Considering the best interests of asylum-seeking children in the National Transfer Scheme

A recent report from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration looked at the Home Office’s handling of unaccompanied children seeking asylum, and gave particular focus to how the best interests of those children are upheld when they are transferred from one local authority area to another under the National Transfer Scheme (NTS). The…



Studying and immigration bail

We have published an information page on studying, ‘no study’ conditions and immigration bail. In January 2018, changes were made to the law regarding immigration bail. Anyone without leave to remain to enter will be subject to immigration bail. This includes asylum seekers, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, undocumented children and young people and care leavers without…


Child trafficking and ‘county lines’ – new guide from the Youth Justice Legal Centre

CCLC recently collaborated with the Youth Justice Legal Centre (‘YJLC’) and others on a guide about  ‘county lines’ and trafficking. This new YJLC guide is intended to give criminal lawyers and professionals information about county lines gangs, child trafficking & modern slavery defences for children. County lines, trafficking & child criminal exploitation (CCE) County lines is “the…



Safeguarding unaccompanied children

Exactly one year after it was promised by the then ministers for immigration and children, the government published its safeguarding strategy for unaccompanied children on 1 November. The strategy’s introductory and welcome message is that refugee and migrant children are children first and foremost, and must not be defined by their immigration status. It makes…



What will Brexit mean for children?

What is the government’s current position and what is it proposing for the status of European children after the UK finally leaves the EU? Following the vote to leave the EU in June 2016, European citizens were left in limbo about their status in the UK, as were British citizens living abroad. Of the three…



New website for the Refugee Children’s Consortium

The RCC began as, and remains, a lobbying group that brings together organisations with expertise in refugee and/or children’s issues. Together we contribute to the debate on how refugee and migrant children’s rights can best be protected in an increasingly hostile environment.


Home Office ‘deport first, appeal later’ policy ruled unlawful

Today the Supreme Court ruled that the Home Office policy of ‘deport first, appeal later’ was unlawful. This is of particular importance in light of the recent extension of out-of-country appeals to all human rights applications. Under the Immigration Bill 2016, the Secretary of State gained the power to certify the claim of someone appealing…