Support Organisations for Young Refugees and Children

2016 Young Refugees Mapping Support Services in London

Other Links

List of Key Organisations, last updated 31/10/16, Spreadsheet in XL
List of Other Highly Relevant Organisations, last updated 31/10/16, Spreadsheet in XL
Hillingdon Refugee Support Group:  Young Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Barnados, Children’s Society, Asphaleia, Save the Children, Coram Children’s Legal Centre
Key larger organisations specialising in working with young refugees: from direct services right through to research and Parliamentary lobbying:  The Childrens Society, Barnado’s, Coram Children’s Legal Centre, Freedom from Torture, Helen Bamber Foundation, Red Cross, Refugee Council (Children’s Section).
Smaller key specialists focussed on supporting young refugees: i) in specific fields eg. Baobab Therapeutic Centre, Kazzum Arts Project, Refugee Support Network, Young Roots; ii) in a local area eg. DOST, Hillingdon Refugee Support Group (HRSG), Salusbury World Refugee Centre; iii) specialist statutory bodies eg. Local Authorities Social Services teams in Hillingdon and Croydon, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, CNWL Forced Migration Trauma Service.

Young Refugees Support from bodies for all Refugees and Asylum-Seekers
i) London-wide/National eg. Asylum Aid, Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP), Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB), Medecins du Monde, Micro-Rainbow, Still Human-Still Here, UKLGIG;
ii) Area-based/ local bodies eg. Action for Refugees in Lewisham (AFRIL), Barnet Refugee Service, Brent Refugee Forum, Croydon Refugee Day Centre, Hackney and Islington Refugee Forum, Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN), Merton and Wandsworth Asylum Welcome, Migrants Organising/MRCF, Notre Dame Refugee Centre, Praxis, RAMFEL, Refugee Action Kingston, Sante Refugee MH Access Project, Southwark Refugee Forum.
Community organisations based on social identity, sometimes called Refugee or Migrant and Refugee Community Organisations (RCO / MRCO) include some that focus on young refugees, Eg. Afghanisthan and Central Asian Association (ACAA), Centre for Armenian Information and Advice/CAIA, Horn of Africa Youth Association/HAYA, Paiwand (Afghan Association), Sfida, Shpresa Programme, Tamil Community Centre.

‘Migrant’ or ‘newly arrived communities’ services can be highly relevant, while also serving eg EU migrants, in particular people from the EU Accession countries. ii) Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) bodies and projects, tackling cultural issues such as BME unemployment, FGM or Equality/anti-racism can be relevant.  i) Migrant Advisory and Advocacy Servicce (Southall Legal Centre), Migrant Resource Centre (merging with Asylum Aid);  ii) Aaina Women’s group, Croydon BME Forum, Ealing Equality Centre, Forward (anti-FGM), GOYA, Harrow Equalities Centre, Imkaan, JCORE, Southwark Muslim Women’s Association, Naz Project, Race Equality Foundation (Engage London).

Specialists who Work with all Young People and have opened up special services or adapted services to serve young refugees:  Action for Children (?currently), Asphaleia, Barnados, Childrens Society, Coram Children’s Legal Centre, Hope for the Young (Omid International), Just for Kids Law, Mosaic LGBT Youth, Navigator/P3, Save the Children, Seasons for Growth (?currently), YMCAs in West London, City, Central.  Also Colleges of FE.

‘2nd tier’ training, publications, resources, professional-to-professional advice specific to supporting young refugees: Specialist organisations often provide valuable secondary support – training, guidance and resources – to hands-on staff in non-specialists:
Eg. Coram Children’s Legal Centre, Freedom from Torture, Refugee Council.

Specialists also host consortia Eg. Refugee Childrens Consortium electronic networks and ‘Googlegroups’ Eg. RefEd@yahoogroups.com, or other networking and collaboration relevant to young refugees Eg. Women’s Asylum Network email network.  These may be invitation only.

Certain funders have give valuable support to small and large projects for young refugees: Eg. Awards for All/Lotteries, Children in Need, Tudor Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Reaching Communities/Lotteries, Trust for London

Support bodies in London – By Topic

Young Refugees and immigration status, legal advice, including trafficking/status, appeals, detention, deportation, including influence/lobbying based on case work.  Eg. ASAP, CFAB, Cardinal Hume Centre, Coram, ECPAT, ILPA, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Just for Kidz Law,  Migrant Advisory and Advocacy Service, Migrant Rights Network, Navigator/P3, Refugee Council, RAMFEL, Strategic Legal Fund for Vulnerable Young Migrants, Also Community Law Centres.

Young Refugees: The whole child / holistic and follow on ‘wrap round’ support  Eg. Cardinal Hume Centre, DOST, Hillingdon Refugee Support Group, Refugee Day Centre West Croydon, some Housing Associations eg. Catalyst/Catalyst Gateway.  

Unaccompanied Children Seeking Asylum (UCSA), Care, Age Disputes; British Association of Social Workers (lobbying), Coram, Hillingdon Refugee Support Group, Just for Kids Law, Refugee Council, Young Roots.

Young Refugees Health, Mental health, Social equality and inclusion:
a) Trauma, Torture, Recovering from trafficking, Counselling, Psychiatric reports for legal appeals  Eg. Baobab, CNWL Forced Migration Trauma Service, Freedom from Torture, Helen Bamber Foundation, Sante, Refugee Therapy Centre, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust:
b) Mental health / wellbeing, preventing isolation, adjustment, inclusion, engagement, community life, life skills, peers, mentors  Eg. ACAA, DOST, Evangelical Church The Spirit of the Lord, Hackney City Farm, Hope for Youth, Football for Hope Peace and Unity, Fotosynthesis, Kazzum Arts Project, MIND, Red Cross Befriending, Salusbury World Refugee Centre, St. Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace (new project), We Day (aim to start soon), YMCA-WL, Young Minds.

Sex and sexuality, sexual identity, LGBT and Young Refugees Eg. centred, Micro-Rainbow, Mosaic LGBY Youth, UKLGIG, (Terrence Higgins Trust currently? tbc)

Asylum-hate, racial harassment, racism, hate crime, ‘Prevent’ Eg. Barnado’s, JCore, HEAREquality.org.uk

ESOL, Education, Training, Youth Employment / Employability   Eg. ACAA,  Asphaleia, Barnet Refugee Service, HAYA, Migrants Resource Centre, Refugee Project Croydon, Transitions. Also Colleges of FE, Supplementary Schools.

Other Related Specialists’ fields:
Eg. FGM : Forward,
Eg. Trafficking: Afruca, ECPAT, (Poppy Project closed)
Eg. Women: Aaina, Asylum Aid, Imkaan, LewishamRMN, Refugee Council-Women’s section, Women for Refugee Women, Women and Girls Network, WAST-Women Asylum Seekers Together in London (current status?).