§ Mr. DawsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice he has issued to social services departments following the recent judgement that the Children Act 1989 applies to children in prisons. [144023]
§ Alan Johnson[holding answer 16 December 2003]: The duties of Councils with Social Services Responsibilities towards children, including those in prisons, are set out in the Children Act 1989 and its associated regulations and guidance.
A revised Prison Service Order 4950 Regimes for Prisoners Under 18 Years Old will be issued early in the New Year in two stages; the first by February 2004 and 62W a further more thorough version subsequently, following a recent review of safeguarding procedures in prison services, on which work is still taking place.
The booklet What To Do If You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused, published in May2003, applies to all children and young people irrespective of whether they are living at home with their families and carers or away from home.