UK detains 76 age-disputed child asylum seekers under ‘one in, one out’ scheme, sparking legal, mental health, and human rights concerns over detention practices, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
More than 70 children whose ages were questioned by the Home Office have been held in UK detention centres ahead of forced returns to France under the government’s “one in, one out” scheme, research by the Humans for Rights Network shows.
The scheme allows each person arriving in a small boat to be returned to France in exchange for another asylum seeker who has not attempted the crossing being legally admitted to the UK. However, the detention of unaccompanied minors in adult facilities is widely considered unlawful, the Guardian reported.
Since the programme began in September 2025, 76 “age-disputed” children have been detained, often for months, according to the research. Many are survivors of trafficking and torture, with advocates warning of serious mental health consequences.
Maddie Harris of Humans for Rights Network said: “These children are additionally prejudiced from accessing the care and support they are entitled to. No child should be detained. Those who remain must be released immediately to recover and access proper social worker-led age assessments.”
Age assessments remain a contentious issue in UK asylum policy. Freedom of information requests indicate that many children initially considered adults by the Home Office were later recognised as minors after local authority assessments. One child forcibly removed to France was later confirmed as a minor by social workers.
Of the 76 children, 26 have been released to local authority care and are undergoing age assessments or have already been recognised as children. Eleven remain in adult accommodation pending assessments, while 13 have already been removed to France. Nationalities include a large proportion from Eritrea, Sudan, and Afghanistan.
The broader “one in, one out” initiative has returned over 400 small boat arrivals to France while facilitating legal entry for a similar number of asylum seekers. The independent chief inspector of borders and immigration is now seeking evidence for a formal investigation into the scheme.
A high court ruling on 25 March recently halted the removal of two age-disputed children, highlighting legal uncertainties surrounding the programme and the continued debate over the treatment of minors in the UK asylum system.
