Plan to help children in state care avoid justice system

Vulnerable young people in care who assault staff or damage property will not automatically be arrested or charged by police, under proposals aimed at reducing the excessive criminalisation of looked-after children.

- Patrick Butler Social policy editor

A government review will examine how children in state care who exhibit challenging behaviour can be offered targeted support, such as trauma counselling, rather than being punished through the criminal justice system.

The aim is to restrict the “over-policing” of looked-after young people and reduce disproportionate numbers who offend while in care. Children in care are 10 times more likely to receive a caution or conviction than those not in care.

The review aims to tighten a protocol introduced by the previous government in 2018. It said police should not be used for what it called “low-level behaviour management or matters a reasonable parent would not have called the police over”.