Child Citizenship Project

Make a referral

Fill in our referral form to make a referral to CELC and ILC's child citizenship acquisition projects, run in collaboration with Kids in Need of Defense UK. This service helps children who were born in the UK, or who now call the UK their home and intend to remain here, to assess their citizenship status and to take action to acquire residency or citizenship in the UK.

Refer a child now (opens in new tab)

If you need help or advice about something else (including any other immigration issue for anyone of any age), please fill in our general enquiry form.

Where we work

CELC takes cases from children in England and Wales.
The Migrant and Refugee Children's Legal Unit at ILC takes cases from Greater London.
The other members of the KIND UK network are listed on the Kids in Need of Defense UK site.

You only need to fill this form in once - your referral will be automatically directed to CELC or ILC as necessary.

About KIND and KIND UK

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

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

Central England Law Centre is one of 5 expert organisations partnering with KIND 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.

The collaboration work on around 500 cases per 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.

About KIND

KIND is a global NGO which protects the rights and wellbeing of unaccompanied and separated children and other vulnerable groups of refugee and migrant children through the provision of legal and psychosocial assistance, advocacy, capacity building and systems strengthening work.

There is no other organisation like KIND working across the U.S., Central America, Europe and the UK, harnessing its civil society and pro bono legal partnerships, to protect children on the move. In Europe, KIND is headquartered in Belgium and works across 9 countries (Belgium, Czechia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and the UK), employing staff and consultants, and working in partnership with 14 expert NGOs and 51 law firms and corporate pro bono partners to deliver on our mission.

Since 2016, KIND and a network of partner organisations across Europe and the UK have assisted more than 9,000 children with a range of legal issues that impact their status and the fulfilment of their rights.

KIND's partners across Europe and the UK:

Association for Integration and Migration (Czechia)
Child Helpline International
Central England Law Centre (U.K)
Coram Children’s Legal Centre (U.K)
E-Liberare (Romania)
European Lawyers in Lesvos (Greece)
Greater Manchester Law Centre (U.K)
Human Rights League (Slovakia)
Immigrant Council of Ireland (Ireland)
Irish Refugee Council (Ireland)
Islington Law Centre (U.K)
Italian Refugee Council (Italy)
Just Right Scotland (U.K)
Rule of Law Institute Foundation (Poland)

Working in partnership with expert non-profits is a pillar of KIND’s global approach. By operating as a global network of organisations working locally they are able to become more than the sum of their parts.

KIND and its partners have provided legal information, advice and assistance with:

International protection pathways
Family reunification
Residence permits
Citizenship
Leave to remain
Age assessments
Guardianship
Transition to adulthood
Protection for child victims of trafficking
Asylum
Regularisation

In the UK, working with 5 partner organisations - 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 helps children in need of legal assistance.

By mentoring and training pro bono lawyers to guide children through the UK’s immigration and citizenship systems, the project addresses gaps in legal services and provides free, independent legal advice and representation to those who need it most on issues excluded from state legal aid or where state legal aid is insufficient

More information about KIND in Europe

Latest

Welfare Benefits Administrator

Are you passionate about social justice and ensuring people's rights and access to justice? Central England Law Centre (CELC) is seeking a dedicated Welfare Benefits Administrator to join our team.
Employment Caseworker or Solicitor

Are you passionate about social justice and ensuring people's rights and access to justice? Central England Law Centre (CELC) is seeking a dedicated Employment Caseworker or Solicitor to join our team.
Family Caseworker or Solicitor

Are you passionate about social justice and ensuring people's rights and access to justice? Central England Law Centre (CELC) is seeking a dedicated Family Caseworker or Solicitor to join our team.
Housing Caseworker or Solicitor

Are you passionate about social justice and ensuring people's rights and access to justice? Central England Law Centre (CELC) is seeking a dedicated Housing Caseworker or Solicitor to join our team.

Child citizenship resources

Our immigration teams produce resources in support of pro bono projects, including the KIND UK collaboration. These resources are hosted on a separate site.
Intensive Support

Funded by Coventry Building Society, the Law Centre employs two support workers to help vulnerable clients to not only solve their immediate legal issue but to take a holistic approach to addressing underlying issues, enabling them to move from a position of crisis to a point of stability.
EUSS Project

We provide legal advice and support to vulnerable EU citizens with complex cases, as well as providing a weekly clinic to support people with their applications as part of the Home Office EU Settlement Scheme.
Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support project

Funded by Access To Justice Foundation the Law Centre's family team runs a duty scheme at Coventry Magistrates Court, to improve the speed and the ability of clients to achieve justice; and expert triage and early support for disadvantaged women in Coventry in family and social welfare law
Health Justice Partnership

The Health Justice Partnership is an embedded community project which aims to address the complex legal needs, digital exclusion and the health and wellbeing of the citizens of Coventry and Nuneaton by reducing the health inequalities faced by those living within identified priority areas.
Understanding local legal needs - Early intervention and the ecosystem of legal support

In partnership with the University of Warwick and Law for Life this 18 month project has provided evidence of the legal needs that have emerged in the wake of the pandemic and the impact of increasing reliance on digital technology. It contributes to a greater understanding of the role of public legal education (PLE) in improving access to justice for marginalised groups.
Coventry Poverty Alliance

In partnership with Grapevine Coventry & Warwickshire, we have formed the Coventry Poverty Alliance, bringing together more than 60 organisations in the voluntary, community, faith and statutory sector who work on the front line responding to the cost-of-living crisis.
Benefits Cap Project

Funded by Coventry Building Society and in partnership with Coventry City Council, the law centre provided legal advocacy and advice to Coventry residents subject to the benefits cap
Domestic Violence Immigration NRPF Network

Central England Law Centre partnership with Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid, Red Cross, Baobab, Roshni and Refugee & Migrant Centre to form a domestic violence network to better support and secure improved outcomes for women with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) seeking protection from their abusive partners.
Partnering with Universities to Nurture Future Talent

We work closely with local universities to develop opportunities for students to benefit from ‘clinical legal education’, while providing capacity to support strategic litigation and furthering our objective to nurture future talent and encourage young people to focus on social welfare law.