Hughes defends plans to single children out

New children’s minister Beverley Hughes has defended
government plans to monitor children as young as three-years-old to
try and identify those at risk of growing up into criminals,
writes Amy Taylor.

Beverley Hughes

Responding to a leaked Home Office report, Hughes told BBC Radio
4’s Today programme that ministers wanted to identify
children who were having problems at an early age and help them to
avoid them becoming any deeper.

She denied that the government was criminalising children but
agreed that the issue had to be approached carefully.

“There is a balance to be struck between intervening early
and labelling children prematurely so this has to be done very
sensitively but I think professionals working with children
understand that very well,” she said.

According to reports the leaked plans would involve nursery
staff singling out children if they behave aggressively.