Event Saturday 23 September 2023 1:30pm – 5pm Ulster University, York Street, Belfast
To book, email claire@childrenslawcentre.org
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva recently told the Government that it needs to do more to make sure all children and young people enjoy their rights and achieve their full potential. The UK Government has to listen to the Committee’s advice because it signed up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991.
The Committee’s advice to the UK Government (including the NI Assembly) was influenced by the views and experiences of over 1000 children and young people in Northern Ireland. This included a delegation of children and young people from Northern Ireland who met with the Committee directly in Geneva.
Seven leading organisations have organised an event for children and young people to discuss and learn more about the recent concluding observations and recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
The event will also give children and young people a chance to question a panel of people in key roles who are responsible for making decisions that impact on children and young people’s lives.
If you, or any of the children and young people you work with, are interested in attending the event, or you would like more information on the event details, please contact claire@childrenslawcentre.org
The Children’s Law Centre has joined calls for children to be given a voice as part of an inquiry into Covid.
The letter was published by Save the Children, Just for Kids Law and the Children’s Rights Alliance England. It was signed by over 40 leading children’s experts.
The letter calls for four commitments from the Chairperson of the inquiry. This includes publicly committing to hear directly from children about their experiences during the pandemic. In particular, this should include disadvantaged children who suffered disproportionately.
Full text of the letter reads:
‘EVERY STORY MATTERS’
To the Chair of the Inquiry,
We are writing as representatives of organisations which supported children, young people and families throughout the Covid-19 pandemic or advocated for their rights and academics specialising in this field. We believe that the Covid-19 inquiry must listen to the experiences of children and young people, so that through the Inquiry we are able to learn about how to prioritise children’s rights and wellbeing in future crises. We know that you are personally committed to this, as you have repeatedly stated in the Inquiry’s hearings so far.
The past few weeks have seen both the first public hearings in the Inquiry’s first Module and the launch of Every Story Matters (ESM). We are writing to express our increasing and ongoing concern about the absence of a clear and public strategy and approach for listening to children and young people, especially those who experience inequalities or discrimination. In order to address these concerns, we make some specific recommendations which draw on our collective experience in working with children and young people in ways which are empowering, safe, trauma-informed and can lead to lasting, positive change.
The recent advertising campaign for Every Story Matters (ESM), and the accompanying website emphasises that all stories are important, and al I stories should be told by those who wish to tell them.
But not children’s stories.
Just for Kids Law, the Children’s Rights Alliance for England and Save the Children have been repeatedly raising their concerns about the participation of children for the past nine months in their role as Core Participants in the Inquiry.
Despite this, and months of planning, ESM has been launched without a plan for how to involve children. Neither the website nor the advertising campaign makes any mention that this is an adult only activity. It is only when children attempt to fill in the webform that they will be met by this message:
“You must be aged 18 or over to use this form. The Inquiry is aware of the importance of understanding the experience of young people during the pandemic. The Inquiry is currently designing an effective way of engaging with children and young people and will provide updates on our website and social media.”
There is no direction or explanation of what a child reading this is then supposed to do with their experience. Children are nearly a quarter of the population. This is not a nationwide listening exercise without them.
Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer between 2010-2019, has given evidence to you during Module 1’s public hearings, about the damage she has personally witnessed to children as a result of lockdown and the closure of schools 1:
“We have damaged a generation and it is awful[. … }, watching these young people struggle; and I know in the pre-school they haven’t learned how to socialise and play properly, they haven’t learned how to read at school. We must have plans for those.”
In this Inquiry you will be considering those plans that Dame Sally referred to, and how we protect future generations of children from suffering a repeat of the damage that was inflicted on our children when the next pandemic happens. You will need to hear stories from children to fully understand that damage, socially, mentally and academically and to hear what they have lost. You will also need to hear about their positive experiences, the examples of effective interventions and what we can learn from what worked well for children. You have made a commitment to put inequalities at the heart of the Inquiry and children who also experience inequalities and discrimination in addition to being a child, may be the most difficult to reach, but are also the most important to hear from.
We write now to call on you to make four public commitments:
First, in line with your commitment that the Inquiry will focus on inequalities, that you make a commitment to hear from children, and in particular from those who have suffered the most, that is those who come from disadvantaged background or experience other inequalities or discrimination.
