Methoria (Charity no. 118043) provides human rights and legal advocacy, specialising in migration and refugee law, as well as international children’s rights. It leads the First Rights programme advocating for a specialist court for migrant children in the UK. Last year, they published a key report, Equal Justice for Migrant Children – Towards a Specialist Court for Unaccompanied and Separated Migrant Children.  

They are evaluating the next phase of their project to effect meaningful policy change. A critical component of this phase involves assessing the economic feasibility of establishing a pilot specialist court for vulnerable migrant children.  

This pilot court will combine the expertise of different jurisdictions and administrative decision-making processes in a holistic, best interests focussed approach to resolving the complex protection and welfare issues facing unaccompanied and separated migrant children. The objective is to test, with a small and carefully identified cohort of the most vulnerable of migrant children, a new approach to decision making which puts the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the centre and which emphasises better quality and right first time decision-making. This is done with the aim that eventually a specialist ‘children’s court’ can be established in the future. 

What do we need from a volunteer? 

To help with this, they would like a volunteer to conduct a feasibility study to scope out whether there is evidence and credible methodology to estimate the potential economic impact of their proposed Court for Vulnerable Migrant Children. The goal is to understand whether potential savings and efficiencies, as well as the wider benefits of the proposed model can be estimated. 

They also would like to understand whether an economic model that can compare the current system for unaccompanied migrant children with their proposed model is feasible. 

Deliverables 

  • Produce a concise feasibility study detailing available data, identifying gaps, and recommending actions for accessing required economic data. This would include potential methodology steps to conduct a further economic appraisal of the proposed specialist court model, emphasising areas requiring further exploration or data collection. 

The feasibility study will serve as an advocacy tool for internal use and for engagement with policymakers and stakeholders. 

Ideal volunteer profile 

  • Experience in economic modelling and analysis, ideally within a governmental or public-sector context. 
  • Familiarity with interdepartmental costings and governmental financial structures. 
  • Experience identifying, evaluating, and synthesising relevant economic data sources. 
  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex economic insights. 
  • UK-based, with knowledge of government departments. 

Desirable additional experience: 

  • Previous involvement with projects related to migration, refugee rights, or children’s rights. 
  • Established professional contacts within UK government departments or related institutions. 

Timescales 

Starting: June 2025 

Estimated duration: Approximately 7-10 working days over 3-4 months 

Deadline: Oct 2025 

Closing date for applications: 4 June at 10am

If you are selected to volunteer for this project:  

  • You will be working directly with Methoria. PBE is only responsible for matching. 
  • If Methoria share personal data with you, you should only use the data as instructed by them. 

PBE is an equal opportunity organisation and values diversity. We encourage applications from all parts of the community, and we give all applicants and volunteers fair and equal treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or nationality.  

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