Royal Assent was granted to the Children and Social Work Bill late yesterday, which means it is now an Act of Parliament. Our major campaign to protect the rights of vulnerable children and young people succeeded! The whole of Chapter 3, comprising eight clauses, was removed from the legislation after sustained opposition by Article 39 … Read more
Statistics released by the Ministry of Justice and the Youth Justice Board over the Easter break show 9 out of 10 children in custody continue to be held in prison environments. Data for 2016/17 shows 89% of children remanded or held in custody after sentencing were placed in either young offender institutions (YOIs) or secure … Read more
Article 39 continues to challenge changes pushed through House of Commons Committee stage, which will allow looked after children from England to be detained in secure accommodation in Scotland on welfare grounds. The changes to the Children Act 1989 were tabled by Children’s Minister Edward Timpson MP in December 2016, as amendments to the Children … Read more
Children and Young People Now magazine reported earlier today that it understands Ministers will back amendments to the Children and Social Work Bill, to delete the exemption clauses. This has now been confirmed: the Education Secretary Justice Greening has added her name to the Shadow Children’s Minister’s amendments to LEAVE OUT the exemption clauses (32-39). … Read more
PROFESSOR EILEEN MUNRO SAYS EXEMPTION CLAUSES ARE “A SERIOUS DANGER” The London School of Economics professor whose work has been consistently cited by Ministers as the inspiration for controversial clauses in the Children and Social Work Bill has deserted the policy. The clauses allow individual councils to opt out of their legal duties to help … Read more