Alternatives to custody need to be found

This action plan would also include targets for fewer children in prison and to use diversion and restorative justice as alternatives to custody.

The number of children and young people being sentenced to custody has almost doubled in the past 10 years. This is made worse still by related increases in levels of mental illness, distress and self-harm. Fifteen-year old Liam McManus last month tragically became the 30th child to die in state custody since 1990, with most of these deaths self-inflicted. Furthermore, locking up our young people doesn't appear to be working - reconviction rates for children who come out of custody stand at 70 per cent within the first year.

Groundwork Manchester Salford & Trafford works in partnership with the local youth offending team to provide opportunities for young offenders, helping them move on in life, build up their skills and make a difference to their community. One such initiative is the Bridge to Work project, which provided a group of young people with support and help to take up employment opportunities, and change their perceptions of learning and training. The group took part in group activities, one-to-one basic skills tuition and mentoring, and job interview preparation aimed at building confidence and engaging them with positive activities in the community.

The Vibe youth centre's project in Dagenham in east London is run in conjunction with Barking and Dagenham youth offending service. Launched in December 2005, it works with the Prince's Trust's xl programme to help 14- to 16-year-olds not in education because of crime. The nine-month programme uses a range of projects to help the young people with their education and employment prospects. Informal in its approach, it seeks to re-engage and motivate young people and members learn to take responsibility, develop social skills and enjoy the benefits of teamwork.

At present, England and Wales continues to lock up more children than any other country in Western Europe. While the solution to youth sentencing may not be a simple one, strong progress being made in these national and local initiatives indicates that alternatives do work. A thorough review of the range and effectiveness of alternatives to custody and of the social, personal and economic costs of youth imprisonment is urgently required. We are doing young people a grave disservice by treating incarceration as anything other than a last resort.

- Anne Longfield is chief executive of 4Children. Email anne.longfield@haymarket.com.