Adopting a Child First Approach
Last week (20 July 2026) saw the publication of a series of major national research studies relating to children and policy. A Summary Report and Recommendations draws together the findings of the project, Children and Policing in England and Wales: Adopting a Child First Approach, from three linked reports:
- Frontline Policing and Children: Towards a Child First Approach in Practice (Kemp and Bevan 2026)
- Children in Police Custody: The Case for Child First Reform (Kemp and Bevan 2026)
- Children in Police Custody: An Analysis of Custody Record Data (Kent and others 2026)
Arresting children
The researchers make the point that police custody is one of the most serious interventions the state can make in a child’s life. It temporarily deprives the child of their liberty and marks them as a criminal suspect, acting as a gateway into the youth justice system. For this reason, the decision to arrest and detain a child should be exceptional, carefully justified and used only where necessary.
Yet, for many of the more than 58,000 child detentions recorded in 2024/25, police custody is unlikely to have been experienced as a carefully considered measure of last resort.
Instead, it is often confusing, isolating and punitive, with children held in adult-designed environments, subject to processes they may not fully understand, and dependent on safeguards that are inconsistently applied.
This is a major concern particularly because no further action was taken in 61% cases reviewed in this five force study.
The research
This study builds on earlier Nuffield Foundation-funded research conducted by the same team led by Vicky Kemp: Examining the Impact of PACE on the Detention and Questioning of Child Suspects. This study highlighted significant tensions between policy, professional practice and children’s lived experiences of police custody. Its findings also raised broader questions about the decisions that bring children into police custody and the criminal justice system in the first place.
The present research examined how Child First principles could be embedded throughout children’s interactions with the police, from initial contact through arrest, detention, diversion and release. It adopted an applied, policy- and practice-oriented approach, moving from the identification of problems in the earlier study to considering how potential reforms could be implemented in practice.
The study explored frontline and supervisory decision-making, police custody, the role of partner agencies, and the practical and policy changes needed to support a more child-centred approach.
It also evaluated a range of interventions and initiatives intended to improve practice, reduce unnecessary arrest and detention, strengthen safeguards, and support Child First decision-making.
The reports
Together these three new reports provide the most comprehensive examination to date of children’s experiences of policing and police custody in England and Wales.
It explores the decisions that shape children’s experiences, the roles and responsibilities of partner agencies, and the structural and cultural reforms required to support a more child-centred, rights-respecting and evidence-informed approach.
Each report makes a distinct contribution to this overall evidence base.
The first considers frontline policing practice, including stop and search, arrest, diversion and safeguarding.
The second focuses on children’s experiences of police custody, with particular attention to detention conditions, legal safeguards, interview and release.
The third presents analysis of electronic custody record data from seven police forces, offering an important quantitative perspective on custody practice, the characteristics of the children who are detained, the use of safeguards and custody outcomes.
In combination, the reports present a framework for Child First policing and set out recommendations for police forces, partner agencies and policy-makers seeking to improve the treatment, protection and experiences of children who come into contact with the police.
Making a difference
Helpfully, the researchers have also published an accompanying Child First Custody Toolkit which translates the key findings and recommendations into practical guidance and decision-making tools for frontline and custody practitioners.
This is a great example of research which makes a difference in real life. Four police forces who worked with the researchers have already acted on an earlier recommendation from the project to cut the length of time children spend in police custody. Although the legislation allows children (and adults) to be detained for up to 24 hours in the first instance, the Greater Manchester, Met, Surrey and South Wales Police forces have adopted a 12 hour limit for children.
Surrey Police was the first to adopt this limit in September 2023 and the current research has found that the average detention period for a child had fallen from 11 hours and 6 minutes to 7 hours and 36 minutes by March 2025.
The header image is from the report front cover designed by Reality Art.
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