Second, that the exercise is carried out in a manner that is appropriate, child-focused and trauma- informed, taking into account best practice for children’s participation. To this end the exercise should be carried out by an expert partnership with academic participatory research expertise, together with a support partner able to offer trauma-informed care, together with local community organisations with roots and credibility in particular communities which experience inequalities and discrimination.
Third, that the Inquiry set out the clear purpose of this exercise with a commitment that the findings from this research will directly inform the scope of the children’s module. The Inquiry should publicly set out how children’s voices have influenced lines of inquiry once the research has been conducted.
Finally, there needs to a be a published update on the Inquiry’s website as to how and when the Inquiry will listen to children.
Quite simply all of those under 18 who wish to participate in the Covid-19 inquiry are entitled to know when and how their stories will be heard. We ask that you tell them.
SIGNED:
Dan Paskins, Director of UK Impact, Save the Children Fund
Louise King, Director, Children’s Rights Alliance for England, part of Just for Kids Law
Saqib Deshmukh, Interim Chief Executive, Alliance for Youth Justice
Emma Rigby, CEO, Association for Young People’s Health
Joseph Howes, CEO, Buttle UK
John Galloway, Member, The Campaign for State Education (CASE)
Professor Cath Larkins, Co-Director, The Centre for Children and Young People’s Participation, University of Central Lancashire
Professor Tony Bertram, Director, Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC)
Professor Chris Pascal, Director, Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC)
Amy Whitelock Gibbs, Chair, The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition
Kathy Evans, Chief Executive, Children England
Dr Judith Turbyne, Chief Executive, Children in Scotland
Paddy Kelly, Director, Children’s Law Centre
Stephen Kingdom, Campaign Manager, Disabled Children’s Partnership
Melian Mansfield, Chair, Early Childhood Forum
Patricia Durr, CEO, ECPAT UK
Sarah Thomas, CEO, The Fostering Network
Sereena Keymatlian, Director, Haringey Play Association
Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive, The Howard League for Penal Reform
Ali Fiddy, CEO, IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice)
Katie Fennell, National Coordinator, KIND UK
Fiona Sutherland, Director, London Play
Silvia Hurtado, Director, The Markfield Project
Anna Skehan, Supervising Solicitor and Legal Practice Lead, MiCLU (Migrant and Refugee Children’s Legal Unit) Islington Law Centre
Dr Nick Owen, MBE, CEO, The Mighty Creatives
Anna Feuchtwang , Chief Executive, National Children’s Bureau (NCB)
Phil Kerry, CEO, New Horizons Youth Centre
Zahra Bei, Co-Founder, No More Exclusions
Sir Peter Wanless, CEO, NSPCC
Rita Waters, Group Chief Executive (England and Wales), NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service)
Moira Sinclair, Chief Executive, Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Ingrid Skeels and Alice Ferguson, Co-Directors, Playing Out
Julie Randles, CEO, Power2
Bill Badham, Co-Director, Practical Participation
Sherry Peck, CEO, Safer London
Dr Caron Carter, Senior Lecturer in Childhood & Early Childhood Education & Postgraduate Research Tutor in Education, Sheffield Hallam University
Professor Alison Clark, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Yvonne MacNamara, CEO, The Traveller Movement
Claire O’Meara, Director of Advocacy, The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK)
Helen Lomax, Professor of Childhood, University of Huddersfield
Arabella Skinner, Director, Us for Them
Professor Jacqueline Barnes, Chair, What About The Children?
Children’s Law Centre issues pre-action letter to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Office and the Department of Finance
The Children’s Law Centre has written to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, outlining failures in the budget setting process for the year 2023/24. The letter states that the Secretary of State has failed in his responsibility to apply the principle of equality, including assessing whether the cumulative impact of the budget cuts is disproportionately affecting disadvantaged children, including disabled children.
The Children’s Law Centre had previously written to the Secretary of State, in a letter endorsed by over 200 organisations and leading individuals, stating that his budget will cause active harm to children and young people. The latest correspondence requests that several meaningful steps are taken to address equality and human rights concerns which impact on children. If these steps are not taken, the Children’s Law Centre believes it will regrettably be left with no alternative but to bring legal proceedings.
Fergal McFerran, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Children’s Law Centre, said:
“In the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive and a functioning Assembly, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, has ultimate responsibility to apply the principle of equality when setting the budget. This includes assessing the cumulative impact his budget will have on protected groups in our society such as children in need, children with special educational needs and disabilities, and children living in poverty.
