‘In 2023, shockwaves spread across the UK surrounding hundreds of missing unaccompanied children from Home Office ‘emergency’ hotels. Concerningly some were found in the control of traffickers. Few professionals were allowed into the hotels which limited the risk evaluation of human (re-)trafficking and exploitation. This study, applying a trauma-informed storytelling methodological approach, investigated the lived experiences of 22 professionals and children. The research provides a voice to children housed in the hotels. Three thematic narratives emerged; Firstly, the hotel placement increased the (re-)trafficking and exploitation risks compared to other accommodations. Secondly, adultification (with racial undertones) resulted in the continued placement of children in adult hotels. These children faced heightened risks of harm compared to those placed in the children’s hotels (e.g. lack of education, support and abuses including sexual by hotel staff and other adults). Thirdly, Albanian boys went missing in greater numbers than other children, while targeted by the media and political scapegoating and facing threats of removal under the Illegal Migration Act 2023. We conclude that the trafficking and exploitation risks remain to unaccompanied children. The UK Government must conduct an independent inquiry into the disappearance of children from the hotels to better safeguard unaccompanied children in the future.’
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Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 5th July 2026
Source: doi.org