Supporting Unaccompanied Children in the Asylum Process

In 1997, over 1100 children and young people arrived on their own in the UK seeking asylum, having fled their own countries, frequently as a consequence of painful and distressing events. Every year, without the support of their parents, similar children have to negotiate a daunting asylum process which will determine whether or not they can remain in the UK. Having a good legal representative is essential to put their asylum case to the Home Office. In this area of law, as in others, children and young people need specially skilled representatives. This text reports on research conducted with asylum-seeking young people, professionals, legal representatives and government officials on the issue of legal representation. It focuses on how representatives are working with children as clients.