YJB convention: Minister outlines mental health and sport focus

Speaking at the Youth Justice Board's (YJB) annual convention in Milton Keynes, Philip Lee said that although there has been some good progress on youth justice since the turn of the century, overall, the youth justice system is "not where we want it to be".

He said that more than one in three young people released from custody go on to commit another offence within a year that results in their return to custody, while reoffending rates are "even worse" for those on short custodial sentences.

He added that violence in youth custody has increased, with rates of assaults and self-harm up by 79 and 46 per cent respectively over the last five years.

"The world has changed and is continuing to change," he said.

"We are seeing the internet driving greater access to more worrying imagery online. The sexualisation of youth is manifesting itself in younger conviction ages for rape, new and worrying patterns of drug use, particularly of psychoactive substances, and increasing risks of radicalisation.

"In short, the youth justice system is not delivering as it needs to for young people, and for our society."

Lee said the long-awaited final report of the review of youth justice conducted by Charlie Taylor will be published "shortly", but gave an indication of the future direction of the system.

He said that both he and Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss are keen on early intervention work in both the community and in custody, tackling youth offending "much further upstream in the system".

Part of this involves improving the diagnosis and treatment of child and adolescent mental health, an area the government has earmarked £1.4bn to improve through Future in Mind reforms.

"As a GP I have direct experience of mental health problems in young people and the challenges there can be in getting appropriate and timely treatment," he said.

"In particular, we will build on the good work of youth offending teams and the Department of Health to ensure their investment in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) meets the needs of young offenders.

"The cross-government commitment to invest more money in CAMHS is welcome, and I will be working to ensure that NHS England and local commissioners develop their services in partnership with youth justice colleagues, so they are focused on meeting the needs of young offenders and those at risk of offending."

Lee also outlined his vision for increasing the provision of sport in youth custody. The interim report of Charlie Taylor's review of youth justice has previously emphasised the importance of improving the quality of education.

"Our system must be focused on developing the skills of young offenders, but I believe we cannot underestimate the importance of physical activity," he said.

"On every visit I have been on to a secure setting, the governor and staff have pressed the need for opportunities for sport and physical exercise within their current regimes, and I believe we have to make some changes to ensure there is sufficient time for sport and exercise, alongside high-quality maths, English and vocational education."

He said his hope is that the government can encourage more sports clubs to work with young offenders in custody and support them to continue to participate when they leave - giving the example of Rugby League team Leeds Rhinos linking up with Wetherby YOI, and Rugby Union team Saracens linking up with Feltham YOI.

"I hope to support governors and directors to have the confidence and freedoms to enable this type of activity more often and on a greater scale, with appropriate working with community partners who can assist," he said.

In terms of security in the youth secure estate - an issue which has become an increasing concern in recent years - Lee said that in line with the Ministry of Justice's White Paper on prison reform, government will empower governors and custody providers, giving them the necessary "scope" to deliver improved services that will better meet the needs of the smaller number of young people given custodial sentences.

"I expect to be able to say more about what we intend to do to improve custody and tackle levels of violence before Christmas," Lee said.

"From a personal perspective, I believe there are some obvious quick wins that would help to improve the behaviour of young people in custody, for example, by developing the capability of existing staff.

"We have seen the best of the results where communities shoulder some of the burden and where young people are able to keep in contact with those who will be supporting them afterwards.

"We must do more to encourage voluntary organisations and employers to work with young people in and from custody, to give them job skills and employ them on release."

Lee said the government is also working closely with the YJB to consider future governance arrangements for the youth justice system.

"It is vital there is a good balance between allowing flexibility and innovation in local services, both in the community and in custodial settings, while also ensuring standards and performance remain high," he said.

"Creating this environment is not something that government can do alone."