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Children Law Accreditation

Our Children Law Accreditation is a recognised quality standard for practitioners representing children in children law proceedings.

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The accreditation covers all types of children law work and is recognised by the Legal Aid Agency.

It’s a way for clients and professionals (such as guardians) to choose a qualified practitioner when a child needs representation.

Eligibility

To apply for the Children Law Accreditation, you must be either a:

solicitor
chartered legal executive who:

is employed by an SRA-regulated practice that has at least one solicitor who specialises in children law
holds an advocacy qualification awarded by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX)

You must have enough experience to show that you have:

personally conducted cases and represented parties in children proceedings
carried out advocacy for clients
a thorough awareness of ethical issues that can arise in children cases
an up-to-date knowledge of guidance, legislation, case law and practice developments
the ability to work directly with children, explore their competence and understand their wishes and feelings

We expect you to meet the standards of practice and conduct outlined in the Code of Practice for Children Law (PDF 50 KB).

How to apply

To apply for accreditation, you’ll need to:

complete a training course
submit a detailed application
attend an assessment

The accreditation process takes around six to eight weeks. It can take longer if we receive high volumes of applications or if you do not give us all the information we need.

Find out how to apply.

Re-accreditation

Membership of the Children Law Accreditation lasts for three years.

You can apply to be re-accredited up to three months before your accreditation expires.

Find out about re-accreditation

Cost

You’ll need to pay for an application and a membership fee to be accredited.

You must not pay when you submit your application. We’ll send you an invoice when we receive your application.

Application fees are non-refundable.

Application	Application fee	Membership fee	Total (including VAT)
Initial application	£245	£270	£618
Re-accreditation	£245	£270	£618

Other fees	Cost	Total (including VAT)
Late application	£103	£123.60
Certificate re-issue	£10	£12
Appeal against decision to refuse accreditation	£258	£309.60

Promoting your accreditation

We have a range of free materials such as logos, certificates and window stickers for you to use.

Order promotional materials

Membership

Download the list of Children Law accredited members (PDF 1.6 MB).

This list is updated monthly

It includes information about languages spoken, specialist areas of practice and court areas covered.

Contact us

Call: 020 7320 5797

Email: accreditation@lawsociety.org.uk

Opening hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday

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