www.refugeecouncil.org.uk 1 legal advice research judith dennis lives in the balance 2011 right to...
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www.refugeecouncil.org.uk 1
Legal advice researchJudith Dennis
Lives in the balance 2011
Right to Justice 2014
Good and not so good practice
www.refugeecouncil.org.uk
Lives in the Balance 2011
o To analyse the quality of legal advice and representation to separated children in the asylum system.
o Looked through the lens of one key actor – specialist Children’s Advisers (RC) .
o 10 young people some of whom were still in the process.
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Right to Justice 2014
o To assess the availability and quality of legal advice to unaccompanied migrant children in 7 EU countries.
o Desk research.o Interviews with experts e.g. legal reps,
ngos, Home Office.o A few young people who had
experienced the system- mainly quotes.
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Where the UK is doing well
o Funding asylum claims, interpreters, asylum appeals, expert reports.
o Legal advice for age challenges in the courts.
o ILPA training and resources.o Refugee Council Panel of Advisers.
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Where the UK is not doing well
o Lack of information for children , particularly in their own language, on the procedure and identifying good quality legal advice.
o Almost no requirement to be specialist (DBS check) and no monitoring of quality.
o No statutory guardian anywhere in the UK.
o Limits on legal aid for children not seeking asylum.
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Examples of good practice from other
countrieso Child friendly explanations – visual
tools(Belgium, Italy)o Specialist lawyers with on-going
training on relevant issues(Spain, Belgium)o Guardians – although some very
restrictive and lacking in sufficient resource
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“We have no one here in Belgium, but the guardian and lawyer, they are like a mother and father”.“I had to keep asking and by the time I got an answer I had only two weeks to decide about the appeal”.“When you go alone, maybe your head is not here and you cannot explain yourself well”.
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Research reports
o Lives in the Balancehttp://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/
assets/0003/1125/Lives_in_the_balance.pdf
o Right to Justicehttp://www.ecre.org/component/
content/article/63-projects/325-right-to-justice.html
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