The welfare/justice divide
NCB policy priority for 2009/10
In spite of a requirement to work together in Every Child
Matters and the Children Act 2004, the specific aims of the
children's social care and youth justice systems are
different. Children's services agencies are concerned with
safeguarding and promoting well-being, whereas the purpose of the
youth justice system is to prevent offending. Many vulnerable
children receive a service from both, but more needs to be done to
enable joint working across the boundaries. Government has tried to
address this in its Youth Crime Action Plan, but its good
intentions are as yet undelivered.
NCB is campaigning for:
- Systems and approaches that can more
effectively link justice to welfare, and the promotion of a
relationship-based system to respond to offending behaviour
- A joint crime prevention strategy that looks
at how services can address unmet needs that contribute to
offending behaviour
- An investigation of all youth justice
interventions for their suitability for children and young
people
- Safe custodial system that provides care,
education and training, and prepares young people for their release
into the community
- Clarification of the responsibilities of
social, education and health services to looked after children who
offend, and the development of mechanisms to hold these services to
account
- The needs of looked after children in custody
to be highlighted in inspection frameworks for HMI Prisons and
Ofsted
More information on social inclusion.