This is a really important piece of analysis. Another area of the asylum system that needs urgent improvement, but is only likely to be made worse by upcoming legislation/plans.

After a decade of campaigning, the government has finally published data confirming what we warned for years: hundreds of child refugees arriving alone in the UK are wrongly treated as adults, with devastating consequences. 🧵 We speak to @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Children are among the most affected by the government’s suspension of refugee family reunion. We have supported mothers whose children died just days before they were to reunite.  Refugee family reunion can be a matter of life & death.  #FamiliesBelongTogether www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Article 3 ECHR bans torture, inhuman & degrading treatment - a key protection in international law. Yet torture persists, severely harming the survivors we support. With @freedomfromtorture.bsky.social & others, we’ve written to David Lammy MP calling on the UK to defend Article 3, not weaken it. 👇

Organisations across the #ModernSlavery sector have issued a joint statement following the announcement of modern slavery reforms in the #KingsSpeech. Read the full statement here: www.atleu.org.uk/cases-news/c...

Today’s King’s Speech confirmed what we feared: another Immigration and Asylum Bill that will make life harder for people seeking protection in the UK. For over a decade, we've seen new legislation every year, which has failed to fix a broken system. Here’s why this approach makes things worse 🧵

We’re at the High Court today representing @safepassageintl.bsky.social in a challenge to the government’s suspension of refugee family reunion. Every day, we see the devastating impact of family separation on the people we support, many of whom have loved ones still in dangerous situations. 🧵

Since 2019 we’ve partnered with @helenbamber.bsky.social supporting young people with Casework and therapeutic care. For #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek we’re sharing O’s story. O was struggling with anxiety & feeling overwhelmed. Through out partnership they joined a 12‑week therapeutic programme

The Home Office has updated its Modern Slavery guidance on how decision makers should assess 'disclosure' - when and how a trafficking survivor first reports their experiences. We are extremely concerned about the impact this could have on survivors. 🧵

Dembe, a political refugee, was tortured in prison by men who smoked. Now, cigarette smells are triggering, causing nightmares and flashbacks. But he was housed with people who smoked indoors, worsening his mental health. His GP requested a move. The Home Office refused. He's not the only one. 🧵

📣 The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (#GRETA) have published their report assessing how the UK is implementing the European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings (#ECAT). 🔗 Read GRETA’s report: rm.coe.int/greta-evalua...

10 years after the Modern Slavery Act, the UK is failing survivors. Fragmented support, disbelief & harmful immigration policies let perpetrators go free. ‘Decade of Dignity’, drafted by a coalition of anti-trafficking organisations, sets out the change needed: www.helenbamber.org/resources/re...

Upholding children's rights means upholding the rights of EVERY child. That's why we're speaking out against new rules and proposals that would put thousands of migrant and refugee children in the UK at risk of poverty, homelessness and trauma. asylummatters.org/2026/04/27/a...

ICYMI: We write in @opendemocracy.net about why survivors of human trafficking must have equal access to protection and support, regardless of whether their exploitation occurred in or outside the UK. 👇

Human trafficking is rarely confined to one country. Exploitation often spans multiple countries over years. Survivors must have equal access to protection & support, wherever exploitation occurred — in or outside the UK. ✍️ We write in @opendemocracy.net www.opendemocracy.net/human-traffi...

This week, the House of Lords strongly opposed the govt’s asylum reforms, warning they leave people in fear of being returned to danger. Baroness Lister shared the words of our client: “I wish policy makers could walk in my shoes & understand how difficult life is with insecure immigration status”

Recent BBC articles highlight misconduct by a small number of unscrupulous advisers who charge thousands to fabricate asylum claims. This is fraud & must be stopped. But the coverage is selective, harmful & risks obscuring the wider reality of access to legal advice. 🧵

With other leading UK medical organisations, we warned the government that cutting refugee leave to remain from 5 years to 30 months risks serious harm to mental health, including for survivors of trafficking and torture. 🧵 www.politicshome.com/news/article...

...& @freedomfromtorture.bsky.social has written to the Home Sec, co-signed by the British Medical Association, @helenbamber.bsky.social, @msf.ca, @dotwuk.bsky.social warning that reducing the period of refugee leave will have an "unintended but undoubtedly harmful impact" tinyurl.com/5xh6h8nr

No one should be forced to live in squalid converted hotels. But closing hotels must mean housing people in real homes, in communities - NOT ex-military camps. Real homes are safer, more dignified - and 5x cheaper per-night than camps. #CommunitiesNotCamps

🎧 New podcast with our Director of Therapy, Fran Brady, discussing their paper “A phased approach for using CBT with adult survivors of human trafficking.” Exploring gaps in mental health care for survivors & risks when trafficking goes unrecognised in clinical settings. babcp.com/podcast/usin...

Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Cttee published its report on the statement of changes that brings in 30-month refugee leave, which goes live today. Important read if you're doing advocacy on this. @freedomfromtorture.bsky.social & @helenbamber.bsky.social put in evidence tinyurl.com/mmnf9trv

It is completely irrational for the Home Office to have banned doctors & nurses seeking asylum from working, while threatening to cut off support for those unable to work due to ill health. The government should provide meaningful support to those who can work to access employment.

🧡Read our new Refugee Mental Health & Place Blog by members of the @helenbamber.bsky.social co-production group: "Co-producing research in a hostile environment: Reflections from practice" 🔗 www.kcl.ac.uk/co-producing...

