Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee

The committee's main function was to provide the Home Office’s Chief Scientific Adviser with independent advice on the estimation of chronological age in the living.

The committee’s main function was to provide the Home Office’s Chief Scientific Adviser with independent advice on the estimation of chronological age in the living. This committee closed in July 2025.

Closedown statement from the Home Office’s Chief Scientific Adviser

To inform decision-making at the time, the Home Office set up the interim AESAC in late 2021 to review methods for Scientific Age Assessment. In particular, whether X-ray and MRI technology could be deployed within 12 to 18 months to assist solely in the age estimation process of unaccompanied minors. The interim AESAC committee published their report in January 2023 around the same time as the full committee was set up.

Over the lifetime of the full committee, I as CSA, and the Home Office have benefited from the independent advice and support that this committee of experts have provided.

In July 2025, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum issued a Written Ministerial Statement setting out the government’s plans for age assessment. The Home Office is now looking at other potential innovations in the age assessment space which will likely require different fields of expertise to provide advice. Consequently, the decision has been taken to close the committee.

The department will continue to keep abreast of any developments in this area and will continue to seek expert advice to ensure robust and evidence-based policy making remains our priority when safeguarding unaccompanied minors.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks and gratitude to the members of the committee for the valuable insights and support they have provided. I also commend their final report which is available on this website. The final report provides a useful history of how and why AESAC was established as well as a clear indication of the time and effort the committee members have contributed.

In line with government and Home Office policy, AESAC’s Secretariat resource will be reallocated to other areas of the Home Office and the AESAC mailbox has now closed.

For any queries contact GOV.UK.

Membership

Established in late 2022 until July 2025, the Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee (AESAC) was formed of 8 independent members including the Chair.

The committee members were appointed following an open recruitment competition replacing the interim committee.

The committee was chaired by Professor Lucina Hackman.

The members of the AESAC committee were:

  • Professor Lucina Hackman (Co-Chair), Professor of Forensic Anthropology, University of Dundee
  • Mr Stuart Boyd (Co-Chair), Lead MRI Radiographer and Service Manager, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
  • Dr Sally Andrews, Independent Forensic Odontologist
  • Professor Tim Cole CBE, Professor Emeritus of Population, Health and Practice, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London.
  • Dr Tabitha Randell, Consultant in Paediatric Endocrinology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and former Chair of the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
  • Professor Denise Syndercombe-Court, Professor of Forensic Genetics, King’s College London
  • Dr Allison Ward, Consultant Paediatrician (Community Child Health), Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
  • Mr Liam Way, Service Manager – Exploitation & Missing Children, Middlesbrough Council

Member biographies

Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee member biographies

Members’ register of interests

Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee register of interests

Terms of reference

It was within the committee’s responsibility to provide the Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) with independent advice with respect to the following:

  • scientific and associated ethical advice and guidance on existing and emerging scientific approaches that could be utilised for the purpose of age assessment in the living;
  • recommendations for best practice guidance on any existing and proposed scientific method(s);
  • issues raised by key stakeholders relating to the implementation of scientific methods to assess chronological age in the living.

Publications

Minutes

These are the quarterly meeting minutes of the Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee from March 2023 until July 2025.

Governance

  • The Committee operated under the Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees (CoPSAC) published by the Government Office for Science; this code set out the general responsibilities of the Committee and its members. Members should also abided by the Seven Principles of Public Life.
  • Recommendations and final advice were the responsibility of a majority of committee members.
  • The work of the committee was reported to the Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser.
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