Legal advice and information on child, family and education law for parents, carers and young people in England from Coram Children’s Legal Centre
Family law
Legal information on family and children law matters in England. The information ranges from private law matters such as contact, domestic abuse and adoption to public law matters including local authority involvement with children and child protection.
Education law
Legal information on education law in England. The information ranges from the law on bullying, transport and home education to school admissions, exclusions and the duties of schools and local authorities to children with Special Educational Needs.
Attending court
For individuals who have made their applications in private family law cases. Features information on the court process and different types of hearings, explains the rules of evidence and the role of CAFCASS. There is also practical advice on representing yourself in court.
Child Law Advice
Who we are
Child Law Advice is operated by Coram Children’s Legal Centre, the UK’s leading children’s legal charity and part of the Coram Group of charities.
What we do
We are a digital-first service providing family and education law advice to parents, carers, and young people in England. We have lots of free-to-access content on our website that is clear and easy to understand. If you need extra help after reading the information on this website, we also offer initial legal advice via email, webchat, and telephone.
The difference we make
We advised over 15,000 clients in 23/24 and there were over 2 million users on this website.
A recent survey showed that 90% of users have a better understanding of their legal position and 94% of users have a better understanding of the options available to them after receiving advice from our service.
Contact us
Email: An email enquiry can be submitted 24/7.
Webchat: open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5.30pm.
A webchat icon will appear on the right hand side of the page if an adviser is available.
Telephone: open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.
Family Line: 0300 330 5480
Education line: 0300 330 5485
Bookable callback: available to book hourly Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm.
Click here to book a callback.
What we can provide
Free to access information pages
Free legal advice via telephone, email, and webchat
Detailed how-to guides (fee applicable)
A callback at a time that suits you (fee applicable)
The services of an interpreter if you find it difficult to speak English
Volunteering opportunities if you have a legal background
Influence policy development
What we cannot provide
Our opinion or provide a second opinion
Advice if you have instructed a solicitor or barrister
Advice if the child you are calling about lives outside of England
Legal representation or face-to-face advice
Advice on areas outside of child, family and education law, including child maintenance and benefit
Advice on the merits of an appeal
Advice to professionals in relation to what you should be doing in your professional capacity
Advice to students and professionals conducting research
Draft court forms and appeals
Latest news
‘Illegal school’ fear over unregistered alternative provision
Nearly 100 unregistered alternative providers that educate more than 1,000 children could be operating as illegal schools, a new investigation has found Children’s commissioner Dame Rachel
Nearly a quarter of foster places in England provided by private equity-backed firms
Experts raise alarm over ‘commodification’ of vulnerable children as independent fostering agencies make millions in profit Read the full article in the Guardian here.
Free school meals to be extended to 500,000 more children
Any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be able to claim free school meals from September 2026, the government has said. Read
LawStuff is our dedicated website designed specifically for children and young people who want to find out information about their rights. The website hosts our popular resource ‘At what age can I?’ as well as provides legal information on a wide range of issues including home and family, education, and immigration.
