Supporting vulnerable adolescents
Public Accounts Committee
Closed
Inquiry
Adolescents exposed to dangers such as substance abuse, criminality, and exploitation, both inside and outside the family, are at greater risk of adverse outcomes including severe mental health difficulties, homelessness, physical or mental harm, periods of not being in education, employment or training, and contact with the criminal justice system. …
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14
Recommendations
12
Conclusions
1
Report
1
Oral session
3
Letters
1
Event
Activity timeline 7 events
30 May
2023
2023
22 Feb
2023
2023
Report published
16 Jan
2023
2023
12 Dec
2022
2022
12 Dec
2022
2022
21 Nov
2022
2022
Oral evidence
21 Nov
2022
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
21 Nov 2022
View on parliament.uk
Supporting vulnerable adolescents
Ed Cornmell · Ministry of Justice
Rebecca Wyse · Home Office
Siobhan Jones · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thirty-Seventh Report - Support for vulnerable adolescents | HC 730 | 22 Feb 2023 | 26 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
13 results
2
Recommendation
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
There is reluctant leadership of the challenges faced by vulnerable adolescents which undermines ownership of...
There is reluctant leadership of the challenges faced by vulnerable adolescents which undermines ownership of the problem. The Department for Education reluctantly confirmed that it is ultimately responsible for ‘holding the ring’ across Whitehall on vulnerable adolescents. However, it is …
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Government Response
The Department for Education exercises its leadership and strategic oversight role through the Vulnerable Children and Families Strategy Board. The membership has been designed to ensure representatives from all accountable departments and arms-length bodies are able to contribute.
HM Treasury
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3
Recommendation
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
Critical local multi-agency safeguarding partnerships are still not working well enough, which risks those vulnerable...
Critical local multi-agency safeguarding partnerships are still not working well enough, which risks those vulnerable adolescents that need support and help falling through the gaps. While in some places multi-agency safeguarding partnerships may work well, in other places, sadly, they …
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Government Response
The government published 'Stable Homes, Built on Love', an implementation strategy and consultation in February 2023, setting out commitments to ensure all agencies play a full role in protecting children. It is also rolling out responses to recommendations from reviews, including support from national facilitators, and amending guidance to strengthen multi-agency leadership.
HM Treasury
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4
Recommendation
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
It is not clear how lessons and learning from changing threats, serious case reviews and...
It is not clear how lessons and learning from changing threats, serious case reviews and child safeguarding review panels are embedded in day-to-day practice. Time and again reviews into child deaths highlight poor coordination between services, including insufficient joined-up leadership …
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Government Response
The Department for Education published 'Stable Homes, Built on Love' which sets out plans to transform children’s social care. The government is funding national facilitators to support local areas in improving practice, and has invested in the Tackling Child Exploitation Programme to develop multi-agency practice principles for tackling harms outside the home.
HM Treasury
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5
Recommendation
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
We are extremely concerned about the waiting time for children to receive support for mental...
We are extremely concerned about the waiting time for children to receive support for mental health issues and about the proportion of adolescent girls seeking help. A survey found nearly 1 in 5 of 6- to 16-year-olds in England had …
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Government Response
The government agrees and has been piloting five new waiting time standards since May 2019. NHS England has shared guidance for reporting waiting times and is developing implementation proposals for government consideration.
HM Treasury
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11
Conclusion
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
Multi-agency safeguarding partnerships started in 2019, aimed at joining up local NHS, policing, and local...
Multi-agency safeguarding partnerships started in 2019, aimed at joining up local NHS, policing, and local authority services to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their area.25 In May 2022, three years after they started, the Child Safeguarding …
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Government Response
The government published 'Stable Homes, Built on Love', an implementation strategy and consultation in February 2023, setting out commitments to ensure all agencies play a full role in protecting children. It is also rolling out responses to recommendations from reviews, including support from national facilitators, and amending guidance to strengthen multi-agency leadership.
HM Treasury
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13
Conclusion
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
We asked the Department for Education what is being done to review multi-agency safeguarding partnerships...
