UNACCOMPANIED refugee children being cared for by Dorset Council have added at least half a million pounds to the annual children's services budget.

The claim comes from Tory group leader on the authority, Cllr Andrew Parry.

He says that despite a statement from the Home Office that the children and young people are fully-funded, he said that is far from reality.

"Whitehall made a big boast about fully-funded places. I can assure you that Whitehall's definition of 'fully-funded' and the reality is a mis-match of about half a million pounds."

Cllr Parry was a previous portfolio holder for children's services and education prior to the Liberal Democrats taking control at the May 2024 election.

Dorset Council has been allocated 67 unaccompanied refugee children to care for as part of a national scheme.

Because the council struggles to find places for more than 400 Dorset children which it legally cares for, almost all of the refugee children are put into care outside of the county – often with independent care providers or private foster carers.

The number each council has to take is allocated as part of the National Transfer Scheme for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UAS Children).

The council previously heard, in January, that while the Government might be meeting

accommodation costs, local council taxpayers are having to meet the bills for social worker support, travel to visit the youngsters, who are predominantly teenage boys; and the cost of other services such as interpreters and psychological support to help deal with the trauma of being a refugee and being separated from, or losing family members.

Executive Director of children's services at the time, Theresa Leavy, said Dorset was proud to have made the commitment to meet the requirements of the scheme, when not all councils had.

Ms Leavy said at the time that she feared that the numbers were likely to increase, year on year.

A report on the situation says: "The Home Office funding does not necessarily cover the full costs for supporting these young people, and therefore increased budget is needed to create a team and cover other costs, such as interpreters. We continue to lobby the Home Office for adequate funding to cover actual costs."