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?

They are doctors so they must be good people 🤦🏽‍♀️

Wait until @Viviennemary finds out about Harold Shipman...

How long has she lived in the UK?

Yes that’s the rules, but it’s too late when they’ve already looked it up.

some family members had their records looked at by an estranged relative who also tried to use the info gained in the family courts. They just ended up with a little slap on the wrist from their professional body, and as they had changed employers not much else happened. Oh they’d apparently learned from the experience and wouldn’t do it again…. Utterly useless..

editing to add a key point though, you can have your records locked down to prevent most health care practitioners accessing them routinely. It can be an inconvenience but might be a reassurance as well.

@leavesinthebreeze

Re her British passport, she could try to cancel it. Doing so will initiate contact with the Passport Office, who will tell her if she is attempting to cancel a passport which doesn't exist.

https://www.gov.uk/report-a-lost-or-stolen-passport

Further to my question, it is very likely that a number was issued to her before her 16th birthday.

She may not need to apply.

She has lived in England just over 5 years. She hasn’t been sent an NI number - we have been able to clarify that, so she needs to apply for one.

Good idea about trying to cancel her UK passport and that might tell us if she does have one. It still means replacing it.

Sorry but made me laugh 🙈 🤣 much needed after a long day banging my head against brick walls!

Doesnt this give you a certain amount of leverage though?

Clearly if Plod got involved it could be career ending

I suggest pushing it - you can ask for it to be taken higher

https://www.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/victim-support/victims-right-review-scheme/

https://www.gov.uk/apply-forced-marriage-protection-order

I suggest applying for such an order

If she possibly has a British passport, could you report it stolen, even if they won't tell you if one exists then at least the parents can't use it should they try to?

Another bit that might help - she meets most definitions of homeless.

Yes, she’s got somewhere to stay but it’s in the sofa surfing territory.

Most banks have a route to support basic banking for homeless people, but they won’t necessarily make the link unless that term is used when talking to them. The local council may have a homelessness support team who can help with signposting to local banks etc they know are sensible to work with.

Have tried the banks. They all need NI number or provisional driving licence- so on to that and getting a copy birth certificate.

She (hate saying she!) asked me to message her parents one last time to request her documents. The response I got back was that she has been stolen from them, she must return as they have got her into an elite school in September and that she is being forced to work against her will and is a victim of modern slavery 🤦🏽‍♀️ Why hasn’t he called the police or SS if that’s the case?!
Going to try all GP surgery’s in her area too.

Just wanted to say thanks again for everyone’s help.

I think that this is a case which would benefit from the help of a solicitor, OP.

It might be wise to start with one specialising in Immigration, as the case pivots on her status re the UK/Bangladesh.

solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/

How do I find out if her visa is dependent on her parents? She is adamant it isn’t. What do I look for on her e-visa.
I can’t afford a solicitor, the lady she is living with can’t afford a solicitor.
Feeling very disheartened right now as have been going round in circles all day. It’s just such a mess and in the middle of this is a 16yr old girl.

Sorry, just offloading now.

Apologies, but I haven't caught up on the whole thread so don't know if this has already been mentioned. I'm in the throes of doing a mail redirection - I know this was talked about earlier - and found this section on the Royal Mail Website and thought it might be worth mentioning:

Application related to Domestic abuse
If you’re moving home as a result of domestic abuse, please call 03457 777 888 to apply.
Do NOT apply for online or at the Post Office.
Please let the Customer Service Agent know you require a Sensitive Redirection. This will allow us to set up the Redirection with additional safeguards.
Opening times:
Monday to Friday 8am - 6.30pm
Saturday 8am - 3pm
Sunday 9am - 2pm

My understanding is that for any child under 18 (apart from a Child Student Visa) then the child does have a separate visa of their own but the visa is dependant on the parent's visa.

Somewhere on the evisa it will say 'Status'. It may then say something like 'PBS Dependant' or it may something like 'Skilled Worker Route'. Given that one parent is a doctor then it may also show that it is under 'Health and Care'.

This will essentially show the status of the parent. A child will be here as a dependant of the parent.

A previous poster mentioned the Forced Marriage Unit. Have you had any luck contacting them? They may have experience of dealing with people in similar situations.

2 twats have private messaged me offering to help if I give them my WhatsApp and email 🤦🏽‍♀️ obviously I haven’t responded and reported them but one of them used an actual persons name who specialises in things like this. wtf is wrong with people!

Don’t do the change of address route for post once you get I’d. I’ve had to flee an old life as an adult due to domestic abuse, A letter is sent to your previous address. It was used to trace me. I had to move again and then finally relocated to a different part of the country and rebuilt my life.

the young girl is starting again, her life begins at 16, so start all of the id, doctors and so on like that from scratch. She is going to be ok she’s done the hard part of escaping.

Could your local mp get involved to help ?

Just spoken to NSPCC and they recommended MP too

On the forced marriage front - again, like homelessness it might not immediately feels like it applies to her case. But. It’s worth taking a pause and thinking about the situation. Sounds like one of the reasons she doesn’t want to return to her parents is because she perceives there being a risk of being forced into a marriage.

At that point, the forced marriage support services may become an option.

The domestic abuse mail redirect would be worth exploring too. If it charges the usual fees then it’s probably prohibitively expensive and the money would be better used on ID. Might be worth considering using your address rather than the one shes staying at.