Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to visit this website, which has been created to support the work of the Youth Justice Improvement Board.
The Youth Justice Improvement Board brings together representatives and practitioners from a wide range of organisations, all dedicated to supporting children, young people