Closing the welfare/justice divide

Thursday 17 September 2009

NCB has long had an interest in how children's services work with young people engaging in criminal behaviour. We start by looking at the needs of young people who are over-represented in crime statistics: those who have been looked after, are out of the education system, live in a violent environment, have mental health issues or learning difficulties/disabilities. Then we seek to understand how services should meet those needs.

Our aim is for a closer working relationship between youth offending teams and their children's trust partners and a shared vision to divert young people from the criminal justice system wherever possible. That means helping young people to redirect their energies to attain what most of us regard as basic milestones: being able to read, write and look after themselves, learn skills, gain qualifications, get a job, find somewhere to live, feel part of their community, and enjoy time with friends and family.

Over the past year, NCB has been involved in the government's review of restraint in secure settings and the Youth Justice Board's report on children's safeguarding needs in custodial establishments. We have been closely watching proposals to change the commissioning responsibility for education in custody. We have also been working with colleagues in the statutory and voluntary sectors on a participation strategy to ensure that young people who have experienced the criminal justice system are involved in the development of proposals.