How do I know if a child or young person needs support?

I was born and partially raised in South America, Georgetown, Guyana. I am the youngest of five siblings and I have two brothers and two sisters. As a young child I had little to no memory of my parents as my father lived in America and my mother moved to the UK when I was only three years old. Seven years later, a few months after my 10th birthday, I sat on a plane with my two brothers heading towards the UK – anxious to meet my mother for what felt like the first time ever.

After arriving in the UK, I attended school like any other child at my age. So, since the age of ten I have lived in London – this is my home. The idea that I was living illegally in this country never crossed my mind. However, when reflecting, there were always clues that something was not right. My brother who played semi-professional basketball was not able to play in Europe and had to give up his position in his team because he could not provide a valid passport or documents. I was not allowed to take school trips outside of the country and for many years we were constantly moving houses until we were at one point homeless. We were lucky to be aided by friends and family.

It was only between the ages of 16 and 17 when I began to understand my situation. On applying to university, I realised that I did not have the right documentation to access student finance: no British passport, and no limited leave to remain document to prove my legal residency. I spoke to my mother about this and she told me the truth about my situation – I was undocumented.

I wasted no time in seeking help. I contacted various organisations to ask for assistance. I spoke to my previous teachers about the issue and asked for advice. I found out about the high cost of the Home Office application to regularise my status and realised I could not possibly afford this. One organisation offered pro-bono help with my application because all access to legal aid had been removed a few years before, but then their funding ran out. I finally reached out to all my friends and family and asked them to help us pay for our application. After several months we saved enough money to pay for a solicitor to help us with our Home Office application. We are still waiting for the Home Office’s decision.