Breaking the Chains is a unique and ground-breaking project designed to meet the specific needs of asylum-seeking children and young people by providing a holistic legal representation and advice service which is child-centred and child-friendly.
MiCLU have formally partnered with Shpresa Programme, a user-led organisation working with the Albanian community, to work with Albanian asylum-seeking children.
Kids In Need of Defense UK is a collaboration between the US Charity KIND, Inc and three legal advice charities in the UK.
Kids in Need of Defense UK aims to translate the US pro bono model of KIND Inc into the UK legal landscape – a self-sustaining pro bono programme of legal representation for migrant children and young people where there is inadequate, or no legal aid representation, available.
MiCLU’s Legal Resources
The MiCLU Team have produced useful resources that help you, and your clients, get the most out of legal representation.
You can find more on our full resources page.
Resources that can be used by lawyers representing young Albanian asylum seekers.
A guide for young asylum seekers about all the professionals they will meet and how they can help.
A directory was to help young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers find nearby support services.
Resources to help young asylum seekers, made with young asylum seekers.
What We Do
We represent young people who have been displaced by war or fleeing abuse, trafficked into the UK for exploitation and slavery, and young people separated from their families and effectively “invisible” in terms of civil and legal status because of immigration laws.
We help organisations, lawyers and charities to understand the needs, rights and entitlements of migrant and refugee children, and to develop projects supporting advocacy for their needs.
We take forward and help set up strategic litigation to achieve wider impact beyond individual cases to ensure that the rights of migrant and refugee children and young people are fully considered in law, policy and practice affecting their lives.
MiCLU offers bespoke training on issues relating to migrant and refugee children’s rights to a range of organisations and individuals. We also work with young people to design and deliver training for young people and professionals supporting them.
We provide direct, specialist legal representation to migrant and refugee children in asylum and immigration matters, based on a pioneering child-centred legal service. We have a 100% success rate in our direct representation to date.
News & Updates
Realities We Share – Breaking the Chains 2023/24 Evaluation Report
Shpresa Programme Research Champions & Dr Rachel Alsop, September 2024
Snapshots of reality
Young people on our Breaking the Chains project used 35mm film disposable cameras to capture their lives as part of the project evaluation. The young asylum seekers captured some beautiful images which they combined with text to create collages showing their lives and daily struggles to find protection and to
Risks to the mental health and wellbeing of Albanian Asylum seekers
The recent suicides of two Albanian males at Brook House immigration removal centre and on board the Bibby Stockholm vessel respectively point to desperate conditions in immigration detention and Home Office so-called 'non-detention' accommodation. These incidents have tragically shed a light on the alarming risks to the mental health
Publications
Publications MiCLU and the Islington Law Centre have contributed to. Click here for more.
