Migrant Children's Project Newsletter
August 2018
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If you have used our guidance and resources recently, and want to inform our work for the coming year, please take two minutes to complete our short survey here. We are hiring! MCP is looking for an outreach advisor The Migrant Children’s Project is looking for a qualified advisor, solicitor or barrister to undertake immigration advice work in collaboration with our partner agencies. The role involves providing legal advice and representation to migrant children, young people and families in London through a dedicated outreach programme which runs weekly. More information and details of how to apply will be listed on Coram's main website shortly.
...and a new legal intern!
We are also hiring a legal intern to help with our advice and casework! Funded by The Queen's Trust, we are looking for someone under the age of 25 and seeking a career in promoting and upholding children and young people's rights. The post is fixed term for six months, and will be paid at London Living Wage. Click here for more information and details of how to apply.
Children in care with immigration issues
This month, Coram’s Group Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Kamena Dorling featured on BBC news highlighting the impact of unresolved immigration cases on looked after children and young people. It is crucial that these children receive immigration advice as a matter of priority and that this is considered in any care plan, assessment or pathway plan as a matter of urgency. If advice is not sought, this can have devastating consequences for the child and have a severe impact on their development in the future. For more information on children in care with immigration issues, see our fact sheet here.
Working and volunteering: new fact sheet
We have a new fact sheet on the right to work and volunteer for young refugees and migrants. The fact sheet provides information on those with and without a right to work, demonstrating eligibility to work, volunteering, vocational training and obtaining a National Insurance number. Click here to view the full fact sheet.
For information on access to further education for migrant and refugee young people, see our fact sheet here.
Government plan for granting 'settled status' to EU citizens in the UK misses our vulnerable groups
For the past year, CCLC has been calling for a new system for EU nationals that is child-friendly and allows children to stay in the UK permanently, if they wish to following Brexit. Although we welcome the government’s publication of the settlement scheme Statement of Intent (SoI) and Immigration Rules (Appendix EU), we believe that there are still significant obstacles that many children and families will need to overcome in order to gain status. In particular, children, parents and step-parents who are in the UK because of EU-law but who are not citizens of a European country themselves risk being left with a precarious status through the settlement scheme. There is also ongoing certainty about Zambrano carers and other groups whose right to remain derives from EU law who have not been provided for in the new Appendix EU. For more information, see our briefing here.
For more information on EU legal rights which might currently apply to children and young people or their carers, see our online guidance here.
Legal aid to be granted to separated children prior to LASPO amendment
The government has issued guidance for legal aid caseworkers confirming that those representing unaccompanied and separated children should apply for legal aid funding via the exceptional case funding scheme, prior to the LASPO amendment. This was confirmed following the Ministry of Justice announcement to reinstate legal aid for unaccompanied and separated children with immigration matters last month, which requires the government to amend Schedule 1 of the Legal Aid Sentencing Punishment and Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). The guidance is available here.
For more information on legal aid and access to justice for children, young people and families, see our report: Rights without remedies: legal aid and access to justice for children.
More exciting opportunities for young people!
Let us Learn Summit
Our friends at campaign group Let Us Learn are hosting their very first summit for young people age 16-25 from a migrant background. The summit aims to give young people an opportunity to share their experiences, gain new skills and find more about the campaign. More information about the summit is available here.
Coram’s Young Citizens and National Theatre Project
Are you a young person age 16-25 from a refugee or migrant background, care experienced, a parent or adopted? Coram are running a series of exciting programmes as of September! Click here to find out more.
If you have queries about these or other issues, please contact our advice line at mcpadvice@coramclc.org.uk.
We would like to remind you that you can read our new privacy information here: https://www.childrenslegalcentre.com/privacy-policy/. If you have any questions or concerns about your data, you can contact us on mcp@coramclc.org.uk.
Our upcoming training courses in 2018 Our courses can now be booked online - just visit our Eventbrite page! An introduction to the rights of children and young people in the immigration system
Coram Campus, London Thursday, 11 October 2018, 2pm - 5pm Access to education for migrant children
Coram Campus, London Monday, 17 September 2018, 2pm - 5pm The rights and entitlements of young refugees and migrants Coram Campus, London Thursday, 4 October 2018, 10am - 4:30pm Wednesday, 21 November 2018, 10am - 4:30pm Supporting undocumented and NRPF families
Coram Campus, London Monday, 5 November 2018, 10am - 4:30pm For more information and to book, please see our eventbrite page. To commission in-house training for your organisation, please see our website. New reports and guidance
Legal aid for unaccompanied and separated children
Ministry of Justice, July 2018
Latest news
Home Office attempts to deport families ‘harmful’ to children and ‘often ineffective’, watchdog warns
The Independent, 30 August 2018
Revealed: immigration rules in UK more than double in length
The Guardian, 27 August 2018
Child passport renewal error hits hundreds
BBC, 22 August 2018
Government must protect domestic abuse victims ‘trapped’ due to hostile environment, Sadiq Khan says
The Independent, 15 August 2018
Why young women like me step up as and for migrant women
Step Up Migrant Women, 13 August 2018
Government leaving child refugees stranded in Europe due to ‘failing’ relocation scheme, charities warn
The Independent, 10 August 2018 Refugee Choir aims to sing communities together
Channel 4 News, 10 August 2018
Nine-year-old chess prodigy told he can stay in UK
The Guardian, 10 August 2018
Young people struggle to get UK citizenship due to £1,012 cost
Sky News, 9 August 2018
‘I left my daughter at nursery. I didn’t see her for a month’: how UK splits migrant families
The Observer, 5 August 2018
More than 100 education leaders call on Sajid Javid to cut ‘costly’ child citizenship fees
The Independent, 1 August 2018
How the hostile environment crept into UK schools, hospitals and homes
The Guardian, 1 August 2018 Let us know what you think! Do you use our website, publications or advice line? Your thoughts and feedback help us ensure that we're providing the right information and support. Please take two minutes to complete our short survey. |
