The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) is the government body that oversees the youth justice system and provision of youth justice services.
It is the role of the YJB to:
- advise the Secretary of State on matters relating to the youth justice system;
- prevent children and young people under 18 from offending or re-offending; and
- ensure custody is safe and secure, and addresses the causes of their offending behaviour.
When a child is remanded or sentenced to custody, the YJB decides where they should be placed. This might be to a secure children’s home (SCH), secure training centre (STC) or for boys, an under-18 young offender institution (YOI). Only boys aged under 18 can be sent to a young offender institution. There are no young offender institution facilities for girls. There is guidance on how the Youth Justice Board places a young person in custody, and how to question a placement decision.
The YJB’s priorities for 2018 to 2021 are:
- national standards for youth justice;
- improving local practice;
- resettlement and transitions between services;
- safety and education in custody;
- secure schools;
- the disproportionate representation of children from some black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in the youth justice system; and
- serious youth violence reduction.
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) website is here.