Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 127
Serious safeguarding issues, including hate crime, persist in asylum accommodation due to ineffective mechanisms.
Conclusion
We were disturbed to hear reports of serious safeguarding issues, including LGBT hate crime and violence against women, occurring in all types of asylum accommodation. Despite the asylum support contracts safeguarding framework, published in May 2022, many settings appear to lack effective complaints and safeguarding mechanisms. It is unacceptable that reported issues are routinely ignored.
Government Response Summary
The government states that the safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers is paramount and that they have measures in place to protect vulnerable individuals, including working with accommodation providers, having a safeguarding policy, training staff, and a dedicated safeguarding team.
Paragraph Reference:
127
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The safety and wellbeing of all asylum seekers is of paramount importance. We take all reports of safeguarding issues extremely seriously and have measures in place to protect vulnerable individuals. We work closely with our accommodation providers and other partners to ensure that appropriate safeguarding measures are in place. All accommodation providers are required to have a safeguarding policy and to provide training to their staff on how to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns. We also have a dedicated safeguarding team that investigates all reports of safeguarding issues and takes appropriate action. We regularly review our safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure that they are effective and up to date. We are also working to improve communication with asylum seekers so that they are aware of how to report safeguarding concerns.