CELC is a participant in the Kids in Need of Defense UK project, which partners law firms and their staff, working pro bono, with experienced immigration advisers to provide free advice and representation to children and young people who would otherwise not be able to access the rights that citizenship or secure status provides.
We’re always keen to hear from prospective participants – whether that’s individual lawyers, law firms and pro bono departments, or anyone with an interest in helping with this work.
“Seeing the relief and joy on the faces of the clients when their child’s nationality application was approved shows the difference that pro bono work can make to people’s lives.”
Sophie Levett, IPT Associate, DLA Piper
For lawyers
- Deliver end-to-end casework
- No immigration experience required – our experienced immigration lawyers provide full training and supervision
- Support a diverse range of clients – families of over 40 nationalities and young people from under 5 to 18
- KIND Community – talks from senior lawyers and KIND clients, networking events, workshops and peer support
For law firms
- A unique pro bono opportunity
- Securing life-changing impacts for children, young people and families through a successful partnership
- We ask our partner firms to make a financial contribution to cover the cost of training and supervision
Undocumented children
There are over 215,000 undocumented children living in the UK today. Some undocumented children are British but unable to prove it, many have an entitlement to be registered as British.. Many have lived in the UK all or most of their lives. Others are victims of trafficking or exploitation, or have fled from war. Many have only ever known the UK as their home.
Becoming documented can mean everything to a child or young person. It ends the risk of being torn apart from their family and home, or being deported to a country they do not know. It means they can access work, higher education and all of life’s opportunities freely as they become adults.
For some it means the difference between life and death – many face removal to countries that are not safe, or where they risk exploitation and human rights abuses.
Changing lives though pro bono representation
Undocumented children and young people face many barriers to gaining status in the UK. Cuts to legal aid and local government funding mean that undocumented children and young people find it harder than ever to get the legal help they need as they navigate the complex immigration system. At the same time, we’re seeing an increase in the number of people who need legal advice and representation.
In order to increase our capacity to meet the legal needs of children and young people, we aim to harness the skills and expertise of the UK’s legal community via our pro bono partner programme.
We support pro bono lawyers so that they can take on a case from start to finish. That means that our lawyers help a child, young person or their parent prepare and submit an application for citizenship or permission to reside in the UK.
Our pro bono lawyers are not immigration specialists, which is why we provide training and close supervision throughout the process. Our expert supervising lawyers come to your office so that you can fit your pro bono work around your job.
Kids in Need of Defense UK pro bono partners receive training from an experienced immigration lawyer, legal resources and template documents. Our supervising lawyers are on hand to answer queries, attend client appointments with pro bono lawyers and check work.
“Telephoning Karla to tell her the good news is definitely one of my career highlights. Having endured a tough start to life, she was finally able to plan for her future. It was an incredible privilege to help her on her journey.”
Helena Milner-Smith, Special Counsel at Covington & Burling LLP
Contact KIND to find out more
John Glanville
National Coordinator
john.glanville@centralenglandlc.org.uk
