they are living each day in the ‘Jungle’. When Recommendations we visited in early August, at least 13 children, 1. The Home Office should use more discretion as well as a couple with a young child, had when it comes to the evidence required been waiting in the camp for more than six to prove family links, given a) the extreme weeks to be transferred. The UK government, vulnerability of unaccompanied minors, and b) in discussions with the French government, understanding of the context of their country have made a commitment to speed up these of origin. waits, and Home Office officials often chase up 2. The Home Office should abide by their transfers on behalf of voluntary organisations. recent commitment to respond to all take 14 Case study charge requests within ten days . If they “One 16-year-old Syrian boy had applied are misplaced, cases should be prioritised to join his family in the UK through Dublin and the child reassured and informed of the III. Not only was he vulnerable because he new timescale. was alone, but he had also been caught in 3. The Home Office should exercise discretion the crossfire of a fight in the camp that was in responding to requests – for example, nothing to do with him – he’d been badly rather than rejecting a request due to an injured and was still recovering. When he administrative error or lack of proof, instead didn’t get a response to the take charge requesting further information or correction of request, we chased up the Home Office, the mistake. who claimed it had never been received. We 4. French authorities should speed up the then turned to the French authorities, who transfer process – if there is insufficient provided proof of the date that it had been capacity of OFII or too few ad hoc sent – the Home Office then admitted that administrators, another organisation should be it had been ‘misplaced’ and promised to mandated to carry out these functions. prioritise it. The request was accepted over a 5. Once a take charge request has been month ago, but he still doesn’t have a date of accepted, and the UK is effectively responsible departure. What would have happened if we for an asylum-seeking child, the Home Office weren’t around to chase up his application? should explore ways of taking responsibility How long would he have been waiting?” for the transfer process rather than it being a Voluntary organisation member in Calais. responsibility of the French government. Photo © BRC 11 Article 16-10 to 16-13, French Civil Code. https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/ affichCode.do;jsessionid=004CBD3DCCA0F482A837DCD60D65F317. tpdjo12v_1?idSectionTA=LEGISCTA000006136513&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006070721&dateTexte=20120728 12 https://www.ein.org.uk/news/upper-tribunal-grants-judicial-review-brought-unaccompanied-calais-children 13 http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/asylum/examination-of-applicants/docs/evaluation_of_the_ implementation_of_the_dublin_iii_regulation_en.pdf 14 https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-09-05/debates/1609052000010/FamilyReunificationEurope No place for children 11