The Home Office is set to unveil plans to take the children of asylum seekers into care as part of efforts make their parents return home.

When a parent loses their claim for asylum they will be offered a paid flight back to their country of origin or face having their benefits removed and their children taken into care.

The legislation is estimated to affect around 2,000 people.

"The policy is not designed to make families destitute and we do not believe many, if any, people would put their children in this position," said a Home Office spokesman.

"It is designed as an incentive for people to return voluntarily before removal is enforced. In rare cases where it is necessary to end support we would not want children to be made destitute as a result of the actions of their parents so provision would be made to take them into care."