Home Office facts for kids
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 Headquarters at 2 Marsham Street, Westminster |
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| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 27 March 1782 |
| Preceding Department | |
| Jurisdiction | Government of the United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | 2 Marsham Street, London |
| Annual budget | £20.3 billion (2022–2023) |
| Secretary of State responsible | |
| Department executives |
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The Home Office (also called the Home Department) is a very important part of the UK government. Think of it as the main department that helps keep everyone in the country safe and secure.
Its main jobs include looking after public safety, making sure our borders are secure, and handling rules about people coming to and living in the UK. It also deals with passports and keeping official records of births, deaths, and marriages.
Some of the important groups that work with the Home Office are the police in England and Wales, the Border Force (who protect our borders), and the Security Service (MI5) (who help keep the country safe from serious threats). The Home Office also creates rules about certain substances and works to prevent serious threats to the country.
The person in charge of the Home Office is called the Home Secretary. This is a very important job in the government. Since September 2025, Shabana Mahmood has been the Home Secretary. A senior civil servant helps manage the department every day.
Contents
The Home Office: A Look Back in Time
How the Home Office Began
The Home Office started a long time ago, on 27 March 1782. Before that, it was called the Southern Department. On the same day, another department, the Northern Department, became the Foreign Office.
When these names changed, their jobs also changed. The Home Office took on all the tasks related to things happening inside the UK. This included looking after the country's safety and its people. The Foreign Office, on the other hand, started dealing with all matters outside the UK.
Over the years, many other government departments that deal with things inside the UK were created from parts of the Home Office.
What the Home Office Did at First
When it first started, the Home Office had several important jobs:
- Helping the King with important decisions and official documents.
- Giving instructions to officials about law and order.
- Running a secret service to protect the country.
- Keeping people safe and protecting their rights.
- Dealing with matters in the British colonies.
Over many years, the jobs of the Home Office have changed a lot. Some tasks were moved to other departments, and new responsibilities were added. For example, it started looking after prisons in 1823 and police services in 1829. Later, it took on things like rules about dangerous substances and firearms.
How the Home Office is Organized
The Home Office is led by the Home Secretary. A top civil servant, called the permanent secretary, helps them manage everything.
Teams That Keep Us Safe
The Home Office has different teams, called directorates, that focus on specific jobs:
Managing Borders and Immigration
- Border Force: This team works at airports and ports to control who comes into the UK.
- HM Passport Office: They are in charge of issuing passports and keeping records of births, deaths, and marriages in England and Wales.
- Immigration Enforcement: This team makes sure that immigration rules are followed within the UK.
- UK Visas and Immigration: They handle applications for visas (permission to enter or stay), asylum (protection for people in danger), and citizenship.
- Migration and Borders Group: This team creates the rules and policies about immigration.
Public Safety and Policing
- Public Safety Group: This team deals with important areas like fire services, policing, and finding ways to reduce crime.
- Homeland Security Group: This group works with police and intelligence services to keep the UK safe from serious threats and organized criminal groups.
Other Important Teams
- Corporate and Delivery: This team handles the day-to-day running of the department, like managing staff, projects, and technology.
- Communications Directorate: They share information with the public about the Home Office's work.
- STARS (Science, Technology, Analysis, Research, and Strategy): This team uses data and research to help the Home Office work as effectively as possible.
Other Groups Working with the Home Office
The Home Office also works with many other important groups. These include:
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS): This service helps make sure people working with children and vulnerable adults are safe.
- Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC): This group looks into complaints about the police to make sure they act fairly.
- Security Service (MI5): This is the UK's domestic intelligence agency, working to protect the country from serious threats.
How Much Money the Home Office Uses
In the financial year 2022–2023, the Home Office had a total budget of £20.3 billion to do all its important work.
Meet the Home Office Leaders
The Home Office has several ministers who help the Home Secretary. Each minister has specific areas they are responsible for:
- Shabana Mahmood (the Home Secretary): She has overall responsibility for everything the Home Office does. She oversees the whole team and important national security matters.
