Decision details

The Youth Justice Plan is the Youth Justice Strategic Plan for Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Youth Justice Service (YJS) for 2024/26.

It sets out the key priorities and targets for the service for the next 24 months as required by the Crime & Disorder Act 1998 and overseen by the Youth Justice Board. This Plan adheres to the Youth Justice Board’s ‘document ‘Youth Justice Plans: Guidance for Youth Justice Services’.

The Plan has been developed under the guidance of the B&NES YJS Partnership Board in consultation with YJS team members and considering feedback from B&NES YJS service users. The progress in the plan will be monitored by the YJS Partnership Board throughout the year ahead.

The Youth Justice Plan:

• summarises the YJS structure, governance and partnership arrangements.
• outlines the resources available to the YJS.
• reviews achievements and developments during 2023/24.
• identifies emerging issues and describes the partnership’s priorities.
• sets out our priorities and actions for improving youth justice outcomes in the next two years.

To recommend that full Council approves the Youth Justice Plan 2024-26.

The principal, statutory aim of the youth justice system is to prevent youth offending by 10–17-year-olds. The Youth Justice Plan includes the latest performance indicators for work with children at risk of offending and reoffending and sets out how services will be resourced and delivered in 2024 to 2026.

Actions in the work plan will help to make Bath and North East Somerset a safer place and support children to lead crime-free lives with better prospects for their futures. This includes working with the Violence Reduction Partnership to address knife crime and other serious violence.

Preparation of a Youth Justice Plan is required under S.40 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The national Youth Justice Board for England and Wales has published guidelines for its completion and submission.

None.