A new report published by the South London Refugee Association (SLRA) and Coram Children’s Legal Centre, and endorsed by a coalition of organisations, reveals that by the end of 2021 there were at least 19,000 children in care and care leavers in England who were known to have an immigration or citizenship issue. The report uses case studies to show how critical the early identification and resolution of immigration and nationality issues is to safeguarding and supporting children’s and care leavers’ futures in the UK, and argues that early intervention can save for local authorities hundreds of thousands of pounds per year. The organisations who have endorsed the report are calling on local authorities to sign a pledge, which commits them to:
- identify all looked-after children and care leavers with immigration and nationality issues
- connect looked-after children and care leavers with good quality legal support as soon as possible
- take a proactive and informed role in supporting looked after children and care leavers through any immigration applications and appeals
- enable those who are eligible to apply for permanent status and British citizenship
Further details and a link to the report are provided on the SLRA website.