They also want a reformed system in place to better support young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and tackle racial disparity within youth justice.
The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers (AYM) have made the call in a jointly published youth justice policy paper.
Among their recommendations is for the Ministry of Justice to review the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales and increase it from its current threshold of 10 years old to 14.
The current rate is “out of step with other domestic minimum ages and international standards” and contravenes the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, say the sector leaders.
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