Children and young people are a uniquely vulnerable client group with legal needs and advice-seeking behaviour that are distinct from those of all other client groups. They often face complex and multi-stranded problems, encountering barriers not faced by other age groups. They can struggle to build trusting relationships and lack the skills and knowledge to address practical problems.

Many young people find their problems, and the thought of trying to resolve them, extremely daunting. Their tendency to put off dealing with their problems can exacerbate their situation and render their problems considerably more difficult to resolve by the time they reach a professional adviser. Young people may only seek help at a very particular moment, when their need is acute, and their will to tackle their problems can dissipate quickly where there are delays in accessing a service.