His proposal that it would be more suitable if the board were sponsored by the Department for Education and Skills rather than the Home Office is mischievous, but hardly new - though if it happened where would this leave Wales?
Rob sought to capture his perspectives on the achievements and limitations in youth justice since the board was set up in 1998. He applauds the formation of youth offending teams and the development of constructive inter-agency relations and, in some respects, effective inter-agency practice. He commends the involvement of volunteers in the youth justice system.
This is the good stuff. The less good news lies in the relative failure of the board to ensure young offenders' wider needs through timely and relevant responses from education and employment, substance misuse, mental health and housing services. I say "relative" because there has been significant progress on these fronts. But it is still not sufficient when it is known to be an essential basis for supporting young offenders away from crime.
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