After reading the recent article in the Scotsman about Scottish Refugee Council and Aberlour’s Guardianship pilot, I wanted to highlight the importance of this project to the children arriving alone in Scotland seeking safety.
Lost, alone and vulnerable
I remember when I arrived in India at the start of a three month trip. I was terrified, feeling incredibly exposed and vulnerable, sticking out like a sore thumb as a foreigner! I was greeted by a friendly face, Nimrod, who would help me adjust to his country. I was like a child. Being told what was safe to do, how much I should pay for a taxi or a sandwich, where I should avoid and how to keep safe.
I would have been lost without him.
I was an adult. I had arrived via a 12 hour flight. I was not an unaccompanied child. I had not endured a very risky extended journey in the back of a lorry. I had not lost my family. And I was not fleeing my home in fear of my life!
The Scottish Guardianship Service pilot – a friendly face making all the difference
There are children who arrive in the UK who have faced just that. They arrive here scared, confused and completely alone. The Scottish Guardianship Service provides these children with a guardian, the friendly face they need. Their guardian guides and supports them through the daunting asylum process – a familiar face among the maze of lawyers, social workers and UKBA officials.
They help them to adjust to day to day life; getting the bus; buying clothes; adjusting to this new culture; and experiencing life in Scotland. Their Guardian will also assist them planning for their future, whether it’s in the UK or elsewhere.
The future of the Guardianship pilot
As we start the final year of the pilot of the Guardianship service, we can see the real and lasting impact that the independent guardians have had on the lives of vulnerable children seeking asylum.
Gary Christie, Head of Policy and Communications for Scottish Refugee Council
The guardianship pilot has demonstrated that there is a real need for a permanent Guardianship Service to be established. It would be such a loss to the children and young people dependent upon this service if the program was not continued further.
At present, the UK does not have a system of guardianship. It would be great to see this pilot rolled out across the whole of the UK.
