The care-to-prison pipeline shows our failure of looked-after children
The IndependentThe best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Despite children in care making up less than 1 per cent of the population, the latest statistics from an independent government review released this year showed that care leavers make up a quarter of prison and homeless populations in this country. The second issue which perpetuates the first is difficult to quantify, but is nevertheless to blame, and that is the government’s attitude towards children in care. With a dedicated, trained point of contact whose sole aim is to grow our children’s emotional and holistic wellbeing, we could divert more care leavers from prison and the streets towards higher education and employment. The current children’s social care review must focus on not only improving young people’s time spent in the system, but also on levelling out the playing field of their future outside it.
History of this topic
Children in care ‘handed over to criminals and abusers’ due to ‘failing’ system
The Independent
I know the real reason why the number of black children being convicted of a crime has doubled
The Independent
More child criminals to be sent to Feltham despite damning inspection finding youth jail unsafe
The Independent
Children held in custody are in ever increasing danger – must our judges now do the unthinkable?
The IndependentDiscover Related
)
)
)
