The lack of national outcome data makes it difficult to chart young clients' progress and the effectiveness of different forms of treatment. It also makes it hard to make informed decisions on the most cost-effective allocation of scarce resources.
The Place2Be is a charity providing rapid-response counselling to children and parents in 172 UK schools. We collect data to improve service provision and to demonstrate the effectiveness of early intervention. Our research indicates that every £1 spent on our services saves society £6.
We are proof that charities can provide robust and cost-effective mental health services for young people. It is in everyone's interests that there is strong comparative data to ensure high standards and improve outcomes for troubled young people.
Benita Refson OBE, chief executive, The Place2Be
Remand plans may cut costs
With regard to your article on the cost of youth remand (CYP Now, 20 September), The Prison Reform Trust has campaigned for fewer children to be imprisoned on remand.
The remand decision is made by magistrates, but the actions of the youth offending team are influential. The idea of delegating the remand budget to local authorities is to incentivise them to prevent unnecessary remands. So it is unlikely that remand costs will remain at their current level.
If it works, local authorities will save the difference between the cost of a custodial remand and a remand in the community. Most children remanded in the community will not need expensive foster or residential care home beds. Children remanded to the care of the local authority now are often allowed to live at home.
The difference between the cost of supervising a child on remand who lives in their own home and the cost of a custodial remand bed is huge. Only if local authorities have no success in reducing custodial remand, and none of the children can return to their families, might the cost of remand be anywhere near the £500m you quote.
Penelope Gibbs, director, strategy to reduce child and youth imprisonment, Prison Reform Trust
Free training on human rights
I read your article on children's advocates (CYP Now, 20 September) and the importance of their direct work with children with interest.
Knowledge and understanding of human rights and equality law is low and it's vital that advocates stay up-to-date on the law. We are developing free training for children's rights advocates, which will be rolled out from December. We hope advocates will complete our survey (crae.org.uk).
Rupinder Binning, legal director, Children's Rights Alliance for England.- Email cypnow@haymarket.com or write to The editor, CYP Now, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP.