“From our engagement with the Secretary of State and the Northern Ireland Office, we see no evidence that Chris Heaton-Harris has carried out his legal obligations. In fact, it is our view that he has utterly failed to do so. We fear the cumulative impact his budget will have on children and young people will be severe, particularly those most disadvantaged. We already see this in our everyday work.
“The Children’s Law Centre, the wider voluntary and community sector and even the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child have repeatedly called on the Secretary of State to rethink his budget and protect children from harm. Unfortunately, concerns about the cumulative impact of the budget on the most vulnerable and the Secretary of State’s apparent failure to ensure equality appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
“If the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland fails to take meaningful steps to assess how to protect children from the cumulative effects of the budget cuts, we will be left with no reasonable alternative other than to seek leave to apply to the High Court in Belfast for judicial review. Indeed, as an organisation set up to advance the rights of children, it would regrettably be the only course of action left to us.”
Concluding observations include wide range of recommendations including a call to scrap the NI budget and start again
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child produced concluding observations following examination of the UK government and devolved regions.
The Children’s Law Centre has said the scale of non-compliance with human rights obligations is alarming and called for immediate action to implement the recommendations.
Fergal McFerran, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the Children’s Law Centre said:
“This is a damning set of recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. It reflects the grim picture facing children and young people in this jurisdiction today. The gap in children’s rights has grown significantly over the last decade and children and young people are suffering every day because of it, whether that’s facing discrimination, failure to access services or simply not being allowed to have a say on decisions affecting them.
“We now need to see swift action to address the many failings identified throughout the examination process. There can be no excuses or delay. The scale of non-compliance with human rights obligations is alarming.
“Some major recommendations like raising the age of criminal responsibility, legislation to protect under 18s from age discrimination, and the introduction of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland have been outstanding for years and have now been included in successive concluding observations. Other recommendations like scrapping the Northern Ireland budget, ending PSNI strip-searches of children and ending the use of contingency accommodation for asylum seeking children are new and add to a growing list of children’s rights breaches.
“Children and young people are being seriously failed. The gap in children’s rights has dramatically increased over the last decade due to the lack of action. The situation has become even worse due to the attacks on human rights by the UK government, the collapse of local decision making, the impact of Brexit and the failure to properly resource services.”
Fergal McFerran continued:
“We carried out an extensive piece of work with sector experts and children and young people themselves to identify the issues in this jurisdiction. We’re reassured that the Committee has reflected that work in their recommendations. We thank them, and in particular their UK taskforce, for their diligent work.
“We would also like to thank everyone who took part in the research, including NGOs, Dr Deena Haydon, Jerome Finnegan from Save the Children and of course the children and young people who either told us their views or presented to Committee members themselves. Their work has had a direct impact on the outcome of the reporting process.
“We now owe it to them all to see major change.”
The Concluding Observations contains a wide range of recommendations. Other key recommendations cover issues such as the right to withdraw from religious worship in schools, relationship and sexuality education, restraint and seclusion, abortion, stop and search, plastic bullets, protecting children from paramilitaries, and ending the hostile environment for refugee and asylum seekers.
The Children’s Law Centre led the Northern Ireland NGO sector in reporting to the UN Committee, including the submission of three major reports and leading two delegations of experts and young people to present evidence to Committee members.
The Centre will now work to ensure the recommendations are implemented by those responsible.
A new independent review of special educational needs services conducted by Ipsos has found that, under the current system and processes, early intervention for children is almost impossible.
The report highlights the need for urgent reform. It builds on a number of critical reports and provides recommendations to improve support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The Children’s Law Centre (CLC) has welcomed the report and called for urgent action, and the necessary ringfenced funding, to ensure meaningful changes are made to provide earlier and more effective support.
Rachel Hogan, SEND expert at the Children’s Law Centre, said:
“This is a welcome report that highlights a number of failures already well known to those who work with children with special educational needs and disabilities. We have been raising these issues for many years and at CLC we see the negative impact on children in our daily work.
“This is the latest in a number of damning reports highlighting the many failures to enable equality of access to education for children with SEND and offering solutions to fix this broken system. We now need urgent action.
