Hampshire police and crime commissioner Donna Jones tells Andy Burnham: Special needs children are ‘vulnerable to exploitation’ under government reforms
Changes to education could see vulnerable young people ‘fall through the gaps’ of the system, Donna Jones has warned
Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner has written to the government to flag up her fears that special education needs children could fall prey to exploitation and criminality as an unintended consequence of government reforms.
Donna Jones’ letter has been backed by eight other PCCs across the country. in it she called on Andy Burnham to ensure the proposed Send reforms ensure children with complex needs do not “fall through gaps between public services”.
Such young people can become disengaged from education and training if their needs are not identified in time, increasing the risk for exploitation, violence, and criminal activity, the commissioners said.
“We repeatedly encounter young people whose journey into offending has been preceded by persistent absence, exclusion, placement breakdown, unmet needs and disengagement from education,” the letter reads.
“By the time many come to the attention of policing or the criminal justice system, opportunities for early intervention have already been missed.”
The letter adds: “Send is not, in itself, a predictor of offending. However, when additional needs are not identified or supported, children can become increasingly disengaged from education and vulnerable to exploitation, violence and criminal activity.”
The demand comes after the Education Secretary Lucy Powell confirmed, earlier this month, that reforms to Send set out under Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government would be pushed forward.
The reforms are intended to make education more inclusive, with Send children able to start getting more access to specialist support in their local area without needing a diagnosis from this month, and costs for local authorities reduced in the longer term.
In their letter, the commissioners called for the Send reform to be considered “a matter of public safety, health, social care and long-term public expenditure” as well as an education issue.
“We therefore urge the government to ensure that crime prevention and public safety are properly considered as part of Send reform,” the letter says.
The commissioners asked for the plans to protect access to appropriate specialist provision for children with complex needs, while focusing on early identification and prevention.
They have also called for ministers to recognise education as “an important protective factor against exploitation and offending”, and for the reform plans to be informed by the experiences of policing and frontline public services.
Additionally to Ms Jones, the letter was signed by: the PCC for Hertfordshire, Jonathan Ash-Edwards; Darryl Preston for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; Matthew Scott for Kent; David Sidwick for Dorset; Matthew Barber for the Thames Valley; Chris Nelson for Gloucestershire; Tim Passmore for Suffolk; and Jonathan Evison for Humberside.
A government spokesperson said: “There is nothing more important than the safety of our young people. All schools must follow statutory safeguarding guidance, which highlights how some children are more vulnerable to abuse and harm than others, including those with Send.
“Our once-in-a-generation Send reforms, backed by £4bn, will ensure that every child gets the right support, in their local school, to keep them engaged in education. Meanwhile, we have legislated for a new Child Criminal Exploitation offence and prevention orders under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, targeting adults who exploit children for criminal activities.”
Last month Mrs Jones launched the Trusted Adults campaign, which aims to prevent the exploitation of children by ensuring that adults know how best to listen to a child who is expressing concerning information.