Supporting young unaccompanied asylum seekers

We’re committed to supporting young unaccompanied asylum seekers and have set up a dedicated team to achieve this.

We’re looking for at least 10 supported lodgings hosts to support young unaccompanied asylum seekers aged 16 to 18 years old (with the possibility of extension up to age 21).

Unaccompanied asylum seeking young people

An unaccompanied asylum seeker is a person under 18 who has left their country without a parent or adult family member.

A young person may have left their country to flee, violence, war or persecution, they also may have been trafficked to the UK.

The majority of the asylum seeking young people in Hackney are from Albania, Eritrea and Vietnam.  We also have young people from Afghanistan and Ethiopia among other countries.

Supported lodgings

Supported lodgings offer young people aged 16 to 21 an alternative to fostering when they are unable to remain with their birth families.

It focuses on supporting a young person with independence skills. Hosts can have other commitments such as a full time job, but will be around in the evenings and mornings to provide support and guidance when needed.

Become a supported lodgings host

We welcome applications from people from all areas of society and don’t discriminate against gender, ethnicity, sexuality and relationship status.

We welcome applicants from similar backgrounds to those of the young people, specifically Albanian, Eritrean and Vietnamese. We’re also looking for hosts from other backgrounds who are interested in supporting young asylum seekers.

Prospective hosts must be over the age of 21. There’s no upper age limit, as long as you have the physical and mental capacity to support a young person.

Whether you own your home or live in rental accommodation, have been a parent or not, you can still to apply to become a host.

You don’t need to live in Hackney to be a host for the borough. However, to be a host you must:

• have a spare bedroom in your home
• be able to provide a safe and stable environment for young people
• be able to support and encourage young people in education, training or work
• be patient and willing to listen and offer support and guidance
• be able to relate to young people and enjoy their company
• be willing to work with our team of professionals
• be able to support a young person with administrative tasks
• not have any criminal offences against children

All applicants must undergo background checks including:

• DBS
• local authority checks
• medical checks

If you want to become a host or get more information, contact us on freephone 0800 0730 418 or email: supportedlodgings@hackney.gov.uk.

Benefits of being a host for Hackney

As a Hackney host of a young unaccompanied asylum seeker you get:

• on-going training opportunities
• dedicated support and supervision by a specialist unaccompanied asylum seeking children social worker
• a generous weekly fee
• a chance to make a positive impact in a young person’s life
• experience working with young people
• access to a dedicated specialist unaccompanied asylum seeking children support worker who offers group events for unaccompanied asylum seeking children
• clinical support for you and the young person