“Interventions must come earlier and the obstacles to securing support must be removed. Interventions should be focused on outcomes for the child, rather than internal process-focused outcomes. Those who work with children should be better trained on how to identify and provide special educational support, with all children’s services co-operating to put support around the child, with schools becoming more accessible and inclusive educational spaces.
“The report also highlights the urgent need for investing in reform. The Children’s Law Centre, along with 200 organisations and individuals, recently wrote to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, to raise concerns around cuts to children’s services. Playing politics with our children’s futures and failing to properly invest in stabilising and reforming SEND services will not only continue to harm children but it will strip our economy of valuable financial resources and a properly educated workforce in the long-term.”
Children’s Law Centre Service during Covid-19 Health crisis
We are not receiving post at present, all communication to be sent by email.
As a result of the current health crisis, and in accordance with government advice, all Children’s Law Centre staff are now working from home. We will continue to deliver services to the best of our ability and within ongoing restrictions.
What about Children’s Human Rights during the COVID-19 Pandemic?
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child recently set out that “…restrictions must be imposed only when necessary, be proportionate and kept to an absolute minimum” and that “States should respect the right of every child to non-discrimination in its measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic as well as take targeted measures to protect children in vulnerable situations…States should ensure that responses to the pandemic, including restrictions and decisions on allocation of resources, reflect the principle of the best interests of the child.”
For answers to your legal FAQs on how COVID-19 impacts on children’s rights click here>>>
Brief note on children and the Mental Capacity Act (NI) 2016 and temporary changes to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards during COVID-19 emergency, click here>>>
If you are concerned about how COVID-19 may impact on children’s enjoyment of their legal rights and you require further legal advice please email: info@childrenslawcentre.org
You may contact individual Children’s Law Centre staff via email. Please initially contact Sarah McAuley on reception@childrenslawcentre.org
If you have already been in contact with a member of staff please contact the relevant member of staff directly.
Email addresses for Children’s Law Centre staff are below:
reception@childrenslawcentre.org
sarahmcauley@childrenslawcentre.org
barbaramuldoon@childrenslawcentre.org
catherine@childrenslawcentre.org
claire@childrenslawcentre.org
dianehammond@childrenslawcentre.org
eamonnmcnally@childrenslawcentre.org
samnelson@childrenslawcentre.org
emmaroseduffy@childrenslawcentre.org
helenrafferty@childrenslawcentre.org
kathrynstevenson@childrenslawcentre.org
liammackle@childrenslawcentre.org
mariamccloskey@childrenslawcentre.org
paddykelly@childrenslawcentre.org
rachelhogan@childrenslawcentre.org
Sinead@childrenslawcentre.org
If you wish to contact our legal advice service you may continue to do so by emailing: info@childrenslawcentre.org
Please note that CHALKY our Free Phone Advice Line has been suspended until further notice.
We will continue to monitor government advice and hope to be able to return to a full service as soon as it is safe to do so.
Please stay safe and well.
Children’s Law Centre Management Committee and Staff
This includes requiring each country, every five years or so, to make a report on their progress to an international committee of experts on children’s rights (this is called: ‘The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child’). This Committee will then visit those countries to check if they are doing what they should be for children and let them know where they need to improve.
People should think about ways to make sure everyone knows about the Convention, regardless of their age. There should be training around how to do this, especially for those who work with children and young people.
Countries are free to give children and young people more rights than the Convention lists; they just can’t take away the rights that are given by it.
the government should always try to make sure that your rights:
are realised in practice
actively help you to live a safer and happier life
It also means that the government should take steps so that you and the adults who work with children and young people all know about the UNCRC.
The age of criminal responsibility in Northern Ireland is 10, however the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child say that this is too low and have asked our government to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years old.
The government must do all that they can to protect you and look for your family so they can reunite you. If your family cannot be found, the government must provide you with the same support and protection as any other child that has been separated from their family.
This includes being taken from where you live against your will and forced to live somewhere else.
It is your right to learn and practice your language, customs and religion. The government must do all that they can to support you and make sure you do not face unfair treatment or discrimination as a result of this.
Our government should make sure you can participate in fun activities you like e.g. places to meet and socialise with friends, sports, youth clubs and cinemas. You should also have opportunities to enjoy cultural life and customs for instance taking part in special events and activities.
