Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 11 of the Criminal Justice Inspectorates January 2021 report, Impact of the pandemic on the Criminal Justice System, what steps he is taking to reduce the digital divide amongst children under youth offending supervision.

As a direct response to the lack of digital access amongst some of the children with whom Youth Offending Teams work, the Youth Justice Board has amended the terms and conditions in the Youth Justice Grant for 2020/21 to allow Youth Offending Teams, where appropriate, to use funds from their annual grant to provide children under their supervision with access to suitable equipment to facilitate regular virtual engagement. The Youth Justice Board is also revising its national protocol for case responsibility as part of new Case Management Guidance, which will take into account remote working and virtual service delivery. This is due for publication later this year.

Within the custodial estate, the Youth Custody Service will be rolling out in-room technology in public sector under-18 Young Offender Institutions. This will help enhance connectivity, facilitate education, and improve outcomes for children in custody. It is also providing additional free phone credits and ‘virtual visits’ via the Purple Visits app.

Local Authorities are responsible for Youth Offending Teams provision. In recognition of the fact that Local Authorities are best placed to decide how to meet Covid-19 service pressures in their area, the Government has allocated over £8 billion directly to councils since the start of the pandemic. Much of this funding is un-ringfenced and could be used to support any areas of local pressure, including potentially Youth Offending Teams. The Youth Justice Board works with Local Authorities and Directors of Children’s Services to provide strategic support as to how they can best provide for the needs of all their vulnerable children.