Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they provide to young people serving sentences of less than 12 months who are released on licence to secure affordable youth-friendly accommodation and an opportunity to find a job.

Children returning to the community after being sentenced to time in custody are provided with the personal and structural support they need to rebuild their lives, by the youth custody establishment and their Youth Offending Teams (YOT), including support to secure suitable accommodation and education, training or employment.

Where appropriate, the establishment will use the temporary release scheme to prepare a child for return to the community. The Youth Custody Service is piloting a new policy framework in five sites, for release on temporary licence (ROTL). In the new policy, children who are eligible may now be considered and risk assessed for ROTL after five months or halfway through their sentence, whichever is earlier. This will mean for many children in YOIs they should be able to access ROTL earlier than under the previous provisions. Activities on ROTL could include visiting potential accommodation or education placement as well as providing access to potential employment opportunities.

Where children are unable to return to the family home, the YOT work with children’s social care to find a suitable placement for the child. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient accommodation available to meet the needs of all children they look after. This government is supporting local authorities to meet their statutory duty through a multi-year package of capital investment which includes £90 million for 2025-26 announced in the Autumn Budget. This funding will help local authorities to maintain capacity and expand provision across open and secure children's homes sectors to provide safe and suitable homes.