Deprivation of children’s liberty has increased by 46% over the last three years

Research published by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory has indicated the ‘last resort’ measure used by the High Court to deprive children of their liberty in unregulated settings such as caravans and holiday lets has increased almost 5 fold since 2019.

Children can be deprived of their liberty for a number of reasons. These include welfare reasons, crime, or mental health reasons, and placed in children’s homes, young offender institutions, secure training centres or mental health in-patient wards. When places cannot be found, the High Court has the power under its inherent jurisdiction to deprive the child of their liberty in an unregulated placement such as a caravan or holiday let.