Nuffield Family Justice Observatory briefing sets out five learning points from cases of children in complex situations

In a briefing paper, ‘Caring for children in complex situations: Five learning points and a case for change’, the NFJO outlined five learning points for leaders in social care, health, youth justice, family justice, police and education services.

The phrase ‘children in complex situations’ is used to describe children who have multiple and intersecting needs – including mental health problems and behavioural, emotional and educational difficulties.

The NFJO warned: “Efforts to keep children safe when they have reached this point can include depriving them of their liberty, with a focus on managing immediate, short-term risks rather than providing recovery and opportunities to thrive in the long term.

“But placement options are limited, and if children are deprived of their liberty under the inherent jurisdiction of the high court they can be placed in unregulated and often unsuitable secure settings.”

Between August 2024 and September 2025, the NFJO convened representatives from Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), children’s social care, regional care cooperatives, NHS England and the Department for Education to form a peer collaborative.

Following this, the peer collaborative outlined the following learning points:

1. The children aren’t ‘complex’ – the services and systems are. “We regard children and their needs as ‘complex’ – but the reality is that services and systems have failed to meet their multiple, intersecting needs. Children rarely present with a single ‘problem’ – but their cases are often managed by single agencies, or several agencies working as separate entities.”
2. At crisis points, care is even less effective. “As a child’s distress increases and a point of crisis is reached, services become less able to respond effectively – and children are less likely to be involved in decisions, listened to or heard.”
3. Services struggle to flex. “Professionals are often constrained by service pathways, practice and culture – this can lead to mechanistic responses that prevent children from accessing the tailored care they need. […] Individually, professionals might be working hard to meet a child’s needs – but action feels limited, fixed and stuck because they are constrained by standardised pathways, practices and protocols.”
4. Short-term decisions to keep children safe can cause long-term harm. “A preoccupation with eliminating risk can disconnect children from important relationships and their communities.”
5. The ‘system’ can make things worse for children, not better. “Overwhelmed, stuck and fragmented systems and services can be harmful.”

Making recommendations for change, the peer collaborative called for a “clear signal” from national leaders that services “can and should work in a more integrated way”, and space for local leaders to work on and reach agreement on new ways of working.

Further, it called for dedicated ‘system integrators’ – people who are skilled at connecting professionals and organisations, and a “national conversation about how risk is held and tolerated”.

The Department for Education has been approached for comment.

Lottie Winson