Expert committee says radiography and MRI scans could help establish age of asylum seekers but warns “there is no infallible method” for either biological or social-worker-led age assessment

Radiographic tests and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans could be used to try to settle disputes about the claimed age of unaccompanied asylum seeker children.

Those are among conclusions of an expert panel set up to advise the Home Office following a series of cases in which people claiming to be aged under 18 have been disbelieved by local social services.

Unaccompanied asylum seekers aged under 18 are entitled to be cared for by social services while those judged adults do not have access to such extensive support.

The Interim Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee said in its report that biological age assessment should be carried out by a combination of radiography of the third molar, radiography of the hand/wrist or MRI of the knee and MRI of the clavicle.

It had been asked to advise only on methods that could be implemented within 12 to 18 months as a means to support the existing Merton-compliant process of age assessment.

The committee warned “there is no infallible method for either biological or social-worker-led age assessment that will provide a perfect match to chronological age”.

The recommended assessments were based on a substantial body of peer reviewed research that covered dental and skeletal development.

Age assessment currently relies on the ‘Merton-compliant process’, which the committee said had not been baseline tested to evidence either for accuracy or repeatability and was not uniformly applied.

It said this process could be lengthy and costly and many assessments were challenged, further draining local authority resources.

Some incorrect decisions had been made, “sometimes with catastrophic consequences, when vulnerable children are inadvertently placed at risk of harm either from adults who are incorrectly assessed as children or when children are incorrectly placed into adult facilities”.

Steve Crocker, president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, said: “Age assessments aren’t an exact science and the report from the Scientific Advisory Committee on the use of biological methods to assist this process outlines the complexities in the process.

“Social work-led age assessments are specialist work and the committee notes that the use of medical or biological methods are no panacea, instead they can be used in times of uncertainty or dispute.”

Mr Crocker said any decisions must be driven by a child-centric approach, and this should be reflected in resources being directed towards developing practice and sharing tools to support the welfare of children arriving unaccompanied in the UK.

Mark Smulian