A former president of the Family Division has called on the government to cut the number of children in custody and safeguard access to justice in child welfare cases.

Delivering the Law Society’s first Henry Hodge memorial lecture last night, Lady Butler-Sloss said too many children in the UK face challenges ranging from the effects of poverty; lack of education; problems within the family; trafficking and prostitution; neglect; and criminality.

Speaking on the day prime minister David Cameron launched his vision of the Big Society, Butler-Sloss said children must be at its heart.

She said that when it comes to making tough financial decisions, the government must have the welfare of such children at the forefront.

‘The financial cost, even in this period of austerity, must not blind us to the essential requirement in considering priorities to put children and what they require at the beginning, middle and end of all discussions and decisions which need to be made.’

More than 2,000 children aged between 15 and 17 are in young offender institutions. Butler-Sloss said there should be a less-punitive approach to the offending of the majority of young people, with greater efforts made to educate children in custody.

‘It is a crucial part of the fight against the high rate of reoffending,’ she said.

Butler-Sloss urged the government not to make further deep cuts to family legal aid, saying it was very important to ensure access to justice in all child welfare cases.

‘I am of course aware of the huge burden of legal aid,' she said. 'The last government made substantial cuts to legal aid in family cases. The Ministry of Justice is likely to be making further cuts.

‘But the welfare of children is the paramount concern of the courts in the Children Act 1989. It must not be lost sight of by the government in its austerity measures.’

Butler-Sloss said the government should have on its agenda early intervention in problem families; more support for children in care, a greater awareness of child trafficking and better treatment for children seeking asylum here.

She also called on the media to play its part by toning down its negative portrayal of children, which she said reinforced public fears and influenced policy and legislation.