Baobab Talks

Baobab Talk Series: "Towards a UNCRC-Compliant Asylum System in the UK: New Ideas for Better Practice" - Part 1 - 11 June 2025

This event explored the UK’s legal obligations toward unaccompanied asylum seeking children (“UASCs”) in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Our expert panel discussed fresh perspectives and practical proposals for embedding children’s rights at the heart of the UK asylum and social care systems. Dr Ruth Brittle highlighted the lack of compliance with the UNCRC within the UK asylum system and suggested ideas of what it might look like if the UNCRC was at the heart of the system - a reimaging of the UK Asylum system with a children's right approach at its core. Rabia Nasimi shared her perspective on adopting a user-needs based approach to the protection and support of unaccompanied minors. Drawn from lived experience and frontline engagement, she underlined key needs that are often overlooked in policy and practice.

Baobab Talk Series: "Towards a UNCRC-Compliant Asylum System in the UK: New Ideas for Better Practice" - Part 2 - 11 June 2025

This insightful event delved into the UK's legal obligations towards unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASCs) in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Our expert panel shared fresh perspectives and practical proposals for embedding children's rights at the heart of the UK asylum and social care systems. Dr Ruth Brittle highlighted the lack of compliance with the UNCRC within the UK asylum system and suggested ideas of what it might look like if the UNCRC was at the heart of the system - a reimaging of the UK Asylum system with a children's right approach at its core. Rabia Nasimi shared her perspective on adopting a user-needs based approach to the protection and support of unaccompanied minors. Drawn from lived experience and frontline engagement, she underlined key needs that are often overlooked in policy and practice.

Baobab Talk Series: "Exploring ways to improve the UK asylum system for young people" - 3 July 2024

We invited a UK civil servant, a lawyer, a social worker, and a mental health specialist to a multidisciplinary panel discussion on concrete proposals to improve the UK asylum system for children, on 3 July 2024 in London - on the eve of a dramatic General Election in Britain. By order of recording, our four panelists : Prof. Cornelius Katona [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornelius-katona-044ab198/] (Helen Bamber Foundation): "Could an integration-focused approach mitigate the mental health harms of the UK’s current asylum system?" Prof. Katona is Honorary Medical and Research Director at the Helen Bamber Foundation [https://www.helenbamber.org]and Royal College of Psychiatrists' lead on Refugee and Asylum Mental Health. He recently was Chair of the Steering Group for the Woolf Institute Commission on the Integration of Refugees [https://www.woolf.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/commission-on-the-integration-of-refugees] and discusses some of the recently published findings [https://refugeeintegrationuk.com/publications/] from this commission. Frances Trevena [https://www.linkedin.com/in/frances-trevena-006b6944/] (Refugee Law Initiative): "A pilot project of an asylum court for children in England" Together with First Rights [http://www.firstrights.net/] and the Refugee Law Initiative [https://rli.sas.ac.uk/], and following the launch of this joint pilot project [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E8Jz07jiFW_zR30l2OR3c3bRoBVhgyIy/view] in the House of Lords in March 2024, Frances discusses what makes such a project vital and how to make it work. Laurent Starkey [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-starkey-17754218a/] (Independent Social Worker): "Improving the UK care system for young asylum seekers" Lauren is a Social Worker specialising in the care of support of separated asylum-seeking children. She has worked in a variety of local authority and NGO settings and she has consistently advocated for major structural changes needed to keep children and young people safe. She currently practices as an Independent Social Worker and as an advocate for the Breaking The Chains youth project [https://shpresaprogramme.org/projects/breaking-the-chains/]at Shpresa Programme [https://shpresaprogramme.org]. David Neal [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidneal1969/] (former Independent Chief Inspector for Borders and Immigration): "A few ideas on how to improve the administration of the UK asylum system" David discusses his recent experience inspecting the UK immigration system and 5 key ideas to improve the operations of the Home Office.

Baobab Talk Series: "Age Assessments: in the best interests of children?" - 14 June 2023

The Baobab Centre is happy to share a recording of the panel it organised on 14 June 2023 in London with three panelists invited to discuss UK Asylum Age Assessment processes, their planned evolution -- within the framework of best interests of children. After a brief introduction from Sheila Melzak (Director of the Baobab Centre), the recording features Prof. Tim Cole (UCL), Nick Lessof (NHS), and Syd Bolton (Methoria), to discuss the issues through three lenses: a scientific approach (how reliable can age assessments be? Slides for Prof. Cole's presentation are available here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/15e4_VIShVQLeCR5ntJqnyKHBSdAeBQhp/view?usp=sharing]), a paediatrician's approach (how can doctors help safeguard children during age assessments. Slides from Dr. Lessof's presentation are available here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jlrtycsGkSvZz9DTYuguiPxMurNVUoXt/view?usp=sharing]), and a solicitor's approach (can age assessments ever be in the best interests of a child?). Their interventions are then followed by a comment from Karen Goodman (ISW) on the implication of social workers in the age assessment process, and a short Q&A.

Baobab Talk Series: "The Gendered Nature of Migration Drivers and the Migration Decision-Making Process" - 11 March 2020

This talk took place on 11 March 2020. Prof. Liza Schuster of City, University of London, came to discuss her data and analysis of migration drivers for families in Afghanistan, with an emphasis on gender polarisation, based on her years of experience researching in Afghanistan.