KIND UK – Kids in Need of Defense
We protect undocumented children in the UK.
- We provide free legal help to children, young people and families as they navigate the UK immigration system. We partner with lawyers and law firms across the country to ensure the best quality legal advice and representation
- We protect the rights and wellbeing of undocumented children and young people
- We campaign for systemic change to ensure that all children are safe and able to thrive regardless of their immigration status.
There are over 215,000 undocumented children living in the UK today.[1] Many are British but unable to prove it. 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.
Undocumented children and young people face many barriers to gaining status in the UK. The immigration system is complex. It can seem daunting and hostile. Many face it alone, without proper legal representation, without their rights being protected, and not knowing where to turn for help. That’s where we come in.
Our success rate is 99% in cases with an outcome
Kids in Need of Defense UK is a collaboration between five award-winning, UK based not for profits that specialise in children’s immigration and asylum law: Migrant and Refugee Children’s Legal Unit, Just Right Scotland, Coram Children’s Legal Centre, Central England Law Centre, and Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit.
We partner with lawyers and law firms across the UK to provide the highest quality legal advice and representation for free to undocumented children and young people.
We work with local authorities, childrens’ services, and other professionals who work with children to support them in accessing legal advice and representation, through us or other immigration advisors, for the children they’re responsible for, to understand and improve the nationality status of children in care or in contact with social work. Securing legal status or citizenship can make a lifechanging difference to children in care, helping them enter adulthood with more options and a stronger position.
We partner with KIND, a US charity supporting legal representation for children facing deportation proceedings alone.
We strive for a world in which children’s rights and well-being are protected as they and their families navigate the immigration system. We want to make sure that undocumented children can access high quality, free legal representation.
We want all children to realise their dreams, regardless of their immigration status.
