The aim is to speed up the pace at which young people are transferredfrom custody to a secure hospital setting.
"The number of young people in custody who shouldn't be there because oftheir mental health needs is a key issue," said Bill Kerslake, head ofpolicy for health and substance misuse at the Youth Justice Board.
"Heads of healthcare facing these problems are writing to us for helpall the time. So we hope to identify those who have that level of needmore quickly."
A small but significant number of young offenders with severe mentalhealth needs require specialist provision. But the difficulty ofobtaining the assessments needed to section them means many face lengthydelays or remain in prison. It can also be hard to find beds for youngpeople who do not meet Department of Health criteria for sectioning butnevertheless need specialist mental health support.
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