- Dan Jarvis: He is the Minister of State for Security. He focuses on preventing serious threats, cybercrime, and organized crime.
- Dame Angela Eagle: As Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, she handles border security, asylum policies, and stopping people from being brought into the country illegally.
- Seema Malhotra: She is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Citizenship. Her work includes legal migration rules, visas, passports, and border operations.
- Dame Diana Johnson: As Minister of State for Policing and Crime Prevention, she works on policing standards, neighborhood policing, and reducing crime.
- David Hanson, Baron Hanson of Flint: He is a Minister of State for the Home Department, dealing with fraud, the department's finances, and other important matters.
- Jess Phillips: She is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls. Her role involves protecting vulnerable people and tackling serious violent crime.
What the Home Office Aims to Do
The Home Office works hard to achieve several important goals to keep the UK safe and fair. These include:
- Supporting the Police: Helping the police work better and more efficiently to reduce crime and anti-social behavior. This involves making sure the police are accountable to the public.
- Securing Our Borders: Making sure the UK's borders are safe and managing who comes into the country. This includes processing applications for people who want to live or visit here.
- Protecting Freedoms: Ensuring that people's rights and freedoms are protected without too much government interference.
- Keeping Safe from Serious Threats: Working to protect everyone in the UK from serious threats, like terrorism.
- Promoting Fairness: Helping to create a fair and equal society for everyone.
Important Programs
The Home Office supports several key programs, such as:
- The Metropolitan Police Service: This is the main police force for London.
- CONTEST: This is a strategy to help prevent serious threats and protect the public. It involves stopping people from becoming radicalized, catching suspects, making places secure, and preparing for emergencies.
- Fixated Threat Assessment Centre: This unit helps manage risks to important public figures from individuals who might pose a threat.
Where the Home Office is Located
The Home Office has moved its main offices several times over the years.
For a long time, until 1978, it was in a building on King Charles Street in London. Then, from 1978 to 2004, its main office was at 50 Queen Anne's Gate in Westminster. This building was known for its strong, modern style. However, many other Home Office teams were located in different parts of London and the UK, like the immigration headquarters in Croydon.
In 2005, the Home Office moved to its current main building at 2 Marsham Street in Westminster, London. This is a modern building designed by Sir Terry Farrell.
Sometimes, in TV shows like Spooks, you might see a different building used as the "Home Office" for filming, to make it look a bit older.
Science and Technology for Safety
The Home Office also supports scientific research to help keep the country safe. This research helps police and security services in many ways:
- Biometrics: Studying ways to identify people using unique features like faces and voices.
- Forensic Science: Developing new methods to find fingerprints, analyze DNA, and understand different types of cells (like hair or skin) found at crime scenes.
- Detection Technology: Creating better ways to detect dangerous substances or explosives, for example, with advanced scanning technologies.
- Data Analysis: Using science to understand information better, which helps in preventing crime and supporting efforts against serious threats.
Working Across the UK
The UK has different governments for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This means that some of the Home Office's responsibilities are handled differently in these parts of the country. This is called "devolution."
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, the local government handles many things like policing and public safety. However, the Home Office in Westminster still deals with:
- Rules about people coming to and living in the UK.
- Sending people to other countries for legal reasons.
- The National Crime Agency, which tackles serious crime.
Scotland
Similarly, in Scotland, the Scottish Government manages many justice and home affairs policies. But the Home Office still handles:
- Most laws about firearms.
- Rules about people coming to and living in the UK.
- Scientific procedures involving animals.
Wales
In Wales, the Home Office in Westminster is responsible for:
- Policing.
- Rules about people coming to and living in the UK.
- National security and preventing serious threats.
- Laws about firearms
See also
In Spanish: Ministerio del Interior (Reino Unido) para niños
- Home Secretary
- Law enforcement in the United Kingdom
