We support for children and youth refugees

Direct casework is one of the cornerstones of our practice. Without this service we cannot hear the voice of the child directly nor understand the context within which it speaks. In order to be able to learn from children and young migrants we need to create a space in which they can see and experience change for themselves. Without the ability to make a tangible difference in their lives we are simply another set of adults who have expectations of them but who provide nothing concrete. To make a meaningful difference for children and young people we have to meet their needs, and the bottom line is that they need good, child-centred representation to enable them to access their rights in the UK.
As Voice Of The African Child, we understand that children in the immigration process need to have all their needs met in order to fully participate. As such we make referrals which ensure that our young clients receive social, emotional and financial support as a priority. This provides them with a safety net throughout the process, and offers them a more immediate sense of change than we can achieve through legal process. This allows the child to be able to cope with a lengthy and challenging process to the best of their ability and increases the prospects of a successful outcome.
Our casework uses a child rights model to inform the legal work that we do. We view our clients as children first and migrants second, and our legal submissions focus on this. Voice Of The African Child takes an evidence-based approach to preparing cases, and believes that this too contributes to the success of our cases. Where the laws exist to protect our clients we ensure that there is evidence provided to the decision-maker which shows that our client falls within the relevant criteria.