Child protection

Home Office lost track of lone child asylum seekers it housed in hotels a court ruled unlawful, and some have never been found.

Confidence: Confirmed · 3 sourcesUnited Kingdom · Oct 6, 2026

Subject of this story

Home Office

Also named

Oversight

Joint Committee on Human Rights (UK Parliament)

High Court of Justice of England and Wales

Children's Commissioner for England

What happened

In 2023 the Home Office housed unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in hotels instead of local-authority care; the High Court confirmed in March 2024 that this long-term hotel use was unlawful. Per evidence given by the Department for Education in June 2026, 472 children went missing from the hotels and 40 have still not been located, two of them still under 18. Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights, reporting on 27 August 2026, said it was 'extremely concerned', asked the Home Office for updates every three months, and gave the government two months to respond. The then border security minister told the committee some children who were found had been in exploitative situations and may have been trafficked.

Sources (3)

UK Parliament, Joint Committee on Human Rights: Human Rights of Children in the Social Care System in England (Second Report of Session 2026-27)during that period, 472 children went missing and 432 have now been located, which means that 40 have not been located ... Of those 40 not located, two are under 18 (DfE evidence, June 2026); 'In March 2024, the High Court confirmed that the use of hotels to provide permanent or long-term housing for unaccompanied children was unlawful.'

The NationalChildren's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza: 'The disappearance of these children represents an unacceptable failure'; government: 'we take any child going missing extremely seriously.'

IBTimes UK472 children went missing from asylum accommodation in total; 432 subsequently located; 40 remain unaccounted for.

Response

Home Office

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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