According to Ofsted, the second most vulnerable group of children – after babies under the age of one –are those aged 14 and above.
However, the education select committee’s recent report, Children First: The Child Protection System in England, revealed “a worrying picture with regard to the protection and support of older children”, despite local authorities’ statutory duty under the Children Act (2004) to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children under the age of 18.
Adolescent protection problems pose a challenge to the child protection system because they are difficult to recognise. The committee reports that many abused or neglected adolescents, particularly those who have experienced long-term abuse and neglect, accept their circumstances as “normal”.
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