About the network

SLRC is a professional network whose purpose is to foster and promote the use of strategic litigation to improve respect for children's human rights and equality in England.

Policy experts and lawyers in private practice and NGOs have distinct and complementary areas of work and expertise and - particularly where strategic litigation is concerned - often have common aims.  Through the network, we aim to bring professionals together to help generate strategic litigation projects that can achieve change for children.  Read more about the network here.

Network members

Organisations

11 Million, the Advisory Centre for Education, the AIRE Centre, the Association of Lawyers for Children, Asylum Support and Immigration Resource Team (ASIRT), Baby Milk Action, Bail for Immigration Detainees, Bindmans LLP, the British Humanist Association, the British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR), the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN), the Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), Children's Rights Officers and Advocates (CROA), Every Disabled Child Matters, Fair Play for Children, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Full Time Mothers, the Howard League for Penal Reform, INQUEST, Just for Kids Law, JUSTICE, the Law Centres Federation, Liberty, the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, the National Autistic Society, the National Youth Advocacy Service, NCB, the NSPCC, Pierce Glynn solicitors, the Prison Reform Trust, the Public Law Project, the Refugee Children's Consortium, Scope, Shelter Children's Legal Service, The Children's Society, Voice and Youth Access.

Individuals

Naomi Angell, Noel Arnold, Jenny Boswell, Stephen Broach, Clare Collier, Ceri Davies, Sandhya Drew, Violet During, Anna Edmundson, Nadine Finch, Jane Fortin, Rachel Hodgkin, Kathryn Hollingsworth, Sue King, Rachel Knowles, Nick Lessof, Peter Newell, Camilla Parker, Nikhil Roy, Emmanuel Sherwin, Justina Stewart, Rebekah Wilson and David Wolfe.

How the network operates

CRAE facilitates the network by:

• Organising quarterly themed seminars, including opportunities for members to share information as a group and meet informally after seminars over refreshments
• Maintaining and circulating a list of network members, including contact details and brief information on areas of specialism, to enable direct contact between members

The network's strategic direction is overseen by a steering group which meets quarterly.  Membership of the steering group is open to all network members.

Joining the network

Organisations and individuals may become members of the network, and membership is not required in order to attend SLRC seminars.  Where organisations become members, they should have a nominated individual as their network contact.  The only criterion for membership is that the individual or organisation signs up to SLRC's mission statement.

Join the network: Show your support for the SLRC network by becoming a member!  Membership is free of charge and will give you access to details of all members' areas of interest and expertise, and individual contact details, as well as advance booking privileges for our events.  By joining you will also help strengthen the network's sustainability, including fundraising for future events and activities.  Join today by completing and returning this short form.  For more information, contact Katy Swaine.

Recent and forthcoming events

Seminar on 11 January 2010, 5.00 to 6.45pm at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP - The lawful approach to child homelessness after G v Southwark

On 11 January we heard from the legal team that brought the case of G v Southwark - Oliver Studdert of Fisher Meredith, and Ian Wise and Azeem Suterwalla of Doughty Street chambers - in which the House of Lords further clarified the duty on local authorities to assess and provide services to homeless children and young people under the Children Act 1989.  The seminar was chaired by Diana Sutton, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the NSPCC.  We are grateful to Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP for hosting the event.

G became homeless at 17 when his mother evicted him. The local authority found that he needed help with accommodation, which they provided. However, they did not accept him as a child in need under section 20 of the Children Act 1989. This meant he was not entitled to be looked after and would not subsequently qualify for leaving care support. G argued that, based on the local authority’s assessment of his needs, he was entitled to be dealt with under section 20. The House of Lords upheld his appeal. Oliver Studdert commented: ‘The majority of 16 and 17 year olds who require accommodation have needs beyond housing… This judgment is a huge step forward for children’s rights and requires a fundamental rethink by local authorities of the level of support they offer these vulnerable individuals’.

Yet there is widespread concern that many local authorities are still acting unlawfully and that the rights of homeless children and young people are being routinely overlooked.  Ian, Azeem and Oliver talked us through what happened in the case, the implications of the judgment and the extent to which it has so far been implemented.  This ledus into a discussion of how the achievements of the case could be maximised to ensure a lawful and consistent approach by local authorities towards homeless children and young people across the UK. 

For further information and copies of the speakers' presentations, contact Katy Swaine. 

April 2010 seminar

Our next seminar will be in April 2010.  Further details will be posted in due course.