22 July 2025: ICIBI: An inspection of the Home Office’s use of age assessments
July 2024 – February 2025
This report by David Bolt, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration – ICIBI, and his team was released today by the Home Secretary:
Conclusions
1.44 Accurately assessing the age of young people is undoubtedly difficult, and many would argue that it is not possible. This inspection has identified a number of improvements that the Home Office can and should make to its assessment processes and practices when making initial decisions on age, but, however much it is able to improve these, it will not satisfy those who believe that assessments based on appearance and demeanour are fundamentally flawed. At the same time, the Home Office will argue that it has to have some means of distinguishing adults from children on first encounter to ensure that the latter receive the protections they need and to which they are legally entitled.
1.45 This inspection does not seek to come down on one side or other of this argument. However, it was evident that, if it wishes to build greater confidence in how it goes about making initial decisions on age, the Home Office needs to involve others (interpreters, social workers, experts, and practitioners in supporting and providing services for children and young people) as much as possible in the process. In the meantime, it might help the debate if both the Home Office and its critics could agree that some migrants lie about their age, and that not to attempt to make some form of initial age assessment risks incentivising more to do so, which is not in the overall best interests of UAS children. It might also be helpful if all parties could accept that the Home Office gets some initial age decisions wrong. Denying this is the case, because these decisions are an opinion, and as such cannot be quality assured, is obtuse and vexing.
1.46 This inspection has also identified improvements that the Home Office can and should make in its dealings with local authorities. In particular, it should strive to communicate and engage better, sharing whatever data it has about the number of individuals being dispersed into local authority areas who, despite being assessed as an adult at the border, have disputed their age. This would be welcomed by local authorities (and accommodation service providers), both practically, as it would enable them to plan more effectively for ‘spontaneous arrivals’, and as a sign that the Home Office appreciates the challenges local authorities face and is looking to work in partnership.
1.47 The NAAB is a good example of partnership working, and it has undoubtedly made a positive contribution, despite some initial difficulties with recruitment. But there is a real risk that this could backfire if it does not get its positioning, messaging, and performance right. This starts by having a fully funded business plan and sharing its aims, objectives, and intended service levels with local authorities and other stakeholders, and not solely through individual MoUs. The NAAB also needs to be able to demonstrate that it operates to the highest standards if it wishes to be seen as a ‘centre of excellence’ for age assessments. As with initial age decisions, there is a strong case for involving others more in its operations, in particular in quality assuring its work.
You can read the report here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f6f9dfdc190fb6b84685e/An_inspection_of_the_Home_Office_s_use_of_age_assessments__July_2024___February_2025_.pdf.
and the Home Office response is here:
22 July 2025: Guardian: UK border officials to use AI to verify ages of child asylum seekers
Trial of technology comes as official report warns existing system has been failing for at least a decade
Officials are to start using artificial intelligence to help estimate the age of asylum seekers who say they are children.
Angela Eagle, the immigration minister, said on Tuesday the government would test technology that judges a person’s age based on their facial features.
It is the latest example of Labour ministers turning to AI to help solve problems with public services without spending significant amounts of money.
The decision was announced on the same day that David Bolt, the chief inspector of borders and immigration, published a highly critical report into the haphazard way in which officials estimated the age of new arrivals.
Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/22/uk-border-officials-to-use-ai-to-verify-ages-of-child-asylum-seekers