Children: Body Searches
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on plans to end the use of strip search powers against minors.
Answered by Josh MacAlister
The government is committed to introducing new legal safeguards around the strip search of children. Department officials are working with officials from the Home Office to deliver this important commitment.
Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police, and the government is clear that such searches must only be conducted when absolutely necessary in order to protect people, prevent harm, or secure evidence. This must always be done with full regard for the dignity and welfare of the individual involved, particularly where the individual is a child.
The ’Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance for schools’ supports head teachers and staff to fully understand their rights and the rights of the child, so that searching powers are used in a way that ensures schools are calm, safe and supportive environments in which to learn and work.
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