THE DISPATCH
CAMPAIGN
Time to end shame of children in care being handcuffed on their way to school and foster homes
Campaigners and MPs are working to ban the terrible practice of handcuffing vulnerable children as young as 10 while being taken to and from school and foster homes.
Private companies transporting children between care and foster homes, schools and hospitals – often in “caged” vehicles – are legally allowed to handcuff and physically restrain them as a last resort to stop at-risk children harming themselves or others.
Campaigners say the reality is that handcuffs are being used as a “go-to option any time a child shows any sign of resistance” – and unlike other parts of the youth care system, companies are not required to record or report any instances of a child being put in physical restraints.
A letter addressed to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi calling for the collection of this information to be made a requirement – with a view to ultimately banning the practice – is now making its way around Parliament and has cross-party support. It follows an early day motion to ban the practice tabled by Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-Addy, which has been backed by 25 MPs so far.
“Rather than treating a young person who is dealing with extremely stressful situations with care, kindness and respect, they are
