VULNERABLE CHILDREN BEHIND BARS

CHILDREN in need make up more than half of all kids sentenced for crimes in the last year.

A child is defined as being "in need" if they need council intervention to prevent harm or to achieve a reasonable standard of health or development - or if they or their parents are disabled.

They are the most vulnerable children in the country, and may be living in extreme poverty, at risk from abuse or neglect, or being targeted by gangs or traffickers, among other issues.

New figures from the Ministry of Justice have revealed that 56% of all children who were sentenced for a crime in 2018/19 were a child in need at one time or another.

While 38% had previously been considered a child in need but no longer were, 18% were still classed as being in need at the time they were sentenced.

Javed Khan, chief executive of Barnardo’s, said: “We know that all too often children who come into contact with the criminal justice system are already vulnerable.

“They may have experienced abuse, neglect, school exclusion and criminal or sexual exploitation, and many have been in the care system.

“This can lead to a ‘poverty of hope’ among young people who are trapped in a cycle of vulnerability and are at risk of being recruited by criminal gangs.

“The Government urgently needs to work with charities, education, health, youth workers, the criminal justice system and local communities to make sure we intervene early to support vulnerable children.

“We believe that with the right support, love and hope, all young people can turn their lives around and work towards a positive future.”

The figures also look at specific factors that may be affecting a child who has been sentenced for a crime.

These include concerns over their wellbeing, how they relate to other people, social problems and issues at home, or their own behaviours.

There were concerns raised about the safety and wellbeing of nearly nine in 10 children sentenced in the last year (88%).

A similar proportion (85%) were assessed as a risk to others, while there were concerns about substance misuse in 75% of cases.

Other areas that were flagged as a concern in a significant number of cases were the child’s mental health (71%), their speech, language and communication (71%) and lifestyle (66%).

Most children had multiple concerns raised when they were assessed.

In just 11% of cases there were zero to four concerns identified, rising to 26% with five to nine concerns, 41% with 10 to 14 concerns, and 22% with 15 to 19 concerns.

The assessments also looked at a child’s risk of serious harm, such as death or serious personal injury, whether physical or psychological.

Of the children sentenced last year, 25% were at low risk of serious harm, 47% were at medium risk, 27% were at high risk, and 2% were at very high risk.