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Aim at this stage:
A long form assessment is sometimes called a Merton compliant assessment - not to be confused with the fact that both the long and short form assessments should follow special rules Merton rules - they need to be Merton compliant - see caselaw section for more background information.
A long form assessment is conducted over a series of dates in which the age assessors obtain detailed information from the young person about their life, then analysing that information and cross-examining it with other information given by the young person (e.g. in their Home Office initial contact interview) to determine their credibility.
After a short form assessment, the young person should get a short letter explaining when and why the decision was made (usually because they look much older than 18). If they had a long form assessment check (also called a ‘Merton compliant’ age assessment), they should get a much longer document that could be up to 100 pages.
Learn more about short and long form assessments here.
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Note - the clock has started ticking on the 3 month time limit to go to judicial review so time is of the essence
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To support a young person legally you’re looking for a Community Care or Public Law solicitor not an immigration solicitor.
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Use the Law Society’s website to search for a Community Care or Public Law solicitor. You can try to find specific solicitors within a firm and address communications to them, or telephone and ask who deals with age assessments, or send an email to an enquiries inbox.
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It is best to try all the options local to you, but sometimes Community Care/Public Law solicitors can be very difficult to find. If you can’t find a nearby solicitor you can try some of these London based firms which can provide support across the country on occasion:
Your aim is to make the referral to a solicitor as smooth as possible. To do this use the template we’ve created for you - it covers all the information a solicitor needs to decide whether they can take the case and then to start working with them.
The most important thing to cover is urgency. For more on this and other information a solicitor may need see the solicitor referral template we’ve created for you.
If possible you want to continue to support the young person while the solicitor works on their case. It can help to be present when the solicitor first meets with them - this supports the building of trust between them and their client.
Most solicitors are not trained in dealing with people with severe trauma and it is likely that you have had more training and have more skill in this area. The solicitors bring the expertise in the law, you bring the professional people and young person skills. Don’t feel afraid to give guidance on what to do - like take a break if the young person gets upset or if they disclose a traumatic event (e.g. sexual violence).
If you don’t understand something the solicitor is saying it’s most likely because they are using jargon without knowing it - don’t be afraid to ask for a translation to plain English, they’ll thank you for it.
If you can, find an expert caseworker to be a litigation friend for the young person you are supporting. Litigation friends are really familiar with the law and understand the possible long-term implications of decisions young people are asked to make. They can provide insight a solicitor lacks.
Find an expert caseworker to be a litigation friend - see the ‘organisations that can help’ resource.