OPINION: Our Youth Justice Plan puts children at the heart of what we do

Last week Suffolk’s Youth Justice Board presented its Youth Justice plan for 2025/26 to Suffolk County Council. I’m pleased to say that following a debate, which included the importance of considering the victims of crime as well as the need to help young people avoid a vicious cycle of criminality, was endorsed by the council.

As with any good plan – children are at the heart of this strategy.

I’m a firm believer that our youth justice system, along with making our communities safer and protecting the public, must treat children as children and see the whole child, including any barriers they face. Our focus is on creating better outcomes for children, which ultimately helps to make our communities safer and helps children to thrive.

And of course, this is not something one organisation can do alone, it takes a whole partnership effort, right across Suffolk. Suffolk’s Youth Justice Board includes representatives from Suffolk Constabulary; Suffolk Probation Service; NHS Suffolk and North-East Essex and NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Boards, and Suffolk County Council. These existing partnerships work well in Suffolk, and I think they offer clear evidence of the benefits of one council for Suffolk. would be difficult to replicate on an area basis, if Suffolk was broken up geographically through Local Government Reorganisation.

In bringing together our Youth Justice Plan for the forthcoming year, we have consulted with staff, children, and volunteers about what is important to them, to make sure their voices are heard in all that we do.

I also think it important to reflect on some of the successes we have seen in the last year.

We have seen fewer children entering the formal youth justice system for the first time, following Suffolk Constabulary and Suffolk Youth Justice Service jointly implementing an Action Plan to reduce the number of children who become First Time Entrants. A Multi Agency Out of Court Decision Making Panel meets weekly, using the expertise of the panel members to ensure appropriate decisions are made to support children, provide access to effective support for desistance, and consider the victim’s views and safety. We’ve seen a notable decrease in the second half of last year, which gives us an early indication that this approach is working well, and we expect to see the rate continue to come down.

Last year’s plan had a strong focus on Restorative approaches. This is when The Youth Justice service works with victims of youth crime to find out how they think the harm caused to them can best be put right. The service then supports the young person involved to understand how their own behaviours impact on others and to re-engage with their community and society by repairing harm and restoring relationships.

Progress in implementing the plan has included creation of a directory of support services for victims, hosting a service day dedicated to working with victims and restorative approaches and Risk Meetings to ensure that the victims' perspectives are adequately represented.

The county has also seen fewer children detained in police custody overnight and a reduction in community and custodial orders compared to the previous year.

Suffolk received a visit from the National Youth Justice Board in Autumn last year, following a reduction in the number of serious violence offences committed by children. The National Youth Justice Board highlighted this good practice in Suffolk, as result of local, effective partnership work.

Looking to the future, Suffolk’s Youth Justice Plan for 2025/2026 outlines the service’s four strategic priorities, which are to:

• Reduce the number of children entering the youth justice system
• Reduce reoffending by children in the youth justice system
• Reduce the use of youth detention and improve resettlement outcomes
• Improve safety, wellbeing, and outcomes for children in or on the edges of the youth justice system

It is vitally important that we include the voices of children in all that we do – we want to be making decisions with young people, not for them.

The Youth Justice Management Board has introduced a regular slot for children to attend their meetings and present their views and experiences. This ensures that insights from lived experience continue to inform and influence practice across Suffolk Youth Justice Service.

The service has also planned several activities to develop child-first practices in Suffolk for 2025-26, including the establishment of a Youth Advisory Board to facilitate consultation and co-production with children. This will include the development of activities during the school holidays and children identifying suitable reparation projects that support building pro-social identity.

Suffolk Youth Justice Service is also embarking on a new arts-based project. This initiative will provide children with opportunities to explore creative outlets and display their artistic talents and creativity. This project will not only help them develop their skills but also boost their confidence and sense of accomplishment.

This project has already seen positive outcomes, and some amazing artwork has been created by our young people.