Children as young as 11 carrying knives because they feel unsafe, report finds

Alarm bells are ringing over the increasing number of England's children – some only 11 years old – who carry knives out of fear for their safety in their own neighbourhoods, a new report highlights.

The scope of serious youth violence is "more far-reaching" than many adults might acknowledge, affecting broad swathes of communities, leading inspectorates have warned. In a worrying trend, children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are found to be disproportionately vulnerable to this kind of violence, reveals a comprehensive review from Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), HMI Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, alongside HMI Probation.

The report - which comes after three recent knife-related killings of teenagers in the North East - has presented findings based on six targeted area inspections aiming to understand how local services and partnerships react when minors are drawn into severe youth violence. These evaluations focused on the experiences of numerous children from September 2023 to May 2024 which found that serious youth violence is not isolated but rather "widespread", with entire communities feeling its impact.

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According to the report: "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 inspectors also expressed deep concern upon learning just how prevalent the issue is, saying: "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."

The report has highlighted a worrying trend where serious youth violence disproportionately impacts young people with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), particularly those who may be neurodivergent. It urgently calls on the Government and local agencies to prioritise the needs of these vulnerable children who are at an increased 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 cautioned. The report also urges partnerships to aim to reduce the over-representation of black and other ethnic minority children affected by serious youth violence in their areas.

Although some partnerships have been effective in reducing harm, the report observed that such efforts are not consistent across all areas. It stated, "A failure to consistently identify serious youth violence as a safeguarding issue is leaving too many children at serious risk of harm."

The report also found that some professionals were inadvertently contributing to the problem by blaming children for the harm they suffered, a response that had particularly "harmful consequences".

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."