ISWS | SAEF Age assessment training | Immigration Social Work Services

For Merton-Compliant Age Assessments

The Social Work Age Estimation Framework (SAEF) is rapidly becoming the emerging national standard for Merton‑compliant age assessment practice across the UK.

Developed with frontline practitioners, legal experts and young people, SAEF provides a clear, ethical and defensible structure for completing high‑quality age assessments in complex, fast‑moving environments.

Our SAEF training equips practitioners, managers and multi‑agency partners with the confidence, skills and analytical tools needed to complete robust, trauma‑informed and legally sound age assessments.

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Designed for both new and experienced practitioners, SAEF training strengthens consistency, reduces organisational risk and supports lawful, child‑centred decision‑making across teams and services.

The course takes you step‑by‑step through the full age determination process — from initial decision‑making and planning, through to interviewing, analysis and writing evidence‑based conclusions that withstand scrutiny.

Through our research with Young Roots and PLP, and through our work in the courts we saw a significant shift in the age assessment sector, with assessments moving towards a more interrogatory approach with assessments being undertaken more akin to a home office asylum interview.

We heard from social workers who tell us that they feel uncomfortable doing age assessments because they feel it doesn’t align with social work values, and they do not feel confident in making decisions that can have such significant impact on people’s outcomes. So, we decided to do something about this.

We developed a new framework that addresses the issues outlined above and more. The framework is an opportunity to reset age assessments and bring them in line with social work values and approaches.

Grounded by research, case law analysis and in consultation with young people with lived experience, we believe that SAEF (Social Work Age Estimation Framework) offers social workers an alternative approach to age assessment that will leave them feeling more confident in their decision making.

It is trauma informed, social work led and robust. We move social workers from feeling anxious about what evidence to gather and provide a framework that supports them to consider all evidence of age (not just evidence of adulthood) ensuring that assessments are evidence based.

SAEF supports social workers to use their existing social work skills and work collaboratively with young people and young adults to ensure that assessments are trauma informed, collaborative and compassionate.

We initially piloted SAEF within our agency with significant success and consistently high feedback from all stakeholders. We then piloted it with a small group of local authorities, and have now launched it publicly.

We would love to have the opportunity to talk more about this so if you have any questions, would like more information or would like us to come and speak to your team about this, please reach out, we would love to talk to you about this.

By the end of the course, you will:

Deepen your understanding of what makes an age assessment Merton compliant, and how SAEF supports this standard in practice
Recognise the impact of age determination processes on children and young people, enabling you to apply a trauma‑informed, culturally sensitive approach.
Build confidence in using the full SAEF structure to plan, conduct and analyse an age assessment.
Apply a range of social work tools and reflective techniques to ensure your assessment remains child‑centred, ethical and defensible.
Know how to access and use the most up‑to‑date case law, research and national guidance to strengthen your decision‑making.
Understand the statutory roles and responsibilities of all agencies involved in age assessment and safeguarding.
Write clear, analytical, evidence‑based assessments that demonstrate sound reasoning and withstand legal and organisational scrutiny.