AYJ Response: Establishing the Child Protection Authority in England
The AYJ has responded to a Department for Education consultation on establishing a new Child Protection Authority (CPA) in England. The consultation sought views on the design, scope and powers of the proposed body, including how it would identify emerging safeguarding risks, strengthen multi-agency working and improve national oversight of child protection systems. The AYJ consulted with members to gather their views and inform the response.
The response argues that the CPA must be designed to address systemic safeguarding failures that occur across agencies and services. While welcoming the recognition that youth justice services are key safeguarding partners, the response argues the CPA’s scope should go further by explicitly recognising children in contact with the youth justice system as a priority group and ensuring youth justice services are fully integrated into its work.
The response also calls for youth justice data to be included in the CPA’s intelligence systems so emerging risks affecting vulnerable children can be identified. It further highlights the need for gender-informed safeguarding and for girls and young women affected by violence against women and girls to be recognised within the CPA’s framework.
Finally, it stresses that the government should establish a dedicated Department for Children to address the fragmentation of responsibilities across government. In the absence of this, it calls for responsibility for children in the justice system to move from the Ministry of Justice to the Department for Education.