Policy paper

Response to an inspection of the Home Office’s use of age assessments

Published 22 July 2025

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has reviewed the efficiency and effectiveness of the Home Office’s use of age assessments, with a particular focus on the Irregular Migration Intake Unit (IMIU), which is responsible for conducting initial age decisions for newly encountered asylum seekers, including those arriving by small boat, and the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), which has supported local authorities and the Home Office since 2023 by conducting Merton-compliant age assessments on their behalf.

The Home Office welcomes the ICIBI’s recognition of the inherent challenges in accurately assessing the age of young people. We also note the Inspector’s observation that constructive dialogue on this issue would benefit from broader acknowledgment that some individuals may misrepresent their age, and that the absence of an initial age assessment process may risk incentivising such behaviour, which is not in the overall interests of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

The ICIBI’s inspection was carried out during a period when Home Office officials and ministers were actively reviewing a range of potential scientific and technological methods designed to assist human-led age assessments. This was a policy development process that has culminated in the decision to pursue the further testing and trialling of Facial Age Estimation technology, with a view to rolling it out widely next year subject to the results of this further testing and assurance. The analysis and evaluation of the options in this area has been a rigorous and lengthy process. This process has proceeded at pace from the point at which the current Government took office.

The ICIBI report wrongly infers that the absence of a publicly-announced decision on the pursuit of a particular technological or scientific method at the time the inspection was conducted may have been attributable to delays. There was no foundation for that inference, and it is regrettable that it was included in the ICIBI’s report.

The Home Office thanks the ICIBI for this report, in which a number of areas were identified for improvement and eight recommendations were made. The Home Office has accepted all eight recommendations, as set out below, several of which are already in train as part of a pre-planned programme of continuous improvement.

Recommendation 1

In relation to all aspects and stages of age assessment (initial age decisions, the end-to-end age dispute process, and the National Age Assessment Board):

Produce a stakeholder map and engagement plan that takes full account of the practical and presentational value of involving external stakeholders (including local authorities and their equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland, Strategic Migration Partnerships, Non-Governmental Organisations and others) in the development and delivery of relevant policies and best practice, including but not limited to input into and implementation of each of the recommendations below.

Accepted

Official government response

The Home Office values good relationships with stakeholders and recognises the contributions these partners can make to support improvements to the age assessment system. The Home Office will continue to engage with local authorities, devolved nations, strategic migration partnerships, NGOs and others on the end-to-end age assessment process to inform the ongoing continuous improvement of policies, best practices, and implementation of recommendations, including those proposed by the ICIBI’s inspection.

A stakeholder map and engagement plan will be produced, and the Home Office will utilise existing engagement structures. This includes, but is not limited to the UASC service governance forums, including the UASC Taskforce, UASC Service Steering Group, and the UASC Service Age Assessment Working Group – local authority sector and devolved nation members at varying levels; the Children’s Stakeholder Engagement Group – non-governmental organisation community members; and the National Age Assessment Board User Group – local authority practitioner and strategic migration partnership members.

Date of implementation: December 2025

Recommendation 2

In relation to initial age assessments and decisions:

Before the end of 2025, conduct a formal evaluation of initial age decision training, meanwhile involving Kent Intake Unit’s ‘in-house’ social workers and the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) in its delivery, and identifying all staff across the Home Office who may make an initial age decision as part of their role and ensuring they have received the latest training.

Accepted

Official government response

The Home Office recognises the importance of a formal evaluation of initial age decision training. Home Office Analysis and Insight (HOAI) is currently in the early stages of scoping this evaluation, with a focus on ensuring that the right information and baseline metrics are captured. This work underpins our commitment to the continuous improvement of training, ensuring that frontline decision-makers are well equipped to carry out this critical function.

The ICIBI report also references the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB). In response, HOAI commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to conduct an independent evaluation of the NAAB’s implementation. This evaluation assessed the extent to which the NAAB was perceived to deliver its intended outcomes and contribute to safeguarding children. It also examined the effectiveness of training, implementation, and operational processes. This evaluation is now complete. We are considering the findings of the NatCen evaluations alongside the ICIBI report.

