Coram Children's Legal Centre

Coram Children's Legal Centre provides free legal information, advice and representation to children, young people, their families, carers and professionals, as well as international consultancy on child law and children’s rights.

For over 30 years, CCLC has helped thousands of children and young people through telephone advice lines, online information and individual case work. We offer expertise in all areas of family, child and education law, as well as immigration, asylum and nationality law, including:

• Domestic violence
• Child protection
• School admissions

Part of the Coram group of charities, CCLC is staffed by lawyers and professionals with expertise in child, family, education and human rights law.

Latest legal aid proposals

On 9 April 2013 the Ministry of Justice issued a consultation on huge changes to both criminal and civil legal aid. Read CCLC's briefing on the consultation and the potential impacts of the proposed changes on children, young people and families, and CCLC's response to the consultation.

New report: 'Happy Birthday? Disputing the age of children in the immigration system' 

Children who arrive alone in the UK are regularly disbelieved about how old they are and can spend many years without access to education or appropriate support, or end up in unsupervised accommodation with adults or in adult immigration detention centres. The only way to challenge this treatment is to pursue costly and protracted legal proceedings. This new report examines the age assessment process and the practical and emotional impact of age disputes on young people in the immigration system. Read more here. 

Know the Law - School Exclusions

The Children's Commissioner has released a new film aimed at children aged 10 to 16, parents and tecahers regarding school exclusions and the law: 

Latest news

CCLC welcomes the report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights on separated migrant children

12 June 2013: CCLC welcomes the report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights on the human rights of unaccompanied children and young people in the UK. Read more...

CCLC supports parliamentarians' call for an urgent review of the family migration rules

10 June 2013: CCLC welcomes the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Migration into the new family migration rules. Read more...

Lengthy disputes about the age of unaccompanied children are causing significant harm and high costs

17 May 2013: A new report by Coram Children's Legal Centre finds the inadequate system for assessing the age of children who arrive alone in the UK is having a damaging impact on children and is costing local authorities up to hundreds of thousands of pounds in unnecessary legal costs. Read more....

Another Home Office policy concerning children found to be unlawful

8 May 2013: Coram Children’s Legal Centre welcomes a new High Court judgment upholding the rights of children affected by immigration decisions. Read more...