We have been granted 5 years of funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation to use the law to help care leavers realise their rights and challenge decision makers when they do not meet their legal duty towards care leavers. The CLLS provides legal advice and representation to young people with experience of being in care. We hope to find cases that question and challenge practice at a high level, because we aim to change it. 

 As part of the dedicated Care Leavers Law Service we will additionally provide practical training and step-by-step guidance to those working with and supporting care leavers so they can help care leavers to assert their rights and easily access legal help where it’s needed.

Those who contact the Care Leavers Law Service will get a young person-centered response to their enquiry and a member of our team will assess whether they need a solicitor, provide them with helpful information and signpost them to appropriate sources of help or arrange for them to speak to or meet with one of our solicitors.   

For enquiries or for more information on this service- please contact Parisa Shirazi on [email protected] or ring 0808 129 0522.

We set up the CLLS in response to the issues we noticed in our legal casework. Since 2015 young people who are in care have been entitled to accommodation and support to help them make the transition into adulthood. In certain circumstances, young people have the option to stay in care up to the age of 21 and an entitlement to stronger after care support up to the age of 26.  

However, we have found in our work with care experienced young people that these rights are not being respected or realised – many care leavers are not being provided with the support they are entitled to. This can mean that they struggle as they are moving into adult life. If you or someone you know could benefit from the CLLS, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

“They are so, so essential to the support we’ve given to young people and have stopped some awful things happening to young people. Their input was vital”. (Partner organisation)

“The training was incredibly useful. It’s really important for frontline workers like me to know a little bit about the law and it is good to know the expert legal advice is there need be as well”. (Partner organisation)