In addition, the current training package delivered to decision-makers within the IMIU in Kent has been rolled out to 100% of staff responsible for making initial age decisions. We will await the findings of the broader evaluation before completing further development of the training package and any subsequent training for decision-makers. This will ensure that any learning is incorporated and will inform the most appropriate approach to involving in-house social workers, including those from the NAAB, in future delivery.

Date of implementation: December 2025

Recommendation 3

In relation to initial age assessments and decisions:

Publish guidance on the ‘age admit’ process, setting out the steps required to ensure that anyone asked to sign a ‘Statement of Age’ form has been informed of and has understood what they are being asked to sign, the consequences of doing so or not doing so, and how the form might be used later in relation to any immigration, asylum or other decision, including where a local authority later assesses someone to be a child. This should include at what point and how the individual is able to access independent advice.

Accepted

Official government response

The Home Office intends to incorporate this recommendation into the next update of the published age assessment guidance, due later this year.

Date of implementation: Before end-December 2025

Recommendation 4

In relation to initial age assessments and decisions:

With input from KIU’s ‘in-house’ social workers and the NAAB, set minimum quality standards for the KIU triage process at Western Jet Foil, and for initial age assessment interviews and decisions:

a. identifying when interpreters, social workers and any external stakeholders should be involved and their role and remit

b. defining what information must be recorded at each stage, where and with whom it should be shared

c. introducing an audit process to ensure quality standards are being met and recording the contents of audits, and any feedback provided, to enable the KIU to identify where improvements are required, both in terms of individual performance and systems.

Accepted

Official government response

The IMIU in Kent has an established Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the triage process at Western Jet Foil. This SOP ensures that individuals whose claimed age is in doubt are assessed consistently and in accordance with the Home Office’s published guidance. A recent review of the SOP has provided clearer direction on the involvement and responsibilities of relevant stakeholders, as well as in-depth requirements for recording and sharing information. The Home Office will continue to engage with Social Workers and the NAAB as these amendments are reviewed and given formal policy sign-off.

To underpin this process, the Home Office will conduct a review of quality assurance measures aimed at enhancing operational excellence. This includes consideration of audit mechanisms and performance feedback loops to support continuous improvement. This work forms part of a broader ambition to introduce minimum quality standards for initial age decisions, including the role of interpreters, social workers, and other stakeholders, as well as the documentation and sharing of key information throughout the process. Our efforts in this area are at an early stage and will continue to evolve in response to the ICIBI report.

Date of implementation: March 2026

Recommendation 5

In relation to the end-to-end age dispute process:

In order to enable them to plan and use their resources effectively, provide local authorities with data on the number of individuals dispersed into their areas who  have claimed to be children but have been assessed by the Home Office to be adults. Alongside this, consider what information should be shared with asylum accommodation providers and others (managers of ‘large’ sites and Immigration Removal Centres, for example) about individuals who have claimed to be children but assessed to be adults, in order to alleviate some of the challenges associated with spontaneous presentations and ensure that appropriate risk assessments and safeguarding measures are put in place.

Accepted

Official government response

The Home Office recognises the importance of improving data across the end-to-end age dispute process. Work is currently underway to strengthen communication with local authorities, particularly in cases where an individual is placed in adult accommodation but may require an age assessment. We have already taken steps to enhance information sharing by enabling more routine transmission of initial age decision reports to local authorities when they notify us of an age dispute in their area. This supports timely and informed decision-making at the local level.

In addition, Home Office systems currently capture data indicating when an individual claims to be an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child but is assessed as an adult. We are exploring the potential to share this data with accommodation providers and local authorities, subject to GDPR compliance and a clear assessment of the benefits such sharing would bring. This work aligns with our broader ambition to become more data-driven in our decision-making and to ensure that safeguarding and operational effectiveness remain at the heart of our approach.

Date of implementation: March 2026

Recommendation 6

In relation to the end-to-end age dispute process:

Confirm the funding for the Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) Service Management Team and set out its initial programme of work with delivery dates, in particular in relation to improving data for the end-to-end age dispute process. This should include as a priority the ability to disaggregate data to differentiate between initial age decisions at all Home Office ports of entry and outcomes of age disputes determined by local authorities and the NAAB.

Accepted

Official government response

The Home Office acknowledges the importance of improving data across the end-to-end age dispute and assessment process.

