CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICES
under 60 years must show they are living alone in exceptional compassionate circumstances (Seddon, 2006: 399–406). 9.2 Elderly migrants Older migrants brought in as parents of British citizens and those with settled status under family reunification are not entitled to means-tested benefits or local authority housing for the first five years, unless their sponsors die. The few entering as parents of workers have to wait until the worker obtains indefinite leave to remain. The restrictions on parents often in turn make it very difficult for women in particular to access child care and emotional support, as we shall subsequently discuss. There is also a category of ‘retired persons of independent means’, whereby someone over 60 years with connections to the UK and with an annual disposable income of £25,000 may be admitted (Seddon, 2006: 398). For the better-off this has been an alternative way of bringing in parents but this is now be abolished as part of the proposed changes in immigration and citizenship (UK Border Agency, 2008d). 9.3 Child care Child care raises a different set of issues. Over the last decade, local authority-run and supported services have moved away from a means-tested model for payment, with lower costs for the lower paid, and now rely on the childcare element of working tax credit to subsidise childcare costs for working parents in need, charging a flat (high) rate to all. Migrant workers subject to immigration control cannot claim working families tax credit, however low paid they are, and so are in a position of absolute disadvantage compared to UK or EU workers in the same situation. This is more likely to affect women workers than men and they are further disadvantaged because of their relative isolation from the family networks that might support others and also because of a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate childcare (Kofman and Lukes, 2008; Kofman et al, 2008). While skilled migrants have the right to bring their children into the UK with them, many leave them behind in the initial years in order to gain the maximum earnings. Instead, remittances are sent back to support children and their carers (Kofman and Raghuram, 2008). Local authorities have raised several issues about child protection (Institute of Community Cohesion, 2007). They are concerned that children of migrant workers may be working longer hours than permitted for their age. Some children may also be migrating to work and are exploited or trafficked. Lack of knowledge or understanding of migrant children’s backgrounds may result in inappropriate or ineffective interventions. Other authorities have expressed concern about not being able to give support to parents under Section 17 of the Children Act, for which they believe A8 migrants are 113