Campaign calls for ban on handcuffing children

The Hope not Handcuffs campaign, led by care services provider Serenity Welfare, is urging the government to ban the use of handcuffs to restrain young people both in the youth justice system and in care.

The move comes following anecdotal evidence from the organisation which reveals children have been handcuffed and placed in police vans to be moved between care placements.

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One care leaver told Serenity: “When I was taken to my care home, I was put in handcuffs and put in the back of a van by the transport provider – apparently because they didn’t have any other vehicles available. After this, I actually had to spend two nights in police custody because they couldn’t find me a place to stay.

“I felt utterly uncared for. None of my questions were being answered, and having to stay at a police station made me feel like a criminal – but I hadn’t done anything wrong. I felt so lost.”

Another, 19-year-old care leaver, who designed the campaign’s logo which depicts a butterfly, added: “When I was 16 I was placed in the back of a police van and taken to my new “home” as if I were a criminal.

“With Hope instead of Handcuffs we could bring back the trust that we need for children in the system to thrive. The butterfly in this logo is proof that you can go through a great deal of darkness and still become something beautiful.”

Recent research by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England shows that physical restraint was used on children 6,300 times last year in secure training centres and young offenders institutions – a 16 per cent increase on 2019.

The campaign is calling on the government to:

• Legislate to ban the handcuffing, restraining, or caging of children except when there is a considerable risk of the child harming themselves or others;

• All organisations involved in the transportation of children to be legally obliged to report any instances of the handcuffing of children; 

• Recognise that a new approach is needed that treats vulnerable children as victims instead of criminals, providing them with timely interventions to rebuild their lives;

• Allocate responsibility for supporting the mentoring of vulnerable children to a government minister in the relevant department. 

Emily Aklan, founder and chief executive of Serenity Welfare, said: “Too often, young people in care are treated as criminals rather than victims who require care and support to rebuild their lives. The care system desperately needs a new approach in the way it deals with young people, starting with a ban on the use of handcuffs and caged vehicles for transporting children.

“Handcuffs and restraints are deeply damaging to children – both physically and mentally. All children should be treated with kindness, respect and be offered support like high-quality mentoring so that they can reach their potential and lead safe, fulfilling lives.”

Backing the campaign, Steve McCabe, Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oaks added: “This is a shocking issue which has slipped under the radar for far too long. The use of these physical restraints on vulnerable children is as inhumane as it is unnecessary, and the campaign has my wholehearted support as we work together to ban the use of handcuffs on children during secure transportation.”