Child protection report reveals nature of serious harms in care

Article 39 has obtained a report from the Department for Education containing devastating information about children dying and suffering serious harm in care in England. The Department for Education had refused to release the report for nearly two years, and was ordered to do so after Article 39 won an information rights tribunal case last … Read more

Tribunal orders release of child protection report

The First-Tier Tribunal General Regulatory Chamber (Information Rights) has ruled that the Department for Education must release a report to Article 39, which analyses 48 separate incidents where children in care died or suffered serious harm (judgment here). The report was produced by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, and shared with the Department for … Read more

Children’s rights legal digest – August 2023

Delays in investigating and implementing the recommendations following a complex Children Act 1989 complaint “excessive and unacceptable”, concludes Local Government Ombudsman The complaint Mr B, who is care experienced*, complained to the Ombudsman about excessive delays to the handing of a complaint he made under the Children Act 1989 about “failures towards him as a … Read more

Parliament to debate Home Office’s accommodation of unaccompanied children

A debate is to be held in Parliament today (7 June) on the Home Office’s accommodation of unaccompanied children in hotels, led by Scottish National Party MP Deirdre Brock. With the agreement of the Department for Education, the Home Office began housing unaccompanied children in hotels in July 2021. The Children Act 1989 unequivocally places … Read more