News

Child Q: Calls for more youth workers in schools after girl strip-searched by police

Publish Date: Edit Date: 4 mins read Youth Work Social Care Education
The strip-search of a 15-year-old girl in Hackney has prompted calls for the placement of more youth workers in schools.
Hundreds of campaigners joined a rally in Hackney. Picture: Diane Abbott MP/Twitter
Hundreds of campaigners joined a rally in Hackney. Picture: Diane Abbott MP/Twitter

The girl, known as Child Q, was wrongly accused of carrying drugs after teachers claimed to smell cannabis during an exam and was strip-searched by police while on her period, a safeguarding review into the incident states.

The review, carried out by the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership concluded that Child Q should never have been strip-searched.

It found an absence of a safeguarding-first approach in the practice of teachers and police officers involved in the search.

It states that racism was likely to be an “influencing factor” in the girl’s ordeal.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here


More like this