Social workers association calls again for abolition of National Age Assessment Board

BASW has this month repeated its call for the abolition of the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), which is part of the Home Office and undertakes age assessments on its behalf.

The professional association for social workers made the call as the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill goes through the committee stage in the House of Commons.

The NAAB was created by the previous government through the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

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

“The current government has an opportunity to use their Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to scrap the NAAB for good. We therefore welcome an amendment that has been put forward by Lisa Smart MP that would repeal large sections of the Nationality and Borders Act, including the NAAB and use of scientific methods for age assessments.”

In March 2023 BASW issued a statement discouraging its members, as well as other social workers, from applying for, or taking up age assessment roles in the NAAB.

See also: NAAB age assessments: key considerations for local authorities - Harry Johnston-Sluka and Deesha Shah provide guidance for local authorities on dealing with the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB).