Contact us
0808 808 0500 (free to call - for clients)
0207 346 1134 (agencies and other enquiries)
children@refugeecouncil.org.uk email enquiries
Open Mondays to Fridays: 9.30am – 5.30pm
What we do
The Refugee Council works to improve the lives of separated children in the UK. Around 2000 separated children arrive in the country each year, seeking safety from countries that are experiencing conflict and which may have little infrastructure to care for and protect children.
The Refugee Council Children’s Panel work directly with separated children, as well as giving advice to those involved in their support. The Children’s Panel has operated since 1994, and is the only national service of its kind. The Panel employs around 14 fully supported Advisers, many of whom speak the languages of the children they are working with.
Around 2000 separated children arrive in the United Kingdom every year, with the highest numbers leaving Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, and Eritrea.
The Children’s Panel works with around 1000 of these children every year, receiving referrals from statutory and voluntary organisations, and directly from children themselves. We work with separated children and young people seeking asylum who are under the age of 18 when they enter the UK. We also work with asylum seeking young people under 21 who, in the absence of a parent, are caring for younger brothers or sisters.
- We work with young people whose age is disputed
- We assist the young people access legal representation
- Guide the young people through the asylum process
- We accompany the young people to asylum interviews, tribunal and appeal hearings, magistrates and crown court appointments
- We support the young people during appointments with GPs, hospitals, social services or other service providers
We work with young people who apply for asylum on entering the UK, have lived here for some time before applying for asylum, are taken to enforcement units and are already supported by social services, carers or community groups. We employ a specialist Young Women’s Adviser who works with particularly vulnerable girls and young women.
We currently run surgeries in London, Kent, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Thurrock, Peterborough and Luton in an effort to reach children across the country. We run a weekly mixed Social Evening, and a Girls and Young Women’s Social Evening in our offices in south London to which children come to enjoy meeting with friends and to get peer and adult support.
SMILE project
SMILE (Supporting and Mentoring in Learning and Education) was a three year project based within the Children’s Section of the Refugee Council.
SMILE aimed to reduce the isolation and the absence of education and activities experienced by so many refugee children and young people by establishing mentoring and befriending relationships and activities. The project worked to promote inclusive education by challenging prejudices related to asylum and raise awareness of the needs of refugee children through school talks.
Based in London, the West Midlands, and Yorkshire and Humberside, SMILE supported asylum seeking and refugee separated children and children in families to improve their life chances by helping them to enjoy and achieve in education, and by raising awareness of their specific needs, through mentoring, befriending and school talks.
Read the SMILE report “Something to smile about”
Read two stories from young people who have been helped by SMILE
Read the SMILE project briefing on mentoring and befriending
Read the SMILE project briefing on education
Read the SMILE project briefing on school talks
Read the SMILE project toolkits on mentoring, befriending, education and support of looked after children
Separated Children: Strong Voices project
Separated children are one of the most vulnerable groups in our society, often socially excluded and stigmatised. Strong Voices project, run in Birmingham, has been designed with the aim to provide an opportunities for separated children to learn and grow, whilst having fun. Find out more>>
Separated Children in Europe Programme
The Refugee Council is also partners on the Separated Children in Europe Programme. Together with Save the Children UK, and UNHCR (London office), we work with the programme to inform and influence policy and practice in this field from a UK perspective. The Programme produces a number of good practice guides and policy positions on a range of issues affecting separated children across Europe.
Photome online exhibition
Photome is an exhibition of photographs that explores and reflects on our sense of home and belonging. The Photome photographers are a group of young people who attend the Tuesday drop-in social evening held at the Refugee Council. View the exhibition online.
