information and BID and The Children's Society recommendations.