Seeking Refuge? - Rights of Women

• If you report domestic violence, an urgent case
conference should be arranged (usually within
one week) to decide on an action plan to
ensure that your needs are met.
If the person who is abusing you is your husband
and you are a dependent on his claim, you must
get legal advice as soon as possible. You may then
be able to make your own, separate, claim for
protection in the UK.
Health care
You are entitled to free health care while a
decision is being made on your claim for
protection in the UK. Health care in the UK is
given by the National Health Service (called the
NHS). You can register with a local doctor, called a
GP, and you are also entitled to receive any care
you need in hospital.
For further information about
the NHS and what health care you may
be entitled to, read this information
sheet:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatis
tics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAnd
Guidance/DH_4122587
In an emergency dial 999 for help. For
other health enquiries, ring NHS Direct
on 0845 46 47 or visit:
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
In each area of the country a local NHS
Primary Care Trust organises the
provision of health care. You can find out
more about services in your area by
looking here:
www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/
ServiceSearch.aspx?WT.srch=1
If you are receiving asylum support, you should be
given an HC2 certificate. You should receive the
certificate either when you are in initial
accommodation (while you wait for a decision on
your application for asylum support to be
decided), or when you are given asylum support.
An HC2 certificate is a document issued by the UK
Border Agency, which allows asylum applicants
who are receiving asylum support to get:
• free NHS prescriptions;
• free NHS dental treatment;
• free NHS wigs and fabric supports;
)
• free NHS eyesight tests;
• vouchers towards the cost of spectacles; and,
• refunds of necessary travel costs to and from
hospital for NHS treatment under the care of a
consultant. (A consultant is a doctor with
expertise in a particular area. Your GP can refer
you to see a consultant).
You and any dependents that you have should be
on the same certificate. The HC2 is valid for 6
months. If you are still receiving asylum support at
this point (because you are still waiting for a
decision to be made on your case), you can apply
for another HC2.
You can read the UK Border Agency
policy on HC2 here:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/
sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/
asylumprocessguidance/asylumsupport/
guidance/hc2certificates.pdf?view=Binary
Education
The children of asylum applicants and children
who are applying for asylum have the same right
to education as British children. Education for
children is organised by your Local Authority. It is
their responsibility to make sure that there are
enough places for children to go to school in your
area, and that any special educational need your
child has is met. In the UK, children between the
ages of five and sixteen years must go to school.
This means that you have a legal responsibility to
ensure that your child goes to school.
For more information about schools and
education visit Direct Gov at:
www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schools
learninganddevelopment/index.htm
I have been refused asylum
support, what can I do?
How you can challenge a decision not to give you
asylum support depends on why you have been
refused it.
If you are refused support because the UK Border
Agency believes that you did not claim asylum as
soon as reasonably practicable after you arrived in
the UK (this is taken to mean within 72 hours of
your arrival), then you will have to go to court in
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