Member

Amendment 119A in my name seeks to establish the principle that children should always be held in the least restrictive environment possible. There are children with complex learning disabilities and mental health problems who are currently in residential special schools. If residential special schools were allowed to deprive a child in their care of their liberty, it would allow them to stay in that setting, rather than being moved miles away to a secure children’s home or an assessment and treatment unit, where outcomes are much poorer. Of course, any application for a deprivation of liberty order would still need the approval of the courts and the same criteria would apply.