Left Out in the Cold: The vulnerable children on Britain’s doorstep and the urgency of post-Brexit family reunion rules

The potential of the UK’s family reunion provisions being lowered following Brexit raises severe concerns about the safety of these children trapped at Britain’s doorstep, in particular given the sub-standard conditions and lack of safeguarding structures which leave children at particularly high risk of trafficking and other forms of abuse. In this context, the joint report with Refugee Youth Service, Refugee Women’s Centre, Help Refugees and Safe Passage, provides an on-the-ground update of the ongoing situation for children in northern France, who keep finding themselves trapped between the securitised British border and the heavy-handed approach of French authorities.