Thank you so much for the advise Brian! I am not too sure on how to friend you in here - trying to do this on my phone is rather awkward.
Any advise you can give would be absolutely incredible - I was going to run it as a not for profit company rather than a charity - just because the admin is easier and I can set one up in an hour.
Finances aren’t a massive issue I have some rather well funded backers.
I am CRB checked, one of the many things I can claim to in my business life is as a director of a nursery.
So I am use to the idea of the red tape - but I am also incredibly keen to get the ball rolling ASAP!
I already have solicitors acting on my behalf - international solicitors with large network - as for a board - I can arrange an incredibly attractive board as well - Brian and all! Thank you for the incredible offers of support!!!
And thanks again!
I fully and without reservation endorse.
Count us in too in terms of support as per Brian's post - he's the expert.
Dangerous to try without a lot of very solid support. I am a children's rights professional but not an expert in child care or protection as such. Here in France the duty of care is very strictly regulated. As Helen suggests, you certainly need to incorporate yourself and a few others as a charitable organisation. It is slow and very bureaucratic, you require a certain amount of capital to protect yourselves against financial collapse, the inspection and supervision regime are well known to me because my wife and I have worked on Syrian refugee children in Jordan, finishing this time last year, but gave a talk to a local statutory organisation on the situation in Syria and the camps in the Middle East. They talked about the situation here in terms of taking in unaccompanied children and even then the talk we gave and as professionals with the experience we are not allowed to be formally involved even as advisers unless thoroughly checked - criminal records, financial matters, shoe sizes, our favourite lunches... although we have CVs full of work for universities, UN agencies, NGOs and on and on from who references could be obtained in probably hours.
Those are the difficulties briefly, but actually such controls have to be in place. They are neither obstructive nor PC rubbish and when one thinks about people in positions of trust such as priests, nuns, medical personnel, teachers, UN peace keepers, social workers and a growing list of others it is absolutely right to be so strict. What you are proposing is wonderful but it is only fair, as I am trying to be, to outline the task in front of you. Whatever you do, do not try to do it informally. Any denunciation by people who take against that or any of the children for no real reason and you are in the most serious trouble for several reasons, some of which are probably obvious whilst others would probably come as a nasty shock.
I wish you well with that nonetheless. But play by the rules to the dotted i for your own sake. Contact me by making me a friend if you wish. Val here has had enough of my blather for several years to be able to endorse what I claim to be and whilst I cannot directly help or become directly involved because of distance and other commitments, I am more than happy to advise and get my wife to chip in, she being a professional in the same sector.
I would think you would need to set up an official association which isn't too difficult. you'd need more than just yourself on the 'board' if memeory serves me right it's 2 or 3 people. This link should help you as to how to do it
Good luck and if I or the Socks For Refugeesteam can help shout - we've already sent socks to Calais but if you need specifically child sizes I can send directly to you the sizes required.
I'm sorry that I don't have anything useful to say with regard to who to contact or the precise rules and regulations. What I did want to say is that I don't think it's controversial so don't apologise - I'm a mum too and I think these children are in an horrific situation. I do wonder how difficult the process would be, whether the children would need to be "adopted" by the state or similar so they could be granted asylum rights etc. There must be a government or social department who could advise on this?