Separated asylum-seeking children resettled in Cornwall urgently need legal support and access to justice. Without specialised immigration advice, advocacy and support these young people are forced to navigate the complex UK asylum system alone. Our mission is to provide the critical legal assistance they need to build safe, stable futures.
Many of these children have arrived in the UK unaccompanied or have become separated from their families during their journey. They have often experienced severe trauma, including the loss of family members, exposure to violence, forced conscription, and exploitation or trafficking. Now, they face the daunting task of navigating a complex – and sometimes hostile – asylum system on their own.
Though these children qualify for legal aid, accessing it is a major hurdle. Currently, there is only one lawyer across the entirety of Devon and Cornwall able to provide legal aid to children, while approximately 200 children are in urgent need of proper legal support. This extreme shortage means many children, already struggling with PTSD and trauma, are unable to access the guidance they need to navigate their asylum cases.
This project will also go beyond providing basic legal aid. We aim to ensure that qualified senior immigration caseworkers can offer comprehensive legal advocacy and help young people understand the asylum process. Our caseworkers will guide them through each step, explaining their rights and the reasons behind the legal questions they face. This approach ensures that young people are not just focused on the end result of securing refugee status, but are also well supported throughout the process of claiming asylum, which can often be re-traumatising.
We recognise the significant trauma these children have experienced and the emotional toll of navigating the legal system and this project aims to provide care and guidance at every step, before and after gaining refugee status.
“Online meetings are never the best way to communicate simple things, let alone relaying the tragic details of your father being killed, the immediate separation from the rest of the family, and a dangerous journey being trafficked to an unknown land. If there were a local legal caseworker, he could be properly represented by someone who knows him as a person and understands what he has been through.” — Foster parent of a separated child seeking asylum in Cornwall
To address this urgent need, Cornwall Refugee Resource Network (CRRN) is launching a fundraising campaign to expand legal support and advocacy services for separated asylum-seeking children under the legal aid department at Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support (DCRS). While DCRS provides these services to adults, they currently lack the capacity to extend support to children.
This crowdfunding campaign is being carried out in partnership with Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support (DCRS), Launceston Refugee Support Group, Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugees, Truro Community Refugee Support, Cocobean Cornwall CIC, and the Inspiring Women Network.
All funds raised will be exclusively allocated to expanding DCRS’s services for separated children in Cornwall, ensuring they receive the specialised legal support and compassionate care they desperately need.
Your contribution can provide a lifeline to children in urgent need of safety and stability. Together, we can make a difference.
To gain insight into the experiences of separated children seeking asylum in the UK, watch the BBC documentary linked above. Sadly, it continues to reflect the current realities faced by many children navigating the asylum system alone.