Special Report: Resettlement of Children

Ensuring a child resettles successfully into the community after a period in custody can make a lasting difference to their future life chances.

Getting resettlement right requires youth offending services and other agencies to put the support in place for children to access education, a safe home or placement, and therapeutic interventions in the community. The right support package can reduce the chance of a child reoffending and make it more likely they can move on with their life. Yet budget cuts across the public sector, staff shortages in youth custody settings, increased use of remand and a rising young adult population in the youth secure estate present significant challenges to delivering good resettlement services.

It is against this backdrop that youth offending teams and local authorities are working collaboratively to design and deliver resettlement solutions that focus on the individual needs of the child and work with them at an early stage of their journey through the justice system.

CYP Now's special report on the resettlement of children summarises key recent policy initiatives, assesses the impact of practice changes, and highlights examples of innovation and creative thinking to improve the resettlement of children.