Report on an investigation into complaint no 08 005 858 against Liverpool City Council

Liverpool City Council failed to follow long established guidance when social workers who had no specific training assessed the age of an unaccompanied asylum seeking girl. As a result it omitted important aspects of an age assessment. It then failed to give adequate reasons for its decision that the child was over 18 and so not entitled to support and services as a child in need.

A later, properly conducted assessment by a different council, assessed the girl as being 16. This assessment was proven to be accurate by official papers subsequently obtained from her country of origin. By this time the child had been without care services for over 15 months, was pregnant and receiving therapy for sexual abuse and having been subjected to witchcraft practices.

The Ombudsman found that Liverpool City Council’s maladministration in the way that it conducted the assessment caused the child the injustice of:

• Loss of care services that she needed and was entitled to receive; and
• Stress and uncertainly in making appeals whilst she was a child against decisions
  to deport her.