The teams responsible for the Government's respect and antisocial behaviour initiatives will be distanced from officials working on other aspects of youth justice policy.
The overhaul means the Home Office will no longer sponsor the Youth Justice Board. Instead this responsibility will move to the Ministry of Justice, which will be formed from the current Department for Constitutional Affairs.
But the Home Office will retain responsibility for policing. With this comes the remit for respect and antisocial behaviour.
John Reid, the Home Secretary, said in Parliament: "Neighbourhood policing and antisocial behaviour will be a high priority."
Rob Allen, director of the International Centre for Prison Studies, King's College London, said he was "slightly surprised" that antisocial behaviour work was so closely tied to policing: "The respect agenda has been rather more balanced."
He added that he hoped the Department for Education and Skills could become a joint sponsor of the Youth Justice Board.
In a statement the YJB's interim chair Graham Robb said: "The status of the YJB will not change but now we will work to the new ministry."
