Why Triple Planning is Essential for Separated Migrant Young People

Across the UK, local authorities are seeing a sharp rise in asylum refusals for unaccompanied young people.

At the same time, the list of countries eligible for the government’s streamlined asylum process continues to shrink. Fewer nationalities are now considered “high risk,” and more young people are being routed into full asylum interviews, credibility assessments and ultimately, refusals.

Why local authorities cannot rely on assumptions about nationality

In practice, some nationalities were informally viewed as “safe” or “straightforward” in asylum decision‑making, however this is no longer the case.

Government policy can, and does, change overnight and country situations can change rapidly. A young person who might previously have been granted protection with minimal challenge may now face a complex, adversarial process with a very different outcome.

Local authorities cannot afford to be complacent. When a young person’s immigration status is uncertain, their entire future is uncertain: education, housing, employment, relationships, mental health and long‑term safety. Planning on the basis of assumptions is not good practice, and in doing so, we leave young people at risk.

Triple Planning.

This is why triple planning must be embedded as standard practice for every separated migrant young person,  regardless of nationality, perceived likelihood of success or the stage of their asylum claim. It should start from the immediate point of accommodation and run through until there is a resolution.

Triple planning ensures that:

There is a plan in place, ready to go if/when the young person receives a protection status. They should have the tools and skills required to live in the UK successfully, and ensure they are reaching their full potential.

• There is a plan in place for when young people get stuck in the asylum system, whether that is waiting for an initial decision or stuck in the appeals process. Every practitioner knows the significant harm that this drift and delay causes young people, however we are not powerless in this situation. There are things we can do in advance of these issues, to build resilience in young people to help them navigate this uncertainty (but it needs to start early)
• There is a plan in place, known as the back up plan, that looks at what support is available if the young person is unable to resolve their immigration status. If there are no routes to regularising their status, its likely that the local authority will withdraw their support. We need a plan in place so that if that happens, young people are not left alone, that there is a multi-agency response that empowers young people to know their rights and options as well as ways to keep themselves safe.
• Triple planning is not pessimistic. It is protective. It gives young people agency, clarity, and stability in a system that often offers none of those things. It also protects local authorities from crisis decision‑making, last‑minute accommodation challenges, and avoidable safeguarding risks.

How we can help

Triple planning is part of the statutory guidance Care of Unaccompanied and Migrant Children however aside from that mention, there is little guidance on how to conduct this piece of work.

We’ve had the privilege of working with local authorities across the UK and municipalities throughout the EU, giving us insight into excellent practice in a wide range of contexts, and we share this in our training.

Our training will help practitioners:

• Understand the full timeline of an asylum claim for unaccompanied young people, including key decision points and implications for care and pathway planning.
• Recognise the purpose and impact of each pathway within the triple planning process, and how these pathways safeguard young people in an increasingly uncertain asylum landscape.
• Build confidence in applying triple planning in practice when working with UASC who are relevant or former relevant, ensuring planning is proactive, ethical, and legally informed.
• Develop best practice when supporting young people who are at risk of becoming Appeal Rights Exhausted (ARE) or who are already ARE, with a focus on stability, rights, and safety.
• Work collaboratively with young people to create safety plans that reduce the risk of exploitation, homelessness, and destitution during periods of immigration uncertainty.
• Strengthen understanding of the voluntary return process and use this knowledge confidently and sensitively within pathway planning conversations.

Resources

If you’re struggling with introducing the topic of triple planning, we have some free resources that might help here

If you’d like to discuss our training, please contact us here:

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