Protection and care of teenagers ‘requires fundamental rethink'

Teenagers who display challenging behaviour are commonly labelled as “troublesome” or “antisocial”.

Professionals – such as those in ?the sexual exploitation case in Rochdale – can sometimes view the actions of young people as the problem, as opposed to a response to underlying abuse.

Following a year-long inquiry, the House of Commons education select committee has published a comprehensive report into the state of child protection. As well as examining neglect and thresholds for intervention, ?the inquiry warns that older children, particularly those aged 14 to 18, are being failed by the system that is intended to keep them safe.

Graham Stuart, chair of the select committee, says older children are “frequently ignored or not listened to” and can be “pushed out of care too young, with insufficient preparation and support”. “There is a tendency for their experiences to be dismissed or perhaps disbelieved,” he adds. “Even when they get in the system, the options available to them may not be suitable.”

Recognising the signs