Children England supports the amendment to limit secure accommodation changes to two years

Amendments to the Children and Social Work Bill have been tabled by Edward Timpson that would allow courts in England to place children in secure accommodation in Scotland - and vice versa. 

Whilst this is already happening in certain cases where local authorities don't have access to sufficient places in secure accommodation closer to home, it is far from ideal for the children concerned. Rather than amend primary legislation to enable more children to be sent far away from family and familiar professional support, Article 39's briefing argues that what is really needed is investment in specialist provision in local areas. Provisions to send children over the border according to where secure accommodation places are available might tidy up a legislative inconsistency, but they do not put children's needs first, and interfere with their rights. The briefing supports an additional 'sunset clause' amendment to limit this practice to two years, at which point a full consultation should be undertaken with children, families and professionals, and the impact on children's rights scrutinised.

Download the full briefing from Article 39 here.