Swann urges Home Office to review passport process for foster families

South Antrim MP Robin Swann has called on the Home Office to urgently review the application process for first-time passports for children and young people in the care of Health Trusts, describing the current system as “over cumbersome” and lacking the flexibility required for families involved in fostering.

Mr Swann raised the issue following a noticeable increase in concerns from Social Workers and Health Trusts who are struggling to navigate the passport application process for children under their care.

“I have received a significant increase in queries seeking assistance from Social Workers and Health Trusts following an application for a passport for children in their care,” Mr Swann said.

In particular, the MP pointed to ongoing confusion surrounding who is authorised to make enquiries about an application — a Social Worker, foster parent, or another responsible party. This ambiguity, he warned, is delaying applications and adding unnecessary stress to foster families already navigating complex responsibilities.

“In some instances when inquiring on the status of the application, there is confusion as to who has authority to request the update – is it the Social Worker who signed the document, the foster parent or even another party,” he added.

One constituent, Mr Swann revealed, has faced significant barriers trying to obtain a passport for a foster child due to an unusual documentation requirement. The application required a birth certificate for the child’s grandparent — a relative the foster family had no information on, other than the fact she had passed away.

“It seems that Home Office Customer Support are very limited in the help that they can provide without additional guidance,” he noted.

Mr Swann also raised concerns over the lack of tailored guidance for cases where a mother has grown up in care and cannot provide familial documentation, a scenario not uncommon within the Social Care system.

“As it stands, the guidance for a passport does not provide information or alternative recommendations for mothers who may have grown up in care that do not have access to information on a relative they did not know.”

Calling for a review of current Home Office policy, Mr Swann emphasised the need to allow more flexibility in these unique cases to support Looked After Children and their carers in travelling as family units without unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.

“I have asked the Home Office to review this guidance to enable social workers to allow foster parents caring for Looked After Children to travel as a family unit without placing additional stress on families, foster carers and Children’s Social Services.

“Reviewed and updated guidance would also allow Home Office Customer Services to be flexible and understand that this information is not readily available when the child or parent has been through the Social Care system.”