THE Borders will play its part in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children after elected officials backed the council’s involvement in a UK-wide scheme.

The national transfer scheme for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) was discussed at a recent full Scottish Borders Council (SBC) meeting.

In June, the Home Office announced changes to the scheme, encouraging more local authorities to get involved so that responsibility for the children “will be more fairly distributed”.

And SBC will now comply with the request for “urgent national support for this vulnerable group” following unanimous approval.

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A report put to councillors states: “Given the current uneven distribution of UASC across the United Kingdom, the Home Office expect to re-balance the distribution over a two-year period.

“The Scottish Borders are expected to take two UASC within each cycle. It is anticipated that there will be two or three cycles within the first year, and thereafter one cycle per year.”

The majority of young people within the scheme are aged over 16, are male and originate from a number of countries, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea and Vietnam, according to the report.

A daily amount of £143 is payable to councils for each ‘looked after’ UASC they host, the report adds, equating to £1,001 per week.

UASC are designated as ‘looked after children’ up until 18 years of age and thereafter as ‘care leavers’, and are eligible for support until they are 26 years of age.

A weekly amount of £270 is payable to councils for each UASC care leaver, according to the report.

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During the meeting, Kelso councillor Tom Weatherston, SBC’s vice convener, said the number of children the council is taking on is “not large” and that “suitable placements” for the first cycle are in place.

The Conservative member added: “This is the right thing to do. We can provide a home for these young people who have been forced to leave their countries.”

East Berwickshire councillor Helen Laing, of the SNP, said she hoped the children would see the Borders as their new home.

Back in June, Vicky Ford, who was then a UK Government minister for children and families, said: “Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children can be some of the most vulnerable in our care, having often faced dreadful exploitation from traffickers.

“We know that many areas have played their part to date but it’s absolutely right that local authorities around the country step up and share the role of supporting these young people to settle where appropriate and make valuable contributions to their communities.”