16-18 year olds and Duty of Care

L

littlewoman

Longterm Registered User
In the UK you are legally allowed to leave home at the age of 16. You can do this without your parent's consent and they have no right to know where you are going. In fact you can choose to live on the streets if you feel like it but the local authority has to house you if you request it.

So why is it that when a 16 year old gets themselves to a festival without their parents, gets in, over or under the fence and then gets caught by security the festival then has a duty of care to them? Why should the festival look after them until mummy and daddy arrives to pick them up? What happens if Mummy and Daddy can't be contacted or the youngster refuses to give their details?

What's more if a 16 year old wants to wander off into the countryside there is nothing that can be done to stop them as they have not committed an arrestable offence and therefore there is now power to detain them. So technically a 16 year old could get themselves into a festival, go to welfare to get bed and food when they get tired and hungry then leave the festival and lurk about outside until they get another chance to get back in.

I've tried to find actual law and this and can only find references to people such as teachers and care workers having a duty of care.
 
Isn't there a duty of care by all landowners even to a trespasser? I suppose this might apply even more so at a festival.

If they refuse to give details then I suppose it it would be up to plod to take over.
 
rhea said:
Isn't there a duty of care by all landowners even to a trespasser? I suppose this might apply even more so at a festival.

If they refuse to give details then I suppose it it would be up to plod to take over.
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I can imagine a duty of care by landowners not to leave hazards around or to call an ambulance if someone is injured, but not to babysit people.
 
littlewoman said:
I can imagine a duty of care by landowners not to leave hazards around or to call an ambulance if someone is injured, but not to babysit people.
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I would tend to agree if there was not a festival going on attracting them to the site in the first place.

They really shouldn't be in there at that age (unaccompanied) anyway should they? A lapse somewhere along the line and if something really bad happened to the little darlings then along comes Corporate Manslaughter charges.

I am not too clued up on Licensing Act, is the whole venue covered or just certain section? But isn't one of the main aims "protecting children from harm".
 
I'm talking about the ones that have got in illegally, not any that may have paid to get in. Obviously no-one is checking ID of those coming over the fence. As for "protecting children", the very issue I'm talking about is when do they stop being "children", you're not completely adult until you're 18 but you can leave home at 16. So if you're allowed to live by yourself, and travel by yourself all over the country and abroad then why on earth do you need Mummy to help you get home from a festival. The little gits got there by themselves!

An over 16 can get into a pub by themselves as long as they don't drink. If you ejected them would you have to let them stay until Mum turned up to collect them?
 
littlewoman said:
I'm talking about the ones that have got in illegally, not any that may have paid to get in. Obviously no-one is checking ID of those coming over the fence.
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I was talking about those as well. That's why I said there must have been "a lapse somewhere".


littlewoman said:
As for "protecting children", the very issue I'm talking about is when do they stop being "children", you're not completely adult until you're 18 but you can leave home at 16. So if you're allowed to live by yourself, and travel by yourself all over the country and abroad then why on earth do you need Mummy to help you get home from a festival. The little gits got there by themselves!
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If you are under 18 you are a child even though you can do legally do other things. Maybe the Licence holder has obligations placed on them with regards to accompanied children.

No disrespect meant but are you qualified in any way to say that a particular 16 or 17 year old is able to get home by themselves? How are you to know if they are not vulnerable or a misper.

A pain maybe but all part of the job is it not?
 
rhea said:
I was talking about those as well. That's why I said there must have been "a lapse somewhere".
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I don't know how much festival security you do but it is impossible to totally secure the perimeter because there just aren't enough security personnel available. Even Glastonbury get people getting over its 3metre high fence with a sloped section oon top of the 3metre bit. They use extendible ladders and grappling hooks. The thing is that they have made some effort to get into somewhere they have no business being.

rhea said:
If you are under 18 you are a child even though you can do legally do other things. Maybe the Licence holder has obligations placed on them with regards to accompanied children.

No disrespect meant but are you qualified in any way to say that a particular 16 or 17 year old is able to get home by themselves? How are you to know if they are not vulnerable or a misper.

A pain maybe but all part of the job is it not?
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My point is that they have been able to get there by themselves and that if they want to leave, then they are allowed to, unless they are under some form of care order even the police can't stop them going where they want. So if they want to go they can but if they decide they want somewhere cosy to sleep for the day and food and hot drinks then they end up in the welfare tent/building. Then they can go by themself as its getting dark and they can try to get in again. It seems that they are an adult when they want to be and a child when it suits them.

It is the totally inconsistent way we deal with this age group that is frustrating.

As for them being vulnerable or a misper, that could apply to any age group. Whether they are vulnerable is a judgement that is often made with all age groups when dealing with people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol or appear to have mental health problems.
 
I have just done a safeguarding children due to the fact they now allow 14 year old children unattended by an adult into football matches. Working as a response team dealing with young adolescents can be tricky


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Can anyone recommend a good training company for the safe guarding children course, one that would be usefull for people working in events / security rather than a care setting ?
 
Everyone has rights. Rights help us stay safe and get fair treatment. Some rights are given to you at certain ages - like being allowed to leave home or drive a car.
 
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