[Press Release] HMIP report on Tinsley House IRC inspection, Manston, and UK-France Scheme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21 children transferred from Manston into immigration detention, inspectors find

‍AVID says new findings show why the UK–France “one in, one out” scheme must be halted and safeguarding failures at Tinsley House IRC and Manston STHF should be independently examined

London, 28 September 2026 — Twenty-one people transferred from Manston to Tinsley House immigration removal centre("IRC") were subsequently found to be children in the six months before an inspection, according to a report published today by HM Inspectorate of Prisons. Inspectors identified poor practice and substantial delays in resolving age disputes, leaving some children without safeguarding while their claims were considered.

Inspectors examined five cases. All five people were interviewed at Manston by video link, three in the early hours after a Channel crossing. In two cases, legal intervention led to face-to-face assessments that established they were children. Both had been held at Tinsley House for about a month after first telling the Home Office they were children. Inspectors found that no multi-agency review had examined the high number of children transferred or the safeguarding failures in individual cases.

Inspectors praised Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWG), an AVID network member that visits Tinsley House IRC, twice a week. In six months they provided 197 clothing packs and nearly 300 phone credit top-ups. Yet inspectors found that centre staff and leaders did not know about GDWG’s post-release support.

The findings also add independent scrutiny to concerns raised earlier by AVID and other migration, refugee and detention visitor organisations in a joint statement on the UK-France Scheme. The signatories described age-disputed young people being detained, screening conducted remotely or late at night, barriers to legal advice and harm to mental health. We have called for the scheme to be halted and for safe routes that do not depend on another person's detention or removal. Today's inspection provides separate findings about Tinsley House and One-In-One-Out policy failures.

Meanwhile, at its second pre-liminary hearing(last week), lawyers linked the overcrowding and other alleged failures of that period to decisions made at the highest levels of government, as reported by the Guardian. Manston Inquiry is examining conditions between June and November 2022. Today's inspection report by HMIP provides separate, recent evidence of failures in the transfer from Manston to Tinsley House; it does not establish that the conditions alleged in 2022 continue today.

These questions concern people held now, not only those affected during the Manston crisis of 2022. The Home Office has been continue to hold new arrivals securely at Manston, and is upgrading the site's infrastructure. Although a broader redevelopment application was approved, the Home Office says it is not currently building the proposed new 'processing centre'. Meanwhile, Campsfield House reopened as an immigration removal centre in December 2025, with a further phase to expandbed spaces and the Home Office plans to open a redeveloped Haslar centre in 2027. Both of these center's expansion plan will be decided on the public inquiry by the Planning Inspectorate. AVID will be contributing as expert witness at the Campsfield Inquiry.

The report also found that Tinsley House often received incomplete health information from Manston. Indicators of modern slavery were missed or not acted on; Rule 35 assessments could take up to three weeks delay; and only 45% of detainees attended the GP appointment offered to new arrivals. There was no psychological or therapy service despite substantial need. The Care Quality Commission took enforcement action concerning health care service.

Gee Manoharan, Co-Director of Policy and Influencing, AVID responded:

“Twenty-one people transferred from Manston were later found to be children. In two cases, children spent about a month at Tinsley House after saying they were children. It took legal intervention to secure face-to-face assessments. Their age claims reached detention; the safeguards did not. AVID members are continue to see this pattern play out in other detention centres across the estate too.”

“Inspectors also found that health care had substantially deteriorated, with no psychological or therapy service despite serious need. Last week, the Manston Inquiry heard allegations about decisions at the highest levels of government during the 2022 crisis. Now this inspection shows children were still being transferred from Manston into detention this year. This is a wakeup call to the Home Secretary who is increasingly promoting removal rates, pressing ahead with more detention capacity while these failures demand answers. More detention beds cannot make an unsafe decision safe. We are calling the current government to halt the UK–France scheme, urgently review age assessments and transfers, and ensure no one faces removal without legal advice and a proper safeguarding assessment."

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AVID calls on the Home Office to:

1. Halt the UK–France scheme, as AVID and fellow signatories have called for, while urgent independent scrutiny addresses the safeguarding, legal access and health concerns.
2. Urgently review age dispute cases transferred from Manston to Tinsley House and other detention facilities and arrange prompt appropriate assessments and maintain safeguards while age is unresolved.
3. Ensure health and safeguarding information travels with each person, trafficking indicators are acted on, and timely independent legal advice is available before any proposed return.
4. Publish disaggregated figures for age disputes, safeguarding referrals, legal access, returns and outcomes along the route, and report progress on the inspection's health and mental health concerns.
5. Stop the detention expansion. Publish a safeguarding and capacity assessment for Manston's current operations and site upgrades, Campsfield's next phase and Haslar's planned opening, including how lessons from the Brook House Inquiry and repeated inspection reports from HMIP and IMB bodies will be acted on before capacity grows.

Notes to editors: The inspection took place 15 June–2 July 2026 and the report was published on 28 September 2026. The approximately month-long periods concern two of five reviewed cases, not all 21. HMIP described Tinsley House overall as reasonably safe and decent while identifying six priority concerns. The joint statement was signed by AVID and organisations in the UK and France; its 28 age-disputed cases should not be treated as a fresh count or combined with HMIP's 21. The Home Office Manston factsheet distinguishes approved plans from current construction. Campsfield is operating; Haslar is planned. The Manston Inquiry is currently ongoing and the actual hearing will be scheduled in new year(2027). AVID is a national network of organisations visiting and supporting people held under immigration powers.

Media contact: Gee Manoharan, Co-Director of Policy and Influencing, enquires@aviddetention.org.uk, 0207 281 0533.

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