More must be done to protect children in care from criminalisation, says Mayor

Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd

Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd has welcomed a report calling for more to be done to protect children in care from criminalisation.

Published by the Prison Reform Trust, the ‘In Care, Out of Trouble’ report says that, while 94% of looked after children in England and Wales do not get in trouble with the law, around half of children in custody have at some time been in care. A statistic that suggests we are missing opportunities to turn young lives around and prevent future crime.

Mr Lloyd said: “Prosecuting and criminalising children for challenging behaviour that, in an ordinary home would be dealt with without police intervention, is damaging, costly, and wholly unnecessary. The fact these children are being looked after by the state means they have already had a turbulent beginning to their young lives and many will need help to get their lives back on track.

“Most ordinary parents will do all they can to support their children and avoid criminalising them. If the state is to act as a carer, it must offer the same support and guidance to ensure children get a good start in life, instead of putting them at an immediate disadvantage.

“We’re in a good position to act on the report’s recommendations, which chime with the partnership approach we have developed here in Greater Manchester – an ethos that has seen public agencies and voluntary organisations come together to tackle issues such as mental health crisis care, women offending, and child sexual exploitation.

“I will be writing to Lord Laming to congratulate him on this excellent report. I’d welcome an opportunity to discuss with him the work we’re doing and, in the light of his report, talk about how we can make significant improvements in protecting looked-after children in our region, including those vulnerable young adults leaving care and making the transition into adulthood.”

This report comes on the back of a report from the Howard League for Penal Reform published in March this year which said that children in care were being wrongly criminalised because care home staff were too quick to call police over minor incidents.