Steering Group
Children’s Rights Alliance for England
Youth Access
Law Centres Federation
Howard League for Penal Reform
Children’s Rights Alliance for England
About CRAE
CRAE is a coalition of over 270 voluntary and statutory organisations committed to the full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Why we support JustRights.
Research conducted by children as part of the Get ready for Geneva project found that most children in England know little about their rights and face significant barriers to exercising them. This was found to be especially the case for vulnerable children including asylum seeking children, children living in care, children with disabilities and children experiencing discrimination (including young parents). CRAE’s own research shows a lack of knowledge of children’s rights among the children’s workforce. The inaccessibility of legal services to most children has been identified as one example of age discrimination against children in the UK. For the most vulnerable children, access to such services is vital.
It is incumbent on those who hold power to ensure that all children and young people have ready access to high quality, independent legal services that meet their specific needs, so that they can exercise their rights. Without this, any commitment to the wellbeing of children and young people becomes empty rhetoric.
Youth Access
About Youth Access
Youth Access is the national membership organisation for young people's information, advice, counselling and support services. Our members provide advice and counselling to over 1 million young people every year.
Why we support JustRights
"Young people's needs for rights-based advice continue to rise. Even before the economic downturn, young people experienced over 2 million social welfare problems each year, obtaining advice on only a minority of those problems. Yet there remains no government policy focussed on addressing the alarming gap between young people's needs for advice and the shortage of age-appropriate advice services able to support them. For this reason, we will be supporting JustRights, the campaign for fair access to legal services for children and young people."
Barbara Rayment, Director, Youth Access
Law Centres Federation
About LCF
The Law Centres Federation is the voice of Law Centres. We champion free legal advice and representation. Law Centres focus on providing legal services to people who may be marginalised in society or who are experiencing discrimination.
Why we support JustRights
The Justrights Campaign is central to the ethos of the Law Centres Federation. We believe that all people should have equal access to legal services and to justice. We recognise the unique legal advice needs of young people as they negotiate the transition to adulthood. We understand that only services targeted at young people will reach them and we are proud that Law Centres have pioneered successful and effective ways to meet young people’s legal needs, and to change their lives. We need the Justrights campaign to ensure that all young people who need legal advice across the UK are able to GET IT.
Howard League for Penal Reform
About HLPR
The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the UK. It was established in 1866 and is named after John Howard, one of the first prison reformers. The Howard League for Penal Reform is entirely independent of government and is funded by voluntary donations.
Why we support JustRights
"The Howard League for Penal Reform provides a unique legal service for children and young people in custody. We are founding members of the JustRights coalition and committed to providing access to justice for children and young people. We recognise children and young adults are a distinct group who are less likely to seek advice and often unaware that the law can work for them. Our casework evidences the need to have specialist advisors who have a holistic approach to the legal needs of children and young people. The JustRights coalition seeks to secure awareness and support for the invaluable work of organisations working with this group."