Helping children navigate the legal system in the United Kingdom

KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) works in the UK to strengthen the rights and protection of children and young people in need of immigration support.

We work with law firms and corporate legal partners to provide free, independent legal advice and representation to those who need it most. We work to ensure that children and young people’s rights are protected so they can move, settle securely and thrive in the UK.

KIND works with five expert not-for-profit organisations to protect children across the UK – Central England Law Centre, Coram Children’s Legal Centre, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, JustRight Scotland, and the Migrant and Refugee Children’s Legal Unit at Islington Law Centre.

KIND’s partners in the UK currently work on two types of cases only for children and young people aged up to 25 (see below for more detail on services offered):

  1. Applications for British citizenship
  2. Applications for leave to remain in the UK

Together, we work on around 500 cases year and have consistently achieved a 98% success rate in cases with an outcome. In the last year, almost 1,000 lawyers from law firms and corporate legal partners worked on KIND cases across the UK.

Get Help

KIND’s partners provide free legal advice and representation to children and young people. Here’s how to access their services:

Cases accepted:

  1. Applications for British citizenship for children
  2. Applications for leave to remain in the UK for children

Area covered: Midlands, South and Mid Wales, and London only.

How to access their service: More information and referral form here (also for Migrant and Refugee Children’s Legal Unit at Islington Law Centre): https://www.centralenglandlc.org.uk/child-citizenship-project

Cases accepted:

  1. Applications for British citizenship for children

Area covered: London, the South, West and East of England (as well as other areas of the UK if they have helped you or your family before)

How to access their service: Please fill out their referral form here 

More information: Children’s Pro Bono Service – Coram Children’s Legal Centre

Cases accepted:

  1. Applications for British citizenship for children

Area covered: North of England only

How to access their service: More information and Children and Young People’s referral form here

Cases accepted:

  1. Applications for British citizenship for children
  2. Applications for leave to remain in the UK for children

Area covered: Scotland only

How to access their service: More information and referral form here: https://www.justrightscotland.org.uk/need-help/make-a-referral/

Cases accepted:

  1. Applications for British citizenship for children
  2. Applications for leave to remain in the UK for children

Area covered: London only

How to access their service: More information and referral form here (also for Central England Law Centre): https://www.centralenglandlc.org.uk/child-citizenship-project

All services provided by KIND’s partners in the UK are:

Free: the legal advice and representation provided is completely free. Our partners work with lawyers and law firms to provide the best quality legal advice and representation for free to those who need it. They are unable to cover Home Office fees or additional costs such as medical reports, although they may be able to refer you to sources of help with these costs.

Confidential: our partners will never share your information with the Home Office or anyone else unless you have given your permission or it is required by law

Changing lives though pro bono representation

Partner with KIND in the UK

KIND provides free legal advice and representation to children and young people via our partnerships with lawyers and law firms across the country.

We offer a unique pro bono opportunity, with no immigration experience needed – all training and supervision is provided by our expert immigration lawyers based within our partners organisations.

Taking on KIND cases means making a commitment to children and young people who would not otherwise be able to access legal representation. By partnering with KIND, by volunteering your time and expertise, you can help change the course of a child’s life forever.

Contact details – probono@supportkind.org

For lawyers

  • Deliver end-to-end casework
  • Gain experience of case management and building client relationships
  • 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 up to 25

 

For law firms

  • A unique pro bono opportunity
  • Securing life-changing impacts for children, young people and families through a successful partnership
  • Significant development opportunities for lawyers taking part
  • We ask our partner firms to make a financial contribution to cover the cost of training and supervision.

KIND in Europe

In Europe, KIND is headquartered in Belgium and operates across 9 countries: Belgium, Czechia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and the UK. We work with 14 expert NGOs and 51 law firms and corporate pro bono partners to advance protection for children on the move.

Learn more about KIND in Europe

Learn More about KIND's Global Reach

KIND in Europe

KIND in Europe

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