Neglect of older children needs action
● ● ● BY B CHRISTY BYRNE
HALTON Council’s children’s services chief has addressed claims from Ofsted’s chief operating officer that older children are more likely to be overlooked when it comes to protection from neglect.
In a recent speech, Matthew Coffey, Ofsted’s chief operating officer and deputy chief inspector, said that neglected older children are more likely to be drawn into crime.
Citing a Joint Targeted Area I Inspection ( JTAI) carried out by Ofsted, Mr Coffey said that front line services work together to t tackle issues like youth violence and gang involvement, but often there is little consideration of the underlying causes that contribute to this behaviour, such as n neglectful parenting.
He said: “In many ways it is the needs of these older children that are even more complex.
“Older neglected children often experience abuse outside the home as well as within it.
“Children escaping neglectful homes are more likely to be at risk of being drawn into criminal a activity.
“As a result, sometimes older neglected children are seen as ‘the problem’.”
He added that the JTAI clearly showed that there is a clear link between tackling neglect and preventing criminal activity.
Mr Coffey called for a focus on preventing young offenders from entering prison in the first place as well as rehabilitating them while they are serving their time.
He said that education is key to ensuring that young offenders who may have been neglected previously leave prison able to forge a better life upon their release, and called this to be one of the central purposes of prison.
Mr Coffey said: “Central to this purpose comes education, which can enable those who have committed crime and served their time to leave prison with new horizons exposed, able to find a better path.
“This isn’t just good for the individual involved, it’s good for all of society, reducing crime and conserving precious public funds.”
Halton Borough Council’s executive board member for children, education and social care, Cllr Tom McInerney, set out how the council aims to ensure that the needs of older children in the borough are not overlooked.
Councillor McInerney said: “Halton Local Safeguarding Chil- dren’s Board has a neglect strategy which specifically mentions how neglect can show itself with older children and how agencies should recognise neglect for this age group.
“This strategy is supported by multi-agency training on neglect and we also support parents and partners with a range of parenting programmes and support to reduce the impact of neglect.
“Schools are key partners in recognising and working with the family and agencies in this area.
“The local authority and schools work closely together where a young person may be missing education to ensure that support is in place at an early stage and young people are supported back into education.
“This is key to young people having opportunities for employment and further education and training and reducing the risk of them being exposed to criminal behaviour in later life.
“We have recently recommissioned our service for children who go missing and at risk of CSE to include young people at risk of criminal exploitation and we work closely with colleagues in the anti-social behaviour team and the Youth Justice Service and partners to ensure that we recognise and support this vulnerable group of young people.”