News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

child-refugee-calais-14may-main_article_image.jpg
Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
UK News

Churches urged to help councils find homes for unaccompanied refugee children

by Antony Bushfield

It's after politicians in Westminster voted to force the government to consult with councils on how many lone child refugees from Europe the country should allow in.

The Government faced growing opposition after a bid by peers to amend the Immigration Bill to take 3,000 children who have fled conflict in Syria and are now in Europe was defeated by MPs.

But earlier this month David Cameron signalled the Government was willing to climb down and resettle some children by accepting a new lords' amendment which calls for the UK to take a "specified" number of the refugees.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire confirmed to the House on Monday that the Government will accept the amendment.

However, he would not be drawn on how many children he anticipates the UK helping or what the timetable for resettling them will be.

Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Tim Pilkington, Chief Executive of World Vision UK, said: "Hundreds of thousands of children fleeing the horrors of the war in Syria have ended up stranded on the shores of Europe. Tens of thousands are orphaned, living in squalid camps and surviving without their parents' love and support. Sadly, many thousands of refugee children have already gone missing. No one knows into whose hands they have fallen and what fate awaits them.

"Parliament has sent out a clear message that the UK will at last play its part in giving sanctuary to some of these unaccompanied children. We now urge every council to pull out the stops and find homes for as many of these children as possible.

"Over the last year, thousands of generous families have stepped forwards and offered to foster lone refugee children. There are no short cuts - all families must be checked to see whether they can provide suitable homes. But a collective national response to this humanitarian crisis could prove to be one of Britain's proudest moments."

Henry Makiwa from World Vision told Premier churches can help: "Make sure than resources are available so that we can try and support these children who are facing an incredible amount of challenges and are in desperation."

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate