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Guideline review
RCPCH guideline review: guidance for refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people
  1. Nina Tanna,
  2. Hannah Jacob
  1. Department of Paediatrics, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Nina Tanna; nina.tanna1{at}nhs.net

https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2023-326104

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    Background

    Refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people (CYP) (see box 1 for definitions) often have complex social, physical and mental health needs but are often unable to access National Health Service (NHS) care due to poor awareness of services in addition to language, educational, administrative and financial barriers. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) outlines guidance on how to provide comprehensive care for these CYP, highlighting key issues to consider when seeing them in either primary or secondary care.

    Box 1

    Definitions

    • Asylum seeker: a person who has fled or been forcibly displaced from their home country due to war, conflict or persecution and whose application for sanctuary has yet to be processed.

    • Refugee: a person whose asylum application has been approved resulting in refugee status documentation. In the UK, this usually means they have been granted 5 years’ leave to remain as a refugee.

    • Unaccompanied asylum-seeking child: a young person who has migrated to the UK without a parent or legal guardian, meaning they automatically become a looked after child on arrival. They are placed in the care of the local authority and should be offered a full health assessment as per the statutory requirements.

    Information about the current guideline

    This RCPCH guidance was written by the health policy team for the child protection standing committee and advocacy committee, with input from many generalist and specialist paediatricians. It was originally published in April 2018 and last updated in January 2023 (see box 2 for a link to the full guideline).

    It aims to support paediatricians in the assessment and care of refugee and asylum-seeking CYP, including victims of modern slavery or human trafficking and undocumented families.

    Previous guidelines

    The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities published guidance for healthcare practitioners on the health needs of migrant children in July 2014.1 This provides a very broad …

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    Footnotes

    • X @HannahCJacob

    • Contributors NT wrote the first draft of the guideline review. HJ reviewed and edited the draft and approved the final draft for submission.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.