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Hertfordshire County Council

We treat all unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children as children in need.

You'll have the same rights and entitlements as any other child in need in Hertfordshire.

Unaccompanied asylum seekers over 18 are not automatically entitled to health care or education.

 

Education, training and employmentWe'll provide all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children with appropriate education, training and employment training opportunities, the same as any other young person.

That includes developing your written and spoken English, cooking, budgeting (where appropriate).

We'll provide you with an appropriate school or college place within 20 days of you being referred to us up to the age of 18.

 

Accommodation and housingWe'll make sure all unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children have somewhere suitable and safe to stay.

If we think a residential placement is best, we'll make sure things like interpreters and dietary, cultural and religious needs are provided for.

If you have status, you will be able to access the housing needs register. If you move into local authority or housing association accommodation at 18, then receive an adverse decision on your status, you will lose access to public funds and housing services. Your personal advisor will then support you in the next steps.

 

Health and happinessWe'll make sure all unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children get the health care and emotional support they need.

If you're a child in care or under 21 years old and are in education you'll be entitled to medical treatment on the NHS. If you're Appeal Rights Exhausted they can't access medical treatment.

If you're under 18, we'll also make sure you can take part in leisure activities and get involved with their community.

We'll help you trace family members who might be living in the UK. If you want to trace family members in another country, we'll help you get support from specialist tracing organisations.

Main types of status

Refugee status

Refugee status is awarded to someone the Home Office recognises as a refugee, as described in the Refugee Convention. A person given refugee status is normally granted leave to remain in the UK for 5 years, and at the end of that period can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Indefinite leave to remain

A form of immigration status given by the Home Office. Indefinite leave to remain is also called ‘permanent residence’ or ‘settled status’ as it gives permission to stay in the UK on a permanent basis.

Discretionary leave

A form of immigration status granted to a person who the Home Office has decided does not qualify for refugee status or humanitarian protection, but where there are other strong reasons why the person needs to stay in the UK temporarily.


More terms and definitions
(from the Refugee Council)

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Cookies

Like many other websites, we place small information files called 'cookies' on your computer.

Why do we use cookies?

To remember your settings, for example your language and location. This means you don’t have to keep entering these details when you visit a new page.

To find out how you use the site to help us update and improve it.

How do I change my cookie settings?

You can change the settings of your web browser so that it won’t accept cookies. For more information visit AboutCookies.org.

But, doing this may stop you from using some of the online features and services on this website. 

Cookies we use

Cookies do a lot of different jobs, and we use 2 types of cookies:

Required functionality cookies – these cookies are essential for the website to work.

Performance and feature cookies – these cookies help to improve the performance and feel of this website, for example providing you with personalised services.


Take a look at a list of cookies we use on our website:

NameTypeHow we use itHow long we use the information for

ASP.Net_Sessions

 

Required functionality

An automatic cookie set by our software. 

Just for the time you are on our website.

ServerID

 

Required functionality

An automatic cookie set by our software. 

Just for the time you are on our website.

_ga

Required functionality

To track the effectiveness of our website using Google Analytics. 

2 years

saved-pages

Performance and feature

To save the pages that you visit by clicking the heart at the top of the page. 

1 month

geoPostcode

Performance and feature

This stores your postcode (or partial postcode) when we ask you for your location.

Just for the time you are on our website or 30 days (you choose this).

geoCoordinates

Performance and feature

This stores your location as a pair of latitude / longitude coordinates.

Just for the time you are on our website or 30 days (you choose this).

reckonerName-history

Performance and feature

This keeps a history of all answers submitted to the ready reckoner.

This is set in the control for each ready reckoner. If you haven't interacted with the ready reckoner for the set amount of days, the cookies are deleted.

reckonerName-content

Performance and feature

This keeps a history of what content cards are clicked on when using the ready reckoner.

This is set in the control for each ready reckoner. If you haven't interacted with the ready reckoner for the set amount of days, the cookies are deleted.

SQ_SYSTEM_SESSION

Required functionality

This used to track user sessions on forms hosted on eservices.hertfordshire.gov.uk

Just for the time you are on our website.


Third party cookies

There are links and content from other sites and services on our website. These sites and services set their own cookies.

Below are a list of cookies that the other sites and services use:

Service namePurposeMore information

Google analytics (_utma/b/c/z)

These are used to compile reports for us on how people use this site.

Cookies of the same names are also used for the same purpose by other websites such as Building FuturesCountryside Management Service and Hertfordshire LIS.

Visit the Google Analytics website for more information about the cookies they use.

You can prevent data from being collected and used by Google Analytics by installing Google's Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Google Translation - googtrans

This cookie is used to remember which language to translate each page into if you have chosen to do so.

It expires at the end of your browser session.

Bing

We use a Bing cookie to track the success of our marketing campaigns and make them more efficient.

Visit Bing to find out more about their cookies.

Google

We use a Google cookie to track the success of our marketing campaigns and make them more efficient.

Visit Google to find out more about their cookies.

Facebook

We have a number of presences on Facebook, which we may link to. Facebook may set some of its own cookies if you follow these links.

Visit Facebook to find out more about their cookies.

Twitter

We have a number of presences and feeds on Twitter, which you may wish to follow or read from this website. Twitter may set some of its own cookies.

Visit Twitter to find out more about their cookies.

YouTube

We have a YouTube channel, which we may link to. YouTube may set some of its own cookies if you follow those links.

Visit YouTube to find out more about their cookies.

Netloan

This ASP.NET_Sessionid cookie is essential for the Netloan secure online payments website to work, and is set when you arrive to the site. This cookie is deleted when you close your browser.

 

HotJar

This session cookie is set to let Hotjar know whether that visitor is included in the sample which is used to generate funnels.

Visit HotJar to find out more about their cookies.

Siteimprove

These cookies are set to help us report on how people are using the site so we can improve it.

Visit Siteimprove to learn more about their cookies.