Representing Looked-After Children at the Police Station – Howard League for Penal Reform (July 2021)
Summary:
Howard League for Penal Reform have produced a step-by-step guide for lawyers on representing children that are looked after.
Description:
The Howard League for Penal Reform and the Youth Justice Legal Centre at Just for Kids Law have worked together to produce representing looked-after children at the police station guide.
The guide offers advice on practical steps that lawyers should take to ensure that children looked after receive the support and assistance they need and are entitled to.
The guide provides information about the growing number of children coming into care and takes lawyers through the factors that can contribute to their criminalisation.
It then moves on to practical advice, including: how to review the decision to arrest or hold a child in custody; how to communicate effectively with a child; how to advocate for a child- basic rights and entitlements; how to support a child at interview; how to consider whether a child is a victim of exploitation; how to make representations to the police and the Crown Prosecution Service; and how to make sure that a child- community care needs are met.