MPs to debate controversial National Age Assessment Board

MPs will debate the future of the controversial National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), following pressure from social workers.

Politicians are set to debate and vote on the government’s Border Security, Immigration and Asylum Bill on Monday.

An amendment was tabled to the Bill following a campaign of social workers lobbying their MP to remove specific provisions of the National and Borders Act responsible for setting up the NAAB. The amendment, laid by Dr Lisa Smart MP, would also repeal the use of scientific methods of age assessment.

The British Association of Social Workers (BASW), which led a campaign urging members to write to their MP, has long-standing opposition to the Home Office agency, which it says is unable to carry out age assessments independently, free from political bias and interference. The professional association has even discouraged social workers from taking up roles within the NAAB.

In its briefing to MPs ahead of the report stage debate, BASW has set out the significant problems with using a machine to conduct age assessments, including risk of inaccurate results and the violation of rights in relation to medical consent.

They also raise strong concerns about the objectivity of the NAAB, urging policy-makers to instead focus on properly resourcing local authorities so that they can carry out Merton-compliant, social work-led age assessments in a fair and timely manner themselves.

“We remain deeply concerned that any agency that is part of the Home Office, and is therefore accountable to central government, risks age assessments being influenced by political priorities, such as reducing immigration, as opposed to child welfare and human rights,” BASW said in a statement.

“Instead, the Home Office should focus on resourcing local authorities for social workers to conduct age assessments that are truly fair and independent.”

Recent research found that the age assessment process has a “profound and harmful impact” on the mental health of unaccompanied children seeking asylum.

A 2024 study by the Helen Bamber Foundation, analysed data of 32 young people whose age was disputed and 52 whose age was not, finding that the children seeking asylum whose ages were disputed showed higher levels of psychological distress, with some even reporting experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Being repeatedly questioned can undermine relationships with social workers and other professionals, damaging trust, and a young person’s sense of identity, the study found.