The new advice for schools in England has been issued following a national outcry over the treatment of a 15-year-old black girl, known as Child Q, who was searched by female police officers in 2020 after she was mistakenly believed to be carrying cannabis. at her school in east London. The incident sparked days of protests in Hackney after it was revealed the child was searched without an appropriate adult present and knowing she was menstruating. Her parents have not been contacted. New Department for Education (DfE) guidance, published on Wednesday, says that in such cases school staff must maintain a duty of care to the student and must advocate for their welfare at all times. It also says school staff should consider whether triggering a potential police investigation is “absolutely necessary” and ensure all other “less invasive” approaches have been exhausted first. A local review of child protection practice, carried out by City & Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership (CHSCP) and published in March, concluded that the strip-search of Child Q was unjustified and that racism was “likely to have been an influencing factor” . It said school staff should have been more challenging to police and called on the DfE to “urgently review” its guidance to school staff. The review found that Child Q had been injured and required treatment after having to expose intimate parts of the body during the search. The Metropolitan Police said the actions of its officers were “regrettable” and “should never have happened”. A number of other cases where children have been strip-searched have since been referred for independent investigation. The new DfE guidance, which aims to offer step-by-step guidance, states: “While the decision to undertake the investigation itself and its conduct are police matters, school staff retain a duty of care to the pupil[s] are involved and should support the welfare of students at all times. “Before calling the police to the school, staff should assess and balance the risk of a potential investigation to the student’s mental and physical well-being against the risk of not recovering the suspicious item.” Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST It adds: “Staff should consider whether introducing the possibility of strip-searching through police involvement is absolutely necessary and should always ensure that other suitable, less invasive approaches have been exhausted. “Once the police are on school grounds, the decision as to whether to conduct a stripper investigation rests solely with them and the school’s role is to advocate for the safety and well-being of the students involved.” The guidance, which comes into force in September, adds that where possible staff should give parents advance notice of any investigation. At least two other people, one of whom must be a suitable adult, must be present for a strip search involving the exposure of intimate parts of the body, except where there is a risk of serious harm to the pupil or others. Students should receive appropriate support after a strip-search, even if a suspicious item is found. “If an item is found, this may be a police matter but should always be accompanied by a safeguarding process operated by the school, which pays attention to the welfare of the student and involves relevant staff such as the designated head of custody (or deputy) . “
