His point is that the Bill gives obligations to guarantee basic protections to children to all sorts of agencies, from the police to NHS trusts to young offenders' institutes. "Simple stuff," he calls it: "Ensuring they aren't being starved or beaten or bored to death." But he says that three big agencies are left out: immigration officers, workers at asylum seekers' reception centres, and the National Asylum Support Service.
So while police officers are going to be trained and legally required to watch out for abuse and trauma in children, these other workers are not. "It won't be part of their job description, never mind a legal requirement," says Hari.
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