Youth Justice Board For England Wales
Effective management and leadership of staff in your organisation is key to delivering a high-quality service. The standards for children in the youth justice system set out how effective leadership can deliver positive outcomes for children. The YJB expects youth justice service (YJSs) to treat children in the justice system as children. The Child First principles are that you will:
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Prioritise the best interests of children and recognising their particular needs, capacities, rights and potential. All work is child-focused, developmentally informed, acknowledges structural barriers and meets responsibilities towards children.
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Promote childrens individual strengths and capacities to develop their pro-social identity for sustainable desistance, leading to safer communities and fewer victims. All work is constructive and future-focused, built on supportive relationships that empower children to fulfil their potential and make positive contributions to society.
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Encourage childrens active participation, engagement and wider social inclusion. All work is a meaningful collaboration with children and their carers.
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Promote a childhood removed from the justice system, using pre-emptive prevention, diversion and minimal intervention. All work minimises criminogenic stigma from contact with the system.
Your self-assessment of your YJS against the Standards and against recommendations from inspection reports from His Majestys Inspectorate of Probation will identify the areas in which improvement is needed to achieve these outcomes. The Youth Justice Resource Hub contains a range of resources and tools that can support improvement planning.
Other factors which can contribute to an excellent service are the relationship practitioners develop with the children they are working with and the quality, appearance and child focussed nature of facilities, equipment and communication materials used.
The most effective YJSs act as continuous learning environments where staff at all levels are responsible for their own development and contribute to that of the whole service. Practitioners should be supported to make defensible decisions to advance their practice. Mistakes and setbacks should be regarded as opportunities to learn rather than blame. Services should be actively encouraged and enabled to involve children, stakeholders and the wider community in improving practice, and learn from complaints, reviews and inspections.