The principle was that youth justice services in the community should be co-ordinated and delivered through a statutory partnership of local agencies: social services, police, education, probation and health. Performance management has been overseen by the Youth Justice Board, with both iron fist and velvet glove measures to cajole and encourage better practice at the local level. But at no time so far has there been recourse to central government direction, control or intervention in the business of local delivery.
Not that the idea hasn't been mooted before. There has, almost from the start, been disquiet about the contributions of some of the statutory partners to the local resource, which has damaged local effectiveness. Health and probation services have been notable culprits. The capacity of central government to dictate to health has been limited. But with probation, since the inception of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) there has been more scope for manoeuvre.
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