We asked the Department for Education what is being done to review multi-agency safeguarding partnerships to ensure they work better and to stop horrific events, such as the cases of Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes from recurring. The Department for …
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Government Response
The government published 'Stable Homes, Built on Love', an implementation strategy and consultation in February 2023, setting out commitments to ensure all agencies play a full role in protecting children. It is also rolling out responses to recommendations from reviews, including support from national facilitators, and amending guidance to strengthen multi-agency leadership.
HM Treasury
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15
Conclusion
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
The Department for Education explained that the care system was originally set up to address...
The Department for Education explained that the care system was originally set up to address issues that originate from within the home and was not designed to address ‘extra- familial’ harms that take place outside the home.37 It said that …
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Government Response
The Department for Education published Stable Homes, Built on Love in February 2023. The department is investing £2.8 million in the Tackling Child Exploitation Programme and is providing funding to four local authorities to test a Risk Outside the Home pathway.
HM Treasury
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16
Conclusion
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
The national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, set up to commission reviews of serious child...
The national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, set up to commission reviews of serious child safeguarding cases, has consistently highlighted cases in which poor coordination between services, including insufficient joined-up leadership and a lack of appropriate and timely information-sharing around …
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Government Response
The Department for Education published 'Stable Homes, Built on Love' which sets out plans to transform children’s social care. The government is funding national facilitators to support local areas in improving practice. A new Child Protection Ministerial Group has also been established.
HM Treasury
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18
Recommendation
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
We asked the Department for Education what it considers it can do to support young...
We asked the Department for Education what it considers it can do to support young girls with their mental health. It told us that it ensures the work it does with the Department of Health and Social Care is built …
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Government Response
The government agrees to report back to the Committee within six months on progress on the implementation of access standards for community and A&E mental health care, referencing NHS England's consultation and guidance.
HM Treasury
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19
Recommendation
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
The Department for Education also spoke about an NHS England consultation, which closed early in...
The Department for Education also spoke about an NHS England consultation, which closed early in 2022, on introducing waiting time standards for community and A&E mental health care.48 The new standards would comprise a 24-hour standard for urgent community mental …
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Government Response
The government agrees and has been piloting five new waiting time standards since May 2019. NHS England has shared guidance for reporting waiting times and is developing implementation proposals for government consideration.
HM Treasury
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20
Recommendation
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
Between 2010–11 and 2020–21, the number of children cautioned or sentenced for an offence reduced...
Between 2010–11 and 2020–21, the number of children cautioned or sentenced for an offence reduced from 85,300 to 15,751 (an 82% reduction) and the number of first- time entrants to the youth criminal justice system reduced from 46,012 to 8,848 …
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Government Response
The government agrees to report back within six months, with an analysis and steps being taken to address the over-representation of ethnic minority children in custody.
HM Treasury
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21
Recommendation
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
Whilst the number of children in youth custody across all ethnicities has reduced (by 73%)...
Whilst the number of children in youth custody across all ethnicities has reduced (by 73%) between 2010–11 and 2020–21, the proportion from ethnic minority backgrounds has increased (from 32% to 53%).54 Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice drew our attention to …
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Government Response
The government agrees and will update the Committee within six months with an analysis of the issue and the steps that government are taking to address the over-representation of ethnic minority children in custody. Implementation date: August 2023.
HM Treasury
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22
Recommendation
Accepted
Thirty-Seventh Report - Support fo…
When asked about its plans, the Home Office acknowledged that nobody should be targeted by...
When asked about its plans, the Home Office acknowledged that nobody should be targeted by the police on the basis of their ethnicity, or any other factor linked to their background. It told us that it works with communities to …
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Government Response
The Ministry of Justice and Home Office will provide an analysis of the over-representation of ethnic minority children in custody and the steps government is taking to address it within six months.
HM Treasury
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Correspondence 3 letters
16 Jan 2023
Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re Correction to Q62, HC730 on supporting vulnerable adolescents, 21 November 2022, dated 22 December 2022
Parliament page
12 Dec 2022
Correspondence from Siobhan Jones, Director, Local Government Policy Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, re Supporting Vulnerable Adolescents update, dated 6 December 2022
Parliament page
12 Dec 2022
Correspondence from Ed Cornmell, Youth Custody Service Executive Director, HM Prison & Probation Services, re Addressing Regional Variation in First Time Entrants to the Youth Justice System, dated 7 December 2022
Parliament page