The government should;
Make sure primary education is compulsory and free
Develop different types of secondary education, for example vocational training, and offer accessible guidance to all young people on their options
Offer financial support for young people who cannot afford further education
Work to reduce dropout rates from school
Make sure all school disciplines are appropriate, for example teachers should not use violence or harm children or young people
Your education should:
Respect human rights and freedoms
Respect the environment
Respect your family, identity, language, your values and the values of communities different than your own
Prepare you for life when you leave school for example understanding, peace, tolerance, equality and friendship with people of all backgrounds
The government should help your parents/guardians to provide for you. This includes supporting you, or a parent/guardian on your behalf, to make a claim for social security benefits, offering support and training, clothing, food and housing.
This support and training should also include teaching you about the effects of drug use and the government should protect you from any harm you might suffer if your parents/guardians are using drugs.
You have the right to clean water and nutritious food so that you can stay healthy. You should also be taught about nutrition, hygiene and how to keep yourself safe.
The government should make sure you have access to education, training, health care services, rehabilitation service, preparation for employment and recreation opportunities necessary for your development, especially if you have a disability.
The government should do as much as they can to make sure you grow up happy, healthy and safe.
This includes providing you with child-care or other arrangements if your parents/guardians are working.
If you are living in conflict, it may be in your best interests to place you in a different country.
Your other rights must still be met, for example keeping in contact with your parents where it is safe to do so.
Some examples of being in the care of the government are when you are living in;
care homes
foster care
hospitals
residential schools
boarding schools
prisons
detention centres
rehabilitation centres
If it has been decided that the best option for you is alternative care (e.g. foster care, a children’s home or being adopted),
there should be independent checks to make sure that your rights are respected.
You have the right to keep in contact with your family if they are living in a different country, and to leave your country to live with your family, where possible.
Applications to reunite a family involving children can be made by children who are outside the UK,
to join their parent(s) with leave to remain in the UK, subject to meeting requirements set out in the Immigration Rules.
Being kidnapped also includes being taken from where you live against your will and forced to live somewhere else, e.g. being sent to a different country against your will.
The government must understand that your parents and family are important people in your life.
The government must also see that, generally, as you get older and more mature you should have even more say in these types of decisions.
For example;
If your parent is in prison you have a right to visit them if you want to, so long as this is in your best interests.
If you are in care, your parents may still be involved in decisions affecting your life. They should be helped to do this in a way that respects your rights and is in your best interests.
This includes help for survivors of:
violence
sexual violence
neglect
exploitation of any kind
abuse
torture
armed conflict
trafficking
This also applies to young people who are suspected of having breached immigration laws, such as asylum seekers and refugees.
You should be protected from anyone doing anything to your body that you do not want them to do, this includes physical punishment in school or for someone to touch you, to take inappropriate pictures of you, or to use images of you in a negative or inappropriate way.
Some types of harm include physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation. There are also traditional practices in some cultures which can cause harm to children, such as forced marriage, food restrictions, scarring/branding and other body modifications.
The government must help to make sure that people are never violent or harmful towards you and they should take steps to prevent you from harming yourself in any way.
You are free to join a peaceful protest about issues you feel strongly about e.g. climate change and your privacy should be respected when doing this, but you don’t have a right to meet others for unlawful purposes e.g. to cause harm to other people.
Some young people living in places like residential homes, juvenile justice centres or hospitals, may find it difficult to have their own space. Regardless of where you are living, you have a right to privacy.
Everyone should have access to the media and the internet, including young people whose freedoms are limited e.g. those in the Juvenile Justice Centre. Young people with a disability or where English is not their first language should get the help they need to access the media. You should be protected from harmful media for example material that shows graphic violence.
You can express yourself in different ways such as talking out loud or posting things on the internet. Your parents/guardians can guide you in this but as you get older and more mature, your ability to hold beliefs that are different from others must be respected.
For example, if your religion/beliefs are different from other students at your school, your teachers should make sure you have the chance to practice your religion and customs during school hours, if you want to. You should be able to follow your own beliefs as long as these beliefs respect and don’t cause harm to others e.g. you don’t have the right to reveal private information or say harmful things about a person that are not true.
Your identity is made up of many different parts, including:
Your name and nationality
Your race, culture, religion and language
Your appearance, abilities, gender identity and sexual orientation
The government should not interfere with your right to any of these and they should be able to help if any of these things are taken away from you.
For example;
Children in care – This means that your name should not be changed, unless you want it to be.
