PrintWelfare of humanitarian minors without parents in Australia
Objective
To have in place appropriate guardianship, monitoring and settlement support arrangements for all unaccompanied humanitarian minors (UHMs) in the UHM program.
Description
Unaccompanied humanitarian minors are non-citizen children who arrive in Australia without a parent to care for them and who have been granted a visa under Australia's humanitarian program. Some UHMs have a relative over the age of 21 years to provide care and are called non-wards. UHMs who do not have a suitable relative become wards of the Minister under the Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Act 1946 (IGOC Act). The minister's functions as guardian under the IGOC Act are delegated to officers in the child welfare agency in each state and territory.
The Australian Government and state governments work together to provide settlement services to UHMs through the UHM program, whether they arrive lawfully or unlawfully, or as part of the offshore resettlement program.
The UHM program seeks to provide effective welfare supervision and settlement support to minors while they live in Australia or until the year they turn 18. It is funded through cost sharing agreements between the Australian Government and state governments.
Performance
At 30 June 2008, there were 537 UHMs in the UHM program, 528 of whom arrived under the offshore component of the Humanitarian program and another nine who were granted temporary or permanent protection visas onshore.
In 2007–08, total Australian Government funding for state authorities through cost-sharing agreements for the UHM program was $2 million.
Table 92: Welfare of humanitarian minors without parents in Australia—performance information| Measures | Results |
|---|---|
| Quality | |
| Arrangements are in place for welfare supervision and support of UHM wards and for the provision of settlement assistance to all UHM non-wards | Guardianship arrangements are in place with appropriate state welfare authorities |
| Quantity | |
| Number of UHMs (wards and non-wards) in the program | There were 159 wards and 378 non-wards in the UHM program at 30 June 2008 |
