Coram and Just for Kids Law (JfKL) have today announced that JfKL is transferring its educational exclusion and homelessness work to the Coram Group, in a development that will significantly strengthen services for children and young people who need support.
The 12 staff transferring to Coram include lawyers and advocates joining Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC) or Coram Voice, both based on the Coram campus and working to ensure children and young people have a fair chance in life and access to justice, and a voice that is heard in decisions that matter to them. The transfer will enable the work to continue in London while extending support to those facing school exclusion across the country.
The new structure takes effect from 1 August and JfKL will continue with a new strategic focus on providing trauma informed and anti-racist, innovative legal representation to children and young people in contact with the criminal justice system and use evidence from this case work to fight for systematic change. JfKL will continue to host the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, and work with its members and Coram to hold Government to account on its child rights obligations.
Dr Carol Homden, Coram Group CEO, said: “More and more children and young people are having their chances in life blighted by school exclusion and the risks of homelessness. Their voices must be heard and integration in Coram of specialist expertise and capacity for legal advice, advocacy and youth people opportunities and campaigns will enable more children and young people to get the fair chance in education and the access to justice that they deserve.”
Anthony Landes, Chair of JfKL said: “The pressures and demands on charities are acute and we are pleased that the innovative services and young people led campaigns developed by JfKL will be able to thrive and grow at Coram. JfKL is now looking to the future with a new strategic focus on representing children in contact with the criminal justice system, fighting for strategic change in this area, and hosting the Children’s Rights Alliance for England to work with its members in holding Government to account on its child rights obligations.”
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About Coram
Coram is the first and longest serving children’s charity in the UK. Established as the Foundling Hospital in 1739, today we are a vibrant charity group of specialist organisations – the Coram Group – supporting hundreds of thousands of children, young people and families.
We do this by championing children's rights and wellbeing and making their lives better every day through our range of services. These include reading support and life skills education programmes delivered in schools for 300,000 children, adoption services for children waiting to find a home, mental health support, cultural programmes, and legal advice and advocacy for thousands of children and families every year.
All of our work delivers across seven key outcomes for children and young people: A fair chance, A loving home, A voice that’s heard, A chance to shine, Skills for the future, No matter where and A society that cares.
About Just for Kids Law
Just for Kids Law works with and for children and young people to hold those with power to account and fight for wider reform by providing legal representation and advice and in respect of that work campaigning to ensure children and young people in the UK have their rights and entitlements respected and promoted and their voices heard and valued . JfKL hosts the Children’s Rights Alliance for England that works with over 100 members to promote children’s rights and monitor Government implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights treaties.
For more information, please visit:
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