NYAS fully supports the ongoing efforts of our colleagues at Article 39 who have now launched legal action to secure the withdrawal of DfE  ‘myth busting’ guide by seeking judicial review at the High Court.

We support Article 39’s assertion that the guide removes important statutory safeguards which were put in place to protect some of the most vulnerable children and young people.

In September 2018 NYAS along with 49 other charities and sector experts, signed a joint letter to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, Minister Nadhim Zahawi requesting that parts of the document be removed as they incorrectly described the statutory framework for England’s care system and risked creating confusion and negatively impacting on the support offered to vulnerable children and young people.

At NYAS we will continue to campaign in partnership with peer organisations like Article 39 to have the misleading ‘Myth-Busting’ guide content withdrawn and to gain an assurance from government that any further guidance is published following proper consultation in future. The risks to vulnerable young people if the issue is not resolved means that those with barriers to understanding their rights may be compromised.

Further information:
Joint Letter – Open letter to Nadhim Zahawi MP, Department for Education, 4 September 2018
Article 39 – What’s wrong with the Department for Education’s ‘Children’s social care statutory guidance myth busting document’?
Children & Young People Now – Judicial review launched over DfE ‘myth busting’ guide