Guide aims to improve education for children in custody
Fiona Simpson
Friday, July 1, 2022
New guidelines designed to tackle “woefully inadequate” education for children in custody have been published to “outline key steps that practitioners can take to address the problem”.
The guide, produced by the Howard League for Penal Reform and Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA), highlights that more than two-thirds of children in custody have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
It adds that “these needs – which can include learning difficulties, speech, language and communication difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health problems – are often mislabelled, unrecognised and unmet.
“Many children in custody who require the additional support of an education, health and care plan (EHCP) do not have one. When plans are made, often they are of poor quality and specify support that is not provided.”
The guide is designed for professionals across all custodial settings where children are held including secure training centres, young offender institutions, secure children’s homes and planned secure schools.
It includes advice and guidance on the impact of unidentified SEND on young people in custody including the impact of speech and language delays.
It also explains the process of establishing if a child needs an EHCP assessment, how the assessment process works, next steps and the rights of a child with an EHCP.
Claire Salama, managing solicitor at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said that the guide has been created in response to the halting of education provision in custodial settings for young people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our guide not only recommends that legal protections and frameworks around education in custody should be strengthened; it also advises professionals supporting children on what more can be done to improve provision here and now.
“Children must be supported to access their rights and, where those rights are not respected, be supported to bring legal challenges,” she said.
