Useful Organisations
Several organisations provide support for people in detention. These include our members, who provide a range of support, and other NGOs.
AVID Training
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Visitor Groups:
- Asylum Welcome visit and support to people in immigration detention in HMP Huntercombe as well as refugees and asylum seekers in Oxford and across Oxfordshire.
- Beyond Detention visit and support people being detainedat Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire. They also provide a wide range of post-detention support.
- Detention Action visit and support people being detained in Harmondsworth and Colnbrook detention centres, near Heathrow Airport, as well as providing welfare support workshops at several London prisons.
- Durham Visitors Group provide emotional and practical support to women held at Derwentside detention centre for women in County Durham.
- Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group visit and provide support and advocacy to peopledetained in Tinsley House and Brook House detention centres and Cedars pre-departure accommodation for families, near Gatwick Airport.
- Jesuit Refugee Service run a detention outreach programme to people being detained at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook detentioncentres, near Heathrow Airport, London.
- Larne House Visitors Group (LHVG) is a volunteer-run group visiting men and women being held at Larne House short-term holding facility near Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- Lewes Organisation in Support of Refugees and Asylum Seekers(LOSRAS) visit people detained post-sentence under immigration control at HMP Lewes, near Brighton.
- Manchester Immigration Detainee Support Team (MIDST) is a volunteer-run group that visits and supports men and women being detained at Manchester STHF, a short-term holding facility at Manchester Airport. They also support men held at two Manchester prisons.
- Midlands Migrant Support (formerly Morton Hall Visitors Group)visit and provide support on a to people detained at Swinderby STHF and HMP Morton Hall in Lincolnshire.
- Scottish Detainee Visitors (SDV) visit and support people being held at Dungavel detention centre near Strathaven, South Lanarkshire.
- SOAS Detainee Support (SDS) visit and support people being held at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook detention centres near Heathrow, London, and Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire.
- Waging Peace support Sudanese nationals being held in detention centres and prisons across the UK.
Other organisations supporting people in detention:
- Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) provides legal advice and representation to people in detention. Their advice line is open Monday - Thursday between 10 am and 12midday and outside of those times they can be contacted on casework@biduk.org.
- Rainbow Migration provide support for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum and in detention.
- Medical Justice offer independent medical advice and assessments to those held in immigration detention in the UK.
In prison:
- Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants are able to represent clients who are detained in prison, whether serving their criminal sentences or detained under immigration powers. They may be able to arrange a legal visit to see you in prison (dependent on location and distance from our offices). They can be contacted on 020 7251 8708.
- Clink's Directories contains information about over 800 organisations and projects working with people with experience of the criminal justice system and their families. Enter a place name, organisation, or use the search filters provided to find the service you need.
- Hibiscus can provide help women detained in prison under immigration powers.
- Captain Support UK is a grassroots organisation which works in solidarity with all people criminalised for crossing borders or facilitating freedom of movement. The collective provides practical solidarity to people in prison and post-release who have been arrested because of “illegal immigration/facilitating illegal immigration.”
- The Prison Reform Trust has a Prisoners Families Helpline who can give advice to families and advice on booking visits.
- Kent Refugee Help supports refugees and migrants held in London and Kent prisons. They help people access legal advice and representation to fight their case and stand with them throughout.
Survivors of trafficking:
- Freedom from Torture provide counselling, group therapy and ongoing support, provide expert medical assessments to support survivors’ asylum claims and use their expertise and evidence to protect and promote survivors' rights.
- Helen Bamber Foundation supports refugees and asylum seekers who have experienced extreme human cruelty, such as torture and human trafficking. They provide specialist carethrough psychological and physical therapy, housing and welfare support, legal protection and creative arts and skills programmes.
- Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU) support for people who have been trafficked. If you are supporting someone that you believe may have been trafficked, please contact specialist help. AVID can signpost you if helpful.
Family and Friends:
- Red Cross Family Tracing Service is an international family tracing service including for people in detention.
Young people:
- Refugee Council Age Dispute team support young people to resolve their case where they are under 18 and believed by the Home Office to be an adult.
Post detention and other migrant rights organisations:
- Right To Remain provide material and guidance on the UK immigration and asylum system for people to better understand their case and how to self-advocate. They also have a Directory of organisations who work in solidarity with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
- Coram Children’s Legal Centre provides legal advice and support to children at all stages of the immigration and asylum process.
- Hackney Migrant Centre provide free advice and information on immigration, welfare and health and have put together this information sheet detailing drop-in support in London.
- Praxis provide free immigration and welfare advice to people in London.