SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN
By Nicola Laver and Nicola Laver
Government must protect vulnerable children excluded from school who have been targeted and exploited by criminal gangs, charity Just for Kids Law has warned. With no legal safeguard for young people from exclusion linked to criminal exploitation, the charity urged government to change statutory guidance to reduce the risk of exclusion. The charity cited data that eight out of 10 children in custody have been excluded; and said its own evidence showed 'a significant proportion' of these were excluded because they were victims of criminal gangs. 28 August 2020