Coram Children's Legal Centre and Child Law Advice

Coram Children's Legal Centre (CCLC) is the UK's leading children's legal charity, providing free legal information, advice and representation to children, young people and their families. Its Child Law Advice Service is one of the few sources of genuinely free, specialist legal advice on family and education law involving children — making it essential reading for any parent representing themselves in children proceedings.

REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-31

What Coram Children's Legal Centre is

CCLC is an independent charity, part of the Coram group of children's charities, with a history going back to 1981. Based in Colchester and London, it works to promote and protect children's rights in the UK and internationally through legal advice, representation, research, training and policy work.

Its services include: the Child Law Advice Service (free advice on family and education law); legal representation projects for particularly vulnerable children (including migrant children and those with immigration-status issues); international programmes on children's rights; and influential policy and research work on access to justice for children.

The Child Law Advice Service (CLAS) is the part most relevant to parents in family disputes. It covers areas including child arrangements orders, parental responsibility, child maintenance, relocation, special guardianship, adoption, and education law.

What help it offers

Free written advice and how-to guides at childlawadvice.org.uk — detailed, regularly updated explanations of the law on children arrangements, applications to court, forms and procedure, parental responsibility, enforcement and more.
A telephone advice service. Call 0300 330 5480 for family law matters and 0300 330 5485 for education law. The service operates Monday to Friday, with call-back appointments offered for complex queries (availability has varied; check the website for current opening hours and booking arrangements).
Web contact and appointment booking via childlawadvice.org.uk, including a call-back request form for qualifying issues.
Specialist legal representation in some cases through CCLC's projects, and referrals where the charity cannot act.
Interpreter and accessible formats — the service can accommodate callers who need language support; ask when booking.

Contact details

Child Law Advice Service website: https://childlawadvice.org.uk
Family law advice line: 0300 330 5480
Education law advice line: 0300 330 5485
CCLC main website: https://childrenslegalcentre.com
CCLC address: Coram Children's Legal Centre, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ (check the website for current office locations before visiting)

0300 numbers are charged at a standard landline rate and are usually included in phone-bundle minutes; calls from mobiles vary.

How a self-representing parent can use CCLC/CLAS

This is one of the most directly useful organisations for litigants in person:

1. Read the how-to guides before you file. The Child Law Advice site explains exactly which form to use (C100 for child arrangements, C79 for enforcement, and so on), how the MIAM requirement works, what happens at a first hearing, and what evidence to prepare. Following these guides can save weeks of trial and error. 2. Get one-off advice. Use the advice line or call-back service for specific questions — for example, whether you need the court's permission to relocate, how parental responsibility applies in your situation, or what a special guardianship order means. Advisers explain the law and procedure but cannot represent you. 3. Understand the other side's rights. The guides are neutral and explain the legal position of all parties, which helps you anticipate arguments and focus on what the court will actually consider (the child's welfare checklist). 4. Follow up with the right service. CCLC can point you to other Coram services and, where relevant, to legal aid firms — in some case types (care proceedings, certain domestic abuse situations) you may qualify for legal aid you did not know about. 5. Cite reliable material in court. The service's public legal education materials are written by qualified advisers; they can help you understand terms the court uses, though you cannot rely on advice given to another party.

Note that CLAS advisers cannot act as your lawyer, attend court with you, or draft your documents; demand for the phone service is high, so reading the online guides first maximises the value of any call.

Useful links

Child Law Advice (family): https://childlawadvice.org.uk
Coram Children's Legal Centre: https://childrenslegalcentre.com
Coram group: https://www.coram.org.uk

This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws, procedures and contact details change — verify anything important against the official sources linked above before relying on it. Your Family Case is an independent directory listing; we take no referral fees and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or receiving payment from any organisation listed.

Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.