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We provide legal advice and representation to children and young people facing a wide range of issues related to the care system and educational settings. Our education and community care solicitors can assist young people up to the age of 25 with issues including:
- School exclusions: we act on every stage of the exclusions process, including representing excluded children at Governing Body Hearings and Independent Review Panels, ensuring the voices of children are heard throughout the process and doing everything in our power obtain a positive outcome.
- Support for children at school: we help children with special educational needs and disabilities to access the support they are entitled to, and ensure that schools respect their rights. This includes providing advice on support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), applying for Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessments, EHC Plans and potential appeals.
- Support for children in care: we represent children who may be entitled to support from the local authority, including children who are already looked after children (LACs) and those who should be recognised as looked after.
- Care leavers: we advise and represent young adults who have experience of the care system, helping them to access the support they are entitled to from the local authority as they transition into adulthood.
- Retrospective care cases: we assist young people who should have been taken into care when they were 16/17 years old and who should as adults be receiving leaving care support, challenging local authorities to provide them with the assistance they should be entitled to as care leavers.
As well as providing direct support to children and young people, we provide resources for practitioners working with children and their families to challenge school exclusions through our School Exclusions Hub.
