Children's Commissioner warns over safeguarding in police strip searches

The Children's Commissioner for England has issued a stark warning about the safeguarding of children subjected to police strip searches, revealing how thousands of young people—particularly Black children—are being failed by current practices. The article highlights the traumatic case of Child Q, a Black schoolgirl who was strip searched without an appropriate adult present, treated as a suspect rather than a vulnerable child in need of protection. This examination exposes critical failures at the intersection of policing and child safeguarding, raising profound questions about how local safeguarding partnerships oversee interactions between children and law enforcement. For cabinet members with responsibility for children's services, the report underscores the necessity of ensuring that schools, social care teams, and police forces work collaboratively to uphold the fundamental principle that every child should be safer after an interaction with authorities. The findings demand urgent attention to systemic issues within stop and search powers, particularly regarding the disproportionate targeting of Black children and the absence of appropriate adults during intrusive procedures. Local authorities must scrutinise how these national policing practices impact vulnerable children in their areas, ensuring that safeguarding arrangements extend beyond traditional settings to encompass all contexts where children encounter statutory services.