Speaking to CYP Now, Lin Hinnigan said she believes the way youth justice is overseen will change once a government-ordered review of the system is completed.
She said that although she believes there will be a need for a body, or bodies, to supervise the sector in the future, it will "not be the YJB as it is now".
The YJB was established by Tony Blair's Labour government through the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Besides overseeing youth justice services in England and Wales, it is currently responsible for commissioning youth custody places, placing children and young people in custody, making grants to local authority youth offending teams, advising the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and commissioning and publishing research on preventing youth offending.
However, an interim report of a government-ordered review of youth justice, being conducted by Charlie Taylor, has suggested that responsibility for youth justice could be devolved to a local or regional level to a greater degree. It is also exploring the feasibility of devolving custody budgets.
"There won't be the YJB as it is now," Hinnigan said when asked about the future of the organisation.
"There is a role for a body or bodies to steer national standards, including improving workforce standards, and sharing effective practice, to make sure there is not too much of a postcode lottery. [But] I suspect it will look different from the current YJB.
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