CYP Now - Children's home providers question restraint of young people with Covid-19 symptoms

Children’s home providers have raised concerns over changes to legislation that allow young people suspected of having Covid-19 to be physically prevented from leaving a residence, the Independent Children’s Home Association (ICHA) has said.

Deprivation of liberty could be enforced to restrain children with Covid-19 symptoms. Picture: Adobe Stock

The new rules were introduced in April as part of the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) Amendment Regulations 2020.

The controversial changes, also known as Statutory Instrument 445 (SI445), remove and relax dozens of safeguards and protections relating to vulnerable children.

SI445 allows “children’s homes to enforce a temporary deprivation of liberty where powers under the Coronavirus Act 2020 in relation to isolation are being exercised in respect of a young person who is infectious or suspected of being infectious with coronavirus (Covid-19) to prevent the virus from spreading”.

Public Health England (PHE) has been handed powers to enforce the amendment, an explanatory memorandum published alongside the legislation states.

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