The Children's Law Centre

The Children’s Law Centre (CLC) is an independent charitable organisation established in September 1997.  Our aim is to protect, promote and realise children’s rights using the framework of international children’s rights law alongside the law of Northern Ireland.   

CLC is founded on the principles enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular:

• Children shall not be discriminated against and shall have equal access to protection.
• All decisions taken which affect a child’s life should be taken in the child’s best interests.
• Children have the right to have their voices heard in all matters concerning them. 

CLC undertakes education, training and research on children’s rights, produces leaflets and papers on a wide range of children’s rights topics and makes submissions on law, policy and practice affecting children and young people.  We have a youth advisory group called youth@clc who inform and advise CLC’s work.

We have a dedicated free phone legal advice line for children and young people called “CHALKY”.   We offer free legal advice and information on a wide range of children’s legal rights issues.  Examples of our areas of work include education, discrimination, mental health issues, disability, human rights and criminal justice.  

CLC provides free legal representation in strategic cases in compliance with  our casework policy.  We represent at the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal, School Admission and Expulsion Appeals Tribunals andat Mental Health Review Tribunals.  We also provide legal representation in a limited number of strategic cases via Judicial Review and have undertaken Third Party Interventions in cases with a particular focus on children’s rights.