Outrage as children’s minister dismisses 'small' number of teenage deaths in care

The comment, which has been described as “scandalous”, was in reply to a tabled question from shadow children’s minister Helen Hayes.

Hayes, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, asked how many 16- and 17-year-olds had died after they had been placed in semi-independent or independent accommodation in the last five years.

• Analysis: Put end to unregulated provision for under-18s, urge campaigners

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In his reply, the minister said there had been 29 deaths of looked-after children, aged 16 to 17, in these settings but due to the “small” numbers involved, this figure could not be broken down by accommodation status, age or into separate years to protect confidentiality.

In a further question by Hayes, the minister refused to be drawn as to whether a review would be held into the 22 deaths of children in care aged 16 and 17 while they were living in semi-independent or independent accommodation between 2018 and 2020.

“When a child dies, in any circumstances, it is important to understand what has happened and whether there are any lessons to be learned. 

“The responsibility for ensuring child death reviews are carried out is held by the local authority and any clinical commissioning groups operating in the local authority area.

“In addition to these reviews, where a child dies or is seriously harmed, and neglect or abuse is known or suspected, it is the responsibility of the local safeguarding partnership to undertake a local child safeguarding practice review,” the minister’s response said.

Children’s rights charity Article 39 tweeted that the written reply was “painful to read” while others called on the minister to “answer the question” as to whether a national review would be held.

The charity, which is part of the #KeepCaringto18 campaign, said the lack of review into the 22 deaths was “scandalous” given that young people in care aged 16 and 17 were living in properties “without any care or consistent adult supervision”.

Campaigners are calling for unregulated accommodation for over 16s, which does not provide day-to-day care for teenagers, to be banned for all children in care aged up to 18.

The National Association of Independent Reviewing Officers said the government had changed legislation so that over 16s did not have to receive care only ‘welfare and maintenance’.

“Would this be good enough for your child?”, NAIRO tweeted.

Other organisations called on the government to recognise the need to continue providing care for young people.

“Our birth children mature at different rates and leave home, achieve milestones at different ages so it makes no sense to enforce arbitrary cliff edge policies on children growing up in care,” Jane Collins, director of Foster Support tweeted.

In a High Court hearing earlier this month, a campaign by children’s rights organisations that says “all children in care need care” was dismissed as a “catchy slogan” by government lawyers.

The comment was made during a judicial review, brought against the Department for Education by Article 39, which argued that legislation banning the use of accommodation that does not provide care for those aged under-16 “discriminates” against vulnerable 16- and 17-year-olds.