Last week, it was revealed that a record high of 100,000+ people were waiting to appeal their asylum decision. Poor-quality decision-making by the Home Office is keeping people stuck in limbo for years, unable to work or rebuild their lives. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

After 10 years, Rose was finally reunited with two of her daughters in London. But her eldest has yet to join her. This #MothersDay, she shares her story and asks: “How will making refugee family reunion more difficult affect mothers like me?” Read it here 👇 www.helenbamber.org/resources/re...

Home Secretary’s announcement that asylum support would be revoked for those who “have the ability to support themselves” risks pushing people who simply cannot work towards homelessness, poverty & losing access to legal aid. Our response: www.helenbamber.org/resources/la...

Some in Government insist that modern slavery claims are being used to get in the way of deportation attempts. This narrative misses that in fact, claims of experiencing modern slavery are met with huge barriers in immigration detention.

The policies that are made in the grand building of parliament impact real people all around the country. Yanick, Rene, Anusha and Bsmah have all experienced the asylum system first hand. They are members of our community. They campaign for justice. And we share their outrage.

This cruel change, which deliberately keeps people’s lives in limbo, will not deter men, women, children & families fleeing war, conflict & persecution from seeking protection in the UK. What it WILL do is trap people in a constant state of instability & profoundly harm their mental health.

Amir was left homeless after being wrongly assessed as an adult following flawed age assessment. In a legal first, we supported Amir to win compensation from the local authority for the harm the assessment caused him. Read article written by our Policy & Campaigns team here

Thank you @rcpsych.bsky.social for inviting our Medical & Research Director and Housing & Welfare Manager to speak at the Faculty of General Adult Psychiatry Winter Conference yesterday about the barriers impacting survivors’ ability to access essential services. www.rcpsych.ac.uk/events/confe...

Refugees experience profound psychological distress when separated from their families, many of whom remain in active conflict zones. Family reunion can be a matter of life or death. We're representing @safepassageintl.bsky.social in this vital legal challenge. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

From yesterday: New report calls for overhaul of flawed age assessment process for unaccompanied children | Jasmine Quiller-Doust

The conversation about housing is all wrong. For decades, governments haven’t built enough social homes. People are struggling. Yet refugees get blamed. Our new video flips the narrative and focuses on the real issue. Watch it. Share it. Let’s change the conversation.

We've repeatedly warned that hundreds of children seeking asylum in the UK are wrongly treated as adults, denying them the support & protection they need. Flawed Home Office decisions put them at significant risk & harm their mental health. This MUST change. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

The proposed Earned Settlement framework is cruel and divisive. We urge the government to scrap the retrospective application of these proposals. Read our response here: www.atleu.org.uk/cases-news/e... #EarnedSettlement #ProtectSurvivors #EndTrafficking

Another harrowing reminder of why asylum hotels are not suitable for anyone. Community accommodation is safer, more dignified and far, far cheaper than either hotels or military camps. Everyone deserves a real home in a community. inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

We're deeply concerned about the UK government's proposed changes to settlement. These plans are incompatible with the UK’s international obligations and would push migrants, refugees and stateless people towards insecurity, poverty and exclusion. 👇

The government’s plan to make refugees ‘earn’ protection by proving their ‘contribution to society’ makes their safety and stability in the UK dependent on their economic ‘worthiness.’ These are men, women, children & families who have fled conflict, torture, trafficking & extreme violence. 🧵

Children need their families. Refugee children are no different. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Refugee homelessness has risen 400% in just four years. Instead of fixing the crisis, the government is cutting support for people seeking asylum and refugees, leaving more people on the streets. Safe housing is a human right & the Home Office is failing to protect it.

Labour peer @alfdubs.bsky.social is right to call for the restoration of family reunion rights so that children in need of protection can reach the UK. In the year ending June 2025, 93% of family reunion visas went to women & children, over half to children. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

What is particularly concerning about detention under the UK–France scheme is the combination of harms 1/

This performative hostility helps no one. In our experience, people seeking asylum rarely use taxis for medical appointments & the £6 a week they receive for travel is entirely insufficient to access medical care, food & education. 1/3 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The government’s plan to make refugees wait up to 20 years to settle in the UK would leave people stuck in limbo, unable to properly put down roots, build careers, pursue education or feel a sense of belonging. Research across Europe shows that long-term uncertainty doesn’t support integration 🧵

The Bibby Stockholm exposed the profound harm caused by forcing people seeking asylum into unsafe, unsuitable large sites. Though the barge closed a year ago, the same cruelty continues in ex-military camps. We need #CommunitiesNotCamps www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"Immigration detention: A mental health crisis without borders" by Reem Saifeldeen -- a new Refugee Mental Health and Place blog is out. #RefugeesWelcome🧡 An important read: www.kcl.ac.uk/immigration-...

The government’s proposed asylum & settlement reforms would have profound & damaging consequences for children’s rights, wellbeing & long-term integration. Yet the government has failed to make an assessment of their impact on children. refugeechildrensconsortium.org.uk/briefing-on-...

Refugees need stability & security to recover from profound trauma. But the government's asylum reforms will force them to re-prove their need for protection every 2.5 years for up to 20 years before they can settle in the UK. We're already seeing the impact of this on our clients' mental health 🧵