The UASC service management team was established in October 2024, with funding confirmed for 15 posts in 2025/26 capacity plans. A key function of this team is to develop a new single customer function, representing a single articulation of data and management information requirements on behalf of operational teams across the UASC service, including Border Force, Customer Services, Immigration Enforcement, and relevant policy teams. Through this new approach we will be working closely with colleagues in the Performance, Reporting and Analysis Unit, the Asylum Transformation Programme, and other stakeholders to identify, agree and drive data improvements. These efforts aim to ensure the UASC service is equipped with the data infrastructure necessary to support its core functions and activities. In addition, the UASC service management team is expanding the capacity of key technical teams to support improvements in this area. This includes funding two additional roles within the Performance, Reporting and Analysis Unit to strengthen analytical capability and drive forward data-led improvements.

More broadly, throughout 2024, new capabilities have been implemented within Home Office systems to support the recording of initial age decisions, local authority age assessments and outcomes, and National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) assessments. These developments represent a significant advancement in technical infrastructure, enabling more accurate and consistent recording of key activities and laying the foundation for future enhancements in reporting. In parallel, the Home Office is actively developing data and reporting solutions to enable the disaggregation of age dispute and age assessment data. Discovery work has been undertaken to capture user requirements, and a project to deliver minimum viable reporting products by November 2025 is being delivered by the Asylum Transformation Programme.

Date of implementation: December 2025

Recommendation 7

In relation to the National Age Assessment Board:

Review the NAAB’s workforce plan and its business plan and confirm that these align, making whatever adjustments are necessary (either to agreed funding and staffing levels, or to aims, objectives, plans and positioning) where they do not. The outcomes of this review should inform a NAAB stakeholder engagement plan, which should be shared with local authorities, and subsequent NAAB messaging.

a. The workforce plan should include consideration of:

i. the recruitment criteria for NAAB social workers, including whether previous experience of conducting age assessments should be an essential requirement, and whether technical knowledge and report-writing skills should be tested during the recruitment process

ii. the resilience of the Training and Engagement Team and whether it needs reinforcing

b. The NAAB should develop and include in its business/stakeholder engagement plans:

i. the criteria the NAAB will use to prioritise referrals

ii. the NAAB’s policy and approach to making use of information available to the Home Office, or from other sources, relating to an individual’s asylum claim

iii. an improved quality assurance regime that includes assessment interview audits, feedback to individuals, plus the ability to draw out systemic issues, and which involves external stakeholders in setting and monitoring standards.

Accepted

Official government response

The Home Office is committed to the continuous improvement of the service provided by the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) and will continue to review workforce and business plans. Work is underway to develop written criteria to guide both the recruitment of social workers and the prioritisation of referrals. These criteria will support consistency, transparency, and fairness in the delivery of NAAB services. Efforts have also commenced to enhance the resilience of the NAAB’s training and engagement team. This includes strengthening internal capacity to ensure the team can meet increasing demand and maintain high standards of delivery. This work will continue as part of a broader programme of service improvement.

Quality assurance remains a cornerstone of the NAAB’s operational model. All social work team managers are now required to conduct quality assurance reviews of assessment interviews, ensuring that assessments are robust, evidence-based, and compliant with statutory guidance. In addition, discussions have been held with key stakeholders to establish a Quality Assurance Board, designed to help oversee the QA process and ensure that feedback mechanisms are in place to monitor and improve practice standards.

Date of implementation: December 2025

Recommendation 8

The Home Office’s Digital, Data, and Technology Team, and others as necessary, should review and agree the NAAB’s IT requirements as a matter of urgency, allocating the necessary funding and setting a timetable for delivery.

Accepted

Official government response

The Home Office is committed to driving improvements in this area through the Asylum Transformation Programme, which is delivering a range of projects to support service enhancement. A key initiative is the development of a new digital platform for the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB). This platform will enable local authorities to submit referrals directly to the Home Office via GOV.UK, improving accessibility and streamlining the referral process. The platform is currently in development and is scheduled to enter private beta, allowing live testing with selected local authorities, in October 2025, followed by a public beta phase, open to all local authorities, in mid-December 2025. In parallel, the programme is also developing a new NAAB casework solution, which is currently in the discovery phase. This initiative aims to identify a comprehensive end-to-end technical solution to support case management, with indicative delivery timelines set for Q2 2026.

Date of implementation: March 2026