Article 39 children's rights charity

A ladder to the stars | Article 39

🪜✨ Thinking of our dear friend Ian Dickson today. Lifetime champion of children and young people, always spoke truth to power. Before he died, he advised us to know the difference between all the brilliant people working in children’s care settings, and the cowboys.
article39.org.uk/our-story/ch...

In addition to the headline used, this is also a report of a young child in care dying and his foster mum fighting for justice for him.

Our children’s welfare system has been wilfully restructured to put children aged 16 and 17 at the margins, treating them as if they’re adults. Can imagine plight of your pupil. Excellent they have your support 🙏

Yes it is. We’re an experienced team at Article 39 and the accounts we’ve heard this past year have been beyond appalling. Yet local authority pressures and narratives continue to shape national policy.

❗️Alarmed by harms suffered by children, & scale of LA non-compliance with law, this year we published two new resources, and updated a third.

For teenagers: rights4children.org.uk/aged-16-or-1...
For social workers: article39.org.uk/advice-and-r...
For advocates: article39.org.uk/wp-content/u...

Two Met Police officers convicted for assaulting 16-year-old Black boy - Voice Online PC Gonen is suspended and PC Price remains on restricted duties. Both officers will be sentenced on 24 January

No ambulance available to take a black child to hospital for urgent mental health assessment and care. Police given task instead. Two police officers assault child.
www.voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-news...

❗As we warned: 2021 changes to care planning secondary legislation have radically restructured children's care system, giving veneer of legitimacy to what was once shameful.

⬇️ This kind of accommodation is meant to be restricted to children able to manage without any care or consistent supervision.

An insightful child focused commentary from Article 39.

Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill | Article 39

See our initial analysis here: article39.org.uk/childrenswel...

Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill | Article 39

NEW: Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Our initial analysis of the Bill was published this morning. Sorry we cannot join the chorus of congratulations. We expect so much more for children and young people.

article39.org.uk/childrenswel...

From Ofsted’s latest inspection of Nottingham children’s services: “A significant proportion of children who have entered care in the last six months have previously been in care.”

Article 39's Founder Director receives honorary doctorate | Article 39

⬇️ So this happened today!

article39.org.uk/2024/12/12/a...

State of child protection in England. Parents asked to sign agreements with social workers not to hit their children, because the law allows parental assault.

The ‘reasonable chastisement’ common law defence for child assault is from a case in 1860.

“Cost of sales”

Correction - Gift Aid carried us over our target. Excellent 🌟

👏 We're very grateful to all those who were able to donate, and to those who helped spread the word. Just a whisker away from our target of £6,000 - this will make a big difference to our little charity. THANK YOU!
#BigGiveChallenge

#BigGiveChallenge
Wow, we are very very close to our £6,000 total target (with match funds).

🙏 Thanks so much everyone. Closes midday Tues (tomorrow): donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...

#BigGiveChallenge

Fingers crossed we can raise another £2,000 by Tuesday midday - every single donation doubled!

🔆 Minimum donation £1: donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...

Please help us if you can.

Top London academies face mass claims of emotional harm as Whitehall acts on crisis Government says allegations ‘deeply distressing’ as dossier of allegations grows in wake of Observer investigation into Mossbourne schools

None of what is described would be tolerated were children to be seen and treated as human beings with feelings and rights.

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

🎄We're part of this year's #ChristmasChallenge.

From midday today (3 Dec), our supporters have 7 days to donate to our unique children's rights advice service.

🙌 Every donation made this week will be doubled whilst match funds last!
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...

Go figure.

Our little charity went to court to try and stop last government telling local authorities through law and policy that children in care aged 16 and 17 don’t need care where they live.

Court was told it would cost £500m to ensure care for every child. Not feasible, government said.

‘Door could be open to abuse’ of disabled children due to DfE shelving advocacy plan, say leads Should social workers have a safeguarding role in any future assisted dying process? Yes, this would help protect people against coercion No, the existing safeguards in the assisted dying bill are suf...

"And children’s rights charity Article 39 described the decision as “unforgivable”, while highlighting the lack of specific plans in the DfE’s wider social care strategy to ensure the voices of children and young people are heard."

www.communitycare.co.uk/2024/11/29/d...

‘Door could be open to abuse’ of disabled children due to DfE shelving advocacy plan, say leads Should social workers have a safeguarding role in any future assisted dying process? Yes, this would help protect people against coercion No, the existing safeguards in the assisted dying bill are suf...

"And children’s rights charity Article 39 described the decision as “unforgivable”, while highlighting the lack of specific plans in the DfE’s wider social care strategy to ensure the voices of children and young people are heard."

www.communitycare.co.uk/2024/11/29/d...

‘Child poverty has got a lot worse’: outgoing charity boss lambasts Tory failures and social media giants Peter Wanless of the NSPCC calls for more preventive action on child poverty, a ban on ‘morally repugnant’ smacking and favours guardrails online rather than bans

Yes, retaining 1860 common law defence for parents (& others) charged with assaulting a child is morally repugnant ⬇️

... in England there’s still an exception for “reasonable punishment” – a fact Wanless described as “morally repugnant”.
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

Labour government unveils its plans for children’s social care Government this week (18 November 2024) unveiled its plans for children’s social care through two key documents – a document presented to parliament called ‘Keeping children safe, helping fami…

Excellent to see Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel sound the alarm on government stalling vital developments in advocacy for disabled children, intended to help prevent abuse.

We described this as “unforgivable” in our response to govt announcements 18 Nov:

article39.org.uk/labour-gover...

Yesterday, Greater Manchester approved free travel passes for young people who have experienced care up until the age of 25.

Through devolution, important progressive steps continue to be made.

Grim. Provision of Independent Advocacy is already patchy, under-resourced and misunderstood.

Indeed.

See also many rights and protections within UNCRC and Articles 8 and 14 ECHR.

Girl, two, who drowned in bin in London was failed by council, coroner finds Social workers declined to provide short-term foster care for Mazeedat Adeoye whose mother had overstayed visa

In our social work law course we emphasise that "no recourse to public funds" doesn't mean no eligibility for social care. This tragic case shows why that's so important. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

Labour government unveils its plans for children’s social care Government this week (18 November 2024) unveiled its plans for children’s social care through two key documents – a document presented to parliament called ‘Keeping children safe, helping fami…

Meanwhile government is stalling non-instructed advocacy for disabled children because we don’t have the ££ apparently. Sixth richest country in world and we somehow can’t afford child protection basics.
article39.org.uk/labour-gover...