AYJ joins coalition demanding better protection against child criminal exploitation
AYJ has joined a coalition of 12 children’s charities led by AYJ member, Just for Kids Law, to send a letter to the Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, calling for the Statutory Guidance on Exclusions and Guidance on Behaviour to better protect vulnerable children facing school exclusion from child criminal exploitation (CCE).
As set out in the press release, excluding children from school can often make them more vulnerable to CCE, and statistics show a clear connection between exclusion from school and entry into the youth justice system with more than 8 out of 10 children in custody previously being excluded. Yet the current draft guidance for schools fails to include sufficient safeguards to protect these vulnerable children.
As a coalition, we are calling for two simple changes to the Statutory Exclusions Guidance and Behaviour Guidance:
That it includes better information for teachers on how to spot the warning signs and risk factors for CCE, including reference to the Government’s own guidance.
For both headteachers and governing bodies to consider whether a child at risk of exclusion may be showing risk factors for exploitation as part of their decision to exclude.
You can find out more about the coalitions letter on the Just for Kids Law website here. The AYJ would like to thank Just for Kids Law for leading this important response.