The Open University has created a range of qualifications for the YJB including a work-based foundation degree in youth justice and a professional certificate of effective practice in youth justice.
The courses have been developed with the advice of the YJB's own workforce advisers and a range of practitioners from the youth justice sector, including the secure estate and the police.
Future developments will include course materials to take account of upcoming changes in youth justice, including the introduction of the new Youth Rehabilitation Order.
Graham Robb, interim chair of the YJB, said the alliance between the two organisations was a milestone for the professional development of staff in the youth justice system.
"It gives dedicated staff an opportunity to analyse issues and develop a deeper understanding of the very complex needs of the young people we support," he said.
- www.open.ac.uk/yjust.
