The Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) is merging into Just for Kids Law it was announced today. Both charities know that children’s rights are a powerful tool in making life better for children and young people. They share the same ambition to achieve the full realisation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which the UK ratified in 1991.
Just for Kids Law provides direct advocacy support and legal representation to children and undertakes precedent setting strategic litigation for children’s rights (including successful interventions securing the rights of 17 year-olds in police custody). CRAE’s membership includes over 150 organisations and individual members making it one of the biggest children’s rights coalitions in the world. It fights for children’s rights by campaigning for the people in power to change things for children. It empowers children and those who care about them to push for the changes that can improve the lives of children and young people.
Both Just for Kids Law and CRAE will keep their distinct identities and brands.
The charities believe that joining together will strengthen both their work. CRAE’s public affairs and policy functions, and expertise on international human rights, will complement Just for Kids Law’s litigation capacity and direct service provision. Together, the combined charity will increase the impact of their work for children’s rights. It will create an organisation which combines strategic litigation, political affairs, policy and research alongside providing direct services to disadvantaged children and young people. The combined charity will raise awareness of children’s rights and support children to campaign on issues important to them.
We believe that together we can achieve more change and galvanise greater support for children’s rights. Through joining forces we will be a much stronger voice.
Just for Kids Law and CRAE share the same ethos and values and have collaborated before on many successful campaigns and legal interventions. We are keen to harness each other’s strengths while pooling resources in these financially straitened times. We will work together to achieve our common aim of protecting and promoting the rights of children.
We believe that it is particularly important at this time, with the Human Rights Act under threat, and many of the provisions in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child failing to be met in England, that there is the strongest possible voice to advocate for children’s human rights.
Carolyn Regan, Chair of the Just for Kids Law Board of Trustees, says: ‘We are delighted that CRAE is joining Just for Kids Law at this important time. Together we can continue to support, advocate and lobby for children and young people, and also lead on the policy work which underpins it all.’
Alison Marshall, Chair of CRAE said: ‘CRAE’s members are passionate about holding those in power to account on children’s rights as our track record and strong recent reports to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child show. CRAE is joining with Just for Kids Law to strengthen the difference we can make for children and young people across the country.’
Notes for editors
- Just for Kids Law delivers holistic, client-led support to children and young people from crisis to stability and onwards into independence. We do this through our innovative, community-based legal representation, advocacy and opportunities programme. We drive systemic change through strategic litigation and policy reform. We aim to be the UK’s leading experts in youth justice law, sharing our knowledge, expertise and model across the UK and the world. justforkidslaw.org
- CRAE is a membership body for organisations and individuals committed to our vision: a country that values and upholds every child’s human rights. CRAE protects the human rights of children by lobbying government and others who hold power, by bringing or supporting test cases and by using regional and international human rights mechanisms. crae.org.uk
- For further information contact Caroline O’Dwyer, Just for Kids Law Communications Officer, at CarolineO’Dwyer@justforkidslaw.org, or on 07984 095793.