LGA responds to Children's Commissioner report on children deprived of their liberty

16 May 2019 01:53 PM

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, responded to a report by the Children’s Commissioner on children living in secure children’s homes, youth justice settings, mental health wards and other residential placements 

“Any decision to deprive a child of their liberty is taken extremely seriously, and only made in cases where there is no other option available to protect that child or those around them. These children will have extremely complex, significant needs, and councils work hard with their partners including in health and youth justice, to make sure these placements provide the support children need to overcome those issues in order to try and help them go on to live safe, independent lives.

“Every child in a secure placement will receive significant support from their council to make sure that they are safe, that their needs are being met and to ensure that they are only in that placement for as long as is necessary and appropriate.

“However with significant rises in demand for urgent child protection work and a £3.1 billion funding gap facing children’s services by 2025, councils do not have the funding they need to intervene early and provide the necessary support to children at risk and their families before it becomes a much more serious and complex problem. This is why it is vital government addresses this in the forthcoming Spending Review.”

#CouncilsCan: Spending Review 2019

With the right funding and powers, councils can continue to lead local areas, improve residents’ lives, reduce demand for public services and save money for the taxpayer. Securing the financial sustainability of local services must be the top priority for the Spending Review.