The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is considering transferring pots of cashto individual councils in an attempt to "incentivise" them to reducecustody numbers.
YJB chair Frances Done believes that by doing this, local authoritieswill be more proactive in prevention work so they don't have to foot thebill for custody.
But Andrew Webb, policy lead on youth justice for the Association ofDirectors of Children's Services (ADCS), said the organisation is firmlyagainst such a move.
He told CYP Now there is no evidence devolving budgets would have anyeffect on custody levels. "There is a clear desire in the ADCS to dosomething about the problem of reducing custody rates," he said. "Wejust don't think this is the solution. The decision to sentence a childto custody is the result of a complex set of factors."
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