Bury South MP Christian Wakeford is backing efforts to end the alarming practice of secure transportation providers restraining and handcuffing vulnerable children in the UK’s care system.

There was a special event in Parliament where Mr Wakeford pledged his support for the Hope instead of Handcuffs campaign.

The campaign was launched to end the handcuffing of children or young people in care whilst being securely transported by private providers.

Local authorities regularly hire private providers to transport children between care placements or to take them to school, hospital etc.

It was found that many of these providers use restraints like handcuffs on these children with some even advertising the use of handcuffs on their website.

Restraint in other parts of the care system is heavily regulated, but children and young people are not protected by the same regulations when they are in the care of secure transportation providers.

Ofsted also cannot inspect restraint practices of secure transport providers either.

The Hope instead of Handcuffs campaign is calling on the government to mandate that all private secure transportation providers be legally obliged to report any instances of restraint, including handcuffing, of innocent care-experienced children to an appropriate body.

It is also calling for an appropriate body to collect, monitor and review data provided by these private secure transport providers to increase transparency and accountability.

And ultimately the campaign wants to end the handcuffing and restraint of innocent children by private secure transportation providers except when there is a considerable risk of the child harming themselves or others.

It wants to also recognise that a new, child-centred approach is needed that treats vulnerable children as victims instead of criminals and ensures that secure transportation providers in the UK’s care system do not contribute to further trauma.

Mr Wakeford said: “This concerning gap in regulations needs to be addressed if we are to better understand what really happens to children and young people while being securely transported.

“I support the Hope instead of Handcuffs campaign’s efforts to bring regulations in this area in line with other parts of the care system, and to ultimately end this brutal practice.”

Campaign founder Emily Aklan said: “I launched the Hope instead of Handcuffs campaign after witnessing first-hand children as young as eleven being handcuffed by secure transportation providers.

“We need a more transparent and accountable system that will allow us to monitor how many children are restrained during secure transportation, scrutinise why restraint is being used and ultimately end the practice.”

In response, a Department for Education spokesperson added: “No child or young person should be subjected to any form of restraint unless it is necessary and it must always be used proportionately - only permitted, for example, for the purposes of preventing injury or serious damage to property.”