Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which organisations, departments and practitioners the Department is consulting in the development of the forthcoming Youth Custody Transformation Plan; what the planned timeline is for developing and publishing that plan; and what arrangements the Department will make for sector engagement, including consultation with youth justice services, children’s charities, practitioners, academics, and children with lived experience.

As set out in the White Paper Cutting Youth Crime, Changing Young Lives, the Government is developing a Youth Custody Transformation Plan as part of the wider programme of youth justice reform.

The Plan will set out how the youth custody estate can best protect the public, support rehabilitation and improve outcomes for children in custody, consistent with the White Paper’s vision for a more preventive, evidence-led youth justice system. Publication will be the starting point of a long-term transformative programme of work, setting out fundamental plans to improve current provision as well as decade-long ambitions.

Work is being informed through continuing engagement across the system, drawing on operational and policy expertise, as well as that of delivery partners. The Ministry of Justice recognises the value of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, and is now engaging sector bodies, youth justice services and others with relevant expertise and experience as part of the development process. We also recognise the importance of understanding the views and experiences of children and young people.

The Youth Custody Transformation Plan will be informed by these exercises and will be published later this year.