Too many children in England – including some as young as 11 – are carrying knives because they feel unsafe in their neighbourhoods, a report has found.
Serious youth violence is “more far-reaching” than many adults realise and it has a “wide impact” across communities, inspectorates have suggested.
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are disproportionately at risk of serious youth violence, according to the joint study by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), HMI Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and HMI Probation.
The report sets out findings from six joint targeted area inspections which looked at how local partnerships and services respond when children and young people are affected by serious youth violence.
The inspections – which tracked the experiences of hundreds of children between September 2023 and May 2024 in Leeds, Coventry, Somerset, Manchester, Merton and Lancashire – found serious youth violence is “widespread” and whole communities are affected by it.
The report said: “Parents are very concerned for the safety of their children. We frequently heard of children carrying knives in order, as they described it, to protect themselves.
“The fear of knife crime among children is evident. Inspectors were alarmed at how many children and professionals told them that it is common for children to carry a knife. This included children as young as 11.”
It found serious youth violence disproportionately affects young people with Send – particularly those who might be considered neurodivergent – and it has called on the Government and local agencies to prioritise the needs of these children most at risk of harm.
“Delays across England in assessing children’s needs in relation to Send are putting these children at greater risk of harm,” the report warned.
It has called on partnerships to make it an objective to reduce the over-representation of black and other ethnic minority children affected by serious youth violence in their area.
While the inspectorates found examples of partnerships doing effective work to reduce harm, the report noted “this is not happening in all areas”.
It said: “A failure to consistently identify serious youth violence as a safeguarding issue is leaving too many children at serious risk of harm.”
Some professionals did not realise the “harmful consequences” of the way they responded to children, such as blaming them for the harm they experienced.
Inspectors also found black children were more likely to be “adultified” in this way than their peers.
Separate research from charity Safer London, commissioned by Ofsted, found families affected by serious youth violence often felt a distinct lack of empathy from professionals.
Sir Martyn Oliver, chief inspector of Ofsted, said: “Knife crime is blighting the lives of too many children in England. It’s a national scandal.
“It’s very disturbing that children as young as 11 feel they need to carry a knife for their own protection.
“Where we see local partnerships are working well together, it makes a real difference. So I hope this report helps improve practice, knowledge and understanding for all local areas.
“Urgent action is needed now, to keep children safe.”
Michelle Skeer, of His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said: “The effects of serious youth violence on both children and communities are deeply concerning.
“It is vital that police forces intervene at the earliest opportunity to disrupt the risk to children and young people.”
Lucy Harte, deputy director for multi-agency operations at the CQC, said: “The impact of serious youth violence is an insidious harm that people working in health services share the opportunity and responsibility to challenge.
“As well as the extent and impact being more serious than many adults realise, the inspection evidence also highlights that particular groups are at increased risk, such as children and young people with Send.
“We have seen how effective training and strong partnerships between local services can make a significant difference to the experience of these vulnerable children – but this is not a consistent experience for everyone.”
Heather Kidd, chair of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) safer and stronger communities board, said: “Multi-agency working is key in addressing youth violence.
“It is positive that Ofsted has highlighted examples of local partnerships doing effective work to reduce harm to children and young people from serious violence.
“Local government is best placed to lead local efforts to tackle youth violence, with their ability to convene and coordinate efforts.
“While councils and their partners will always do their best to keep young people safe, they face significant funding challenges and different local prioritisation arrangements for each area.”
