Childrens' residence tests breach their rights, says Human Rights Committee
In their new Report the Joint Committee on Human Rights concludes that the impact of a new proposed legal aid residence test on children will lead to breaches by the United Kingdom of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) because it will in practice prevent children from being effectively represented in legal proceedings which affect them.
The Committee’s Report sets out in some detail the potential impact of the residence test on four particular categories of children:
- unaccompanied children,
- undocumented children,
- children with special educational needs or disabilities, and
- section 17 and 20 Children Act 1989 cases.
For more information go to http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/joint-select/human-rights-committee/news/children-residence-test-substantive/