Hundreds of children seeking asylum in UK without family are in one Yorkshire city

The number of unaccompanied children seeking a new life in the UK has been revealed

One Yorkshire city has among the highest number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the UK.

Fresh data from the Department for Education reveals hundreds of children seeking asylum were in the care of local authorities across Yorkshire as of March 31. Leeds had the tenth highest number of children in the UK to look after with 102.

You can find out how many asylum seeking children are being looked after by your local authority with the interactive gadget below. Alternatively, the figures for every local authority in Yorkshire is listed below.

Nationally, the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in council care dropped by 12 per cent to 6,540, following a peak of 7,440 in 2024. This marked the first decline in five years and was the primary reason behind a two per cent decrease in the total number of looked after children, from 83,530 to 81,770.

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children typically present themselves at entry points into the country, separated from their parents or any other responsible adult.

The Kent Refugee Action Network, an organisation assisting young asylum seekers, has raised concerns over an increase in young asylum seekers being categorised as adults and relocated to unsuitable accommodation. Dr Razia Shariff, Chief Executive of KRAN, stated that the network has received first-hand accounts from charities forced to assist young individuals placed in adult hotels to dispute their age.

“Over the past few years there has been a systematic shift in age assessing young people when they first arrive in the UK by Border Force, with an increase in young people being deemed adults in the first instance and taken to adult accommodation,” she said.

She further noted that many of the children the organisation works with have undiagnosed trauma, cognitive health issues and learning disabilities. She said: “They need to feel they belong, they need to reclaim their childhood through wellbeing activities, they need to be able to have agency and choice and a voice in decisions that affect their lives.”

The Local Government Association has issued a warning that overspending has forced councils to depend on unsustainable emergency measures to fund children’s services. Cllr Amanda Hopgood, chair of the LGA’s children, young people and families committee, said: “Councils want to do everything they can to support children and young people and help them to lead happy lives where they can thrive.

“However, these figures are a reminder of the huge pressures that councils are under to provide this lifeline of support.”

She emphasised that it was “vital” for the Government to adequately fund children’s services, ensuring councils have the resources they need to support children in care.

A spokesperson for the DfE said: “The Government is committed to safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable children, including those in the care system and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to ensure every child has the best start in life.

“It is promising to see a decline in the number of children entering the care system, partly thanks to our support.

Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here.

“Through our Plan for Change we are investing £2.4 billion in the Families First Partnership programme to try and keep families together and making greater use of family-based alternatives like Special Guardianship Orders.

“We will also be laying out ambitious plans to boost the number of foster carers in England soon and investing over £8 million in Adoption England so that children can be provided with a loving and supportive home environment wherever possible.”

Kirklees

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 31
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 38
  • Total number of children in care: 641
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 5%

Calderdale

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 19
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 24
  • Total number of children in care: 355
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 5%

Leeds

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 102
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 99
  • Total number of children in care: 1,498
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 7%

Bradford

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 69
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 79
  • Total number of children in care: 1,366
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 5%

Doncaster

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 27
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 43
  • Total number of children in care: 504
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 5%

Rotherham

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 26
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 40
  • Total number of children in care: 476
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 5%

Sheffield

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 55
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 64
  • Total number of children in care: 624
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 9%

Barnsley

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 16
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 25
  • Total number of children in care: 366
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 4%

North Yorkshire

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 41
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 53
  • Total number of children in care: 561
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 7%

York

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 15
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 19
  • Total number of children in care: 240
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 6%

East Yorkshire

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 17
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 26
  • Total number of children in care: 363
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 5%

Hull

  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2025: 25
  • Asylum seeking children as of March 2024: 31
  • Total number of children in care: 742
  • Percentage of children in care who are asylum seekers: 3%

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