Stateless children – being stateless can affect whether you can go to school or to the hospital. The government should not have any laws that discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion or gender to cause statelessness.
If you are in care you have a right to have a say in where you are going to live. If you are in a hospital you have a right to have a say when there are different treatment options available to you. As you get older and more mature you should have even more say in these types of decisions.
The government should do as much as they can to make sure you grow up happy, healthy and safe.
This means all adults, like your parents/guardians, teachers, social workers, doctors and the police. When adults make decisions that will affect your life they must always think about what’s best for you and make sure you have a say in these decisions, where possible.
Discrimination can be direct or indirect. For example;
Direct: If someone did not get a job because they had a disability or a different skin colour.
Indirect: If everyone had to climb up a flight of stairs to get to an after-school club, this would discriminate against children who couldn’t do that because of a physical disability.
Training
Training
Due to the current Covid 19 Public Health Emergency all CLC’s face to face Training Calendar Events are postponed until further notice. We are hoping to offer online training seminars in the near future. Dates for online events and booking details will be posted to this page in due course…
The provision of training and information events are integral to the work of the Children’s Law Centre. All training delivered by CLC is directly informed by legal, policy and legislative developments relevant to children and young people and is underpinned by the key principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by the UK Government in 1991:
Article 2 – Non discrimination
Article 3 – Best Interests of the Child
Article 12 – Voice of the Child
CLC training aims to support all stakeholders in making children’s rights a reality in this jurisdiction by:
Raising awareness and understanding of children’s rights
Promoting the protection and mainstreaming of children’s rights
Links to online booking feature for future use?
Youth Participation and Advocacy
Youth Participation and Advocacy Project
The work of the Children’s Law Centre is guided and informed by the views of children and young people, particularly youth@CLC, our youth advisory panel.
Youth@CLC work closely with our Youth Participation and Advocacy Worker and other youth forums/young people in schools to raise awareness of children’s rights issues in Northern Ireland and advocate for positive change in children’s lives using children’s rights.
Youth@CLC inform our work and government policy affecting children through:
Participation in consultation responses
Running children’s rights projects and campaigns
Policy Work
Policy Work in CLC
CLC’s policy work ensures that where proposed governmental policies or legislation will impact on children and young people, government is reminded of its obligations to deliver on children’s rights as it is set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Some of the policy work we do includes:
Making consultation responses
Providing policy briefings to decision makers, partner organisations, children and young people and the general public
Delivering policy training
Making written and oral submissions to NI Assembly Committees
Carrying out consultations with children and young people and representing the views of children and young people to government
Legal Services
Our values
Our legal services are child focussed and the child is always our client.
We ensure that public authorities, tribunals and courts recognise children as rights holders with the right to express their views and have those views taken into account.
We strive to ensure that when decisions are being made that impact on the lives of children we represent…
The voice of the child is always heard ,
The child’s best interests are at the heart of decision-making
All children have equality of access to their legal rights, regardless of their age, background or circumstances
Chalky – Free phone Advice Line 0808 808 5678…(phone and email icon and address)
Our CHALKY legal advice and information service was launched in May 2000. We provide a free child friendly legal advice and information service, which deals with over 2000 issues annually. Our service provides free advice by phone or email to children and young people, their parents/carers and professionals with legal queries relating to difficulties in school, access to services for disabled children, special educational needs, mental health service provision, homelessness, family law issues and other general legal queries.
We can provide advice on children’s rights relating to the following areas:
Family Law
Being Looked After
Youth Justice
Mental Health Law
Access to Medical Services
Access to Family Support Services
School Admissions
Suspensions and Expulsions
Special Educational Needs
Social Security Benefits
Employment
Leaving home
The Human Rights Act
Equality and Discrimination
Housing
Immigration
Do you know you Rights series link here
Free Legal Representation for Children and Young People
We also provide free legal representation, particularly at SENDIST and Mental Health Review Tribunals and undertake strategic litigation following the criteria contained within our Casework Policy.(link to)
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New Digital Information and Advice Service for Children and Young People only (under 18)– Live Now!
Ree Rights Responder and Live Chat
Young people (aged 13 – 17) who would prefer to access information on their rights online can access our Children’s Rights chatbot REE- Rights Responder, which also offers a connection to an online legal advisor through REE live Chat for those young people who may need additional information and advice on their rights. See Ask an Expert in Youth Section for more information on REE.
