Select committee: Human Rights (Joint Committee)
Conclusion 29
2nd Report - Human Rights of Children in the Social Care System in England
Published 27 Aug 2026
Addressed to Ministry of Justice
Human Rights (Joint Committee) Human Rights of Children in the Social Care System in England All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We appreciate that in certain circumstances, for welfare reasons, children in care may be deprived of their liberty. But every effort should be employed to offer support to children before depriving them of their liberty. Deprivation of liberty must be a measure of last resort, for as short a period as possible, and should follow the strict requirements set out in law. Existing frameworks for deprivation of liberty should be strictly followed, with adequate legal, health, and social care support provided. (Recommendation, Paragraph 155)
From: Human Rights (Joint Committee), 2nd Report - Human Rights of Children in the Social Care System in England (HC 161), 27 August 2026
Government response
No government response linked yet: deadline 27 October 2026, 5 days ago.