Case Law Compliant Age Assessments
There are a wide range of circumstances in which age may be disputed. DSCP Services understand that any age assessment undertaken should be a holistic one, which considers a wide range of information, including medical opinion and professional observations of a young person over a period and (preferably) in a variety of settings and circumstances. We have a pool of experienced and dedicated Age Assessing Social Workers who possess advanced specialist knowledge of social work practice in Children’s Services and are registered with Social Work England. Our Age Assessors are fully trained, DBS checked and have extensive experience of completing robust Assessments that can withstand legal challenges. We complete independent age assessments across England, and we can consider other areas within the United Kingdom and Europe. On the instruction of the relevant authority, DSCP Services will appoint one of our experienced age assessing social worker to undertake and lead on the completion of Age Assessments. We are often able to arrange a lead assessing social worker or two assessing social workers to conduct an age assessment depending on the needs of the service. Our qualified and experienced social workers undertake all age assessments in a clear, transparent, and fair manner; in line with the ‘Merton’ principles, with an independent Appropriate Adult and interpreter present during every interview.
Human Rights Assessment
We have experience in providing Human Rights reports in relation to immigration and repatriation cases, particularly around Right to Family Life, settlement in the UK and the impact of forced repatriation on children who have been in the UK for some considerable time.
Expert Witness Report
We can consider providing Expert Witness Reports for Tribunals or High Court cases, particularly in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and/or age assessments.
