The government has today (15 January) announced the start of its review of children’s social care. Founder and Chief Executive of social work training charity Frontline, Josh MacAlister, has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Education to chair the review. Carolyne Willow, Article 39’s Director, said: “We warmly welcome the review’s confirmation that … Read more
A Kent church is calling for the Ministry of Justice to immediately end the illegal solitary confinement of children in Rainsbrook secure training centre otherwise they will seek such protection from the High Court. “Children have been locked in solitary confinement for up to 23½ hours a day. No child should be locked up unlawfully … Read more
On Tuesday 15 December at 10am, Parliament’s Education Select Committee will hold a pre-appointment hearing with Dame Rachel de Souza, the government’s preferred candidate for the next Children’s Commissioner for England. This short briefing summarises the statutory role of the Children’s Commissioner for England and the history of its development, particularly highlighting legal duties in … Read more
It is with great pleasure and a real sense of victory that we dedicate the last issue of our 2020 children’s rights legal digests to our own Court of Appeal win – Article 39 v. Secretary of State for Education. The Court of Appeal found the Secretary of State for Education to have acted unlawfully … Read more
A coalition of charities today (10 December) publishes the case for urgently closing England’s child prisons, warning that they are inflicting irrevocable harm on highly vulnerable children. This harm has been aggravated significantly by the response to COVID-19. The government committed to phasing out child prisons in 2016 but it has not closed a single … Read more