16yr old has no access to her ID

[leavesinthebreeze]

NC for this as quite outing.
Basics are:
16yr old has runaway from home. She is now settled and safe with a family friend. Social services are satisfied she is safe so have closed the case with her. She has applied to start college in September. The problem we currently have is that her parents are withholding her passport and her birth certificate. She was born in Bangladesh but moved here 5 years ago. We have been unable to get her an NI number, register her at a GP surgery or open a bank account because she has no ID. I sought legal advice (free) who said get the police involved. The police said seek legal advice. I have emailed the Bangladeshi consulate to enquire about a replacement birth certificate it not heard back yet. College told her she can get a bursary when she starts there but with no ID this is not definite now. I have contacted Muslim Women’s Network who have been supportive but there seems to be no way to get these documents without having to pay gor replacements (money she doesn’t have). She is currently looking for part time work and has a share code to show she it’s entitled to live and work here. The family friend she is living with is not an official guardian and SS did not suggest that should happen.

Has anyone got any extra advice or anything I have missed in trying to get these documents from her parents?

Little update - bank account done, UC sorted, NI number being given as UC is sorted, police have said safeguarding is sorted and parents have not visited since. YP is thriving at college, is looking for a part time job and in the meantime has got a volunteering role. Good things ahead for her I hope! She has no limits on her visa re living here, working here, studying here and I truly believe she will be an asset to our society. I am chuffed for her. She misses her family a lot and wants to be in touch in with them as long as they accept her new life. We are still discussing that.

Well done!

Hi. There are really two separate issues here: recovering or replacing her physical identity documents, and establishing exactly what immigration permission she holds in her own right.
The fact that she can generate a share code showing a right to live and work in the UK is important. I would keep a copy of the eVisa/status information and check exactly what type of permission it records and when it expires. Being 16 and no longer living with her parents does not, by itself, cancel her immigration permission, but some children do hold status linked to a parent’s immigration route, so it is important not to make assumptions about this.
As for the passport and birth certificate, I would keep a written record of the parents refusing to release them and of the approaches already made to the police, social services and the Bangladeshi authorities. Given her age and circumstances, I would also go back to social services in writing if the lack of documents is now preventing her from accessing education, healthcare or other essential services.
There is some useful information here about children’s UK immigration status and when a child’s position may be connected with a parent’s permission:
https://consultantlm.uk/consultant-article/childs-uk-immigration-status-when-a-parent-loses-permission-to-stay