MiCLU works closely with Islington Law Centre’s team of lawyers leading and developing specialist legal services aimed at upholding and improving the rights of young people. Our work is led by the views and experiences of our young clients who continue to inspire and develop our services. Together we are committed to educating young people about their rights and supporting the work of carers and professionals dedicated to helping young people live safe and protected lives in the UK.

We believe that the law can be used as an effective tool to create social change and we are committed to advocating for child and youth-centred legal processes and systems. We also believe that by building partnerships between individuals, organisations, statutory and non-statutory agencies across different professional disciplines and by working alongside the children and youth we represent we can tackle and address the complex realities, challenges and injustices faced by young refugees and migrants, so they are treated as children first and foremost.

We carry out our work through an integrated work programme, including a mix of:

  • Direct legal representation and support for children and young people (via our pioneering child-centred and holistic legal and advocacy service). We represent children fleeing war, conflict, abuse and persecution, trafficked into the UK for exploitation and slavery and undocumented young people effectively “invisible” in terms of civil and legal status because of UK immigration laws.
  • Strategic litigation (to bring legal change with wider impact and benefit for all young people).
  • Policy and influencing work.
  • Consultancy (supporting the work of statutory and non-statutory agencies to design and develop child rights based services, training and evaluation).
  • Legal education work (training legal and non-legal professionals nationally on the needs, rights and entitlements of young people seeking international protection or whose lives are impacted by immigration laws).
  • Public legal education work – the lives of young people are governed by an array of laws and policies. We design legal education courses with young people for young people and for the important people in their lives.

Please click below to explore more about what we do.

Legal Advice
&
Representation

Strategic Litigation

Legal Education & Training

Policy, Research & Consultation

Kids in Need of Defense UK

Working with Children to Create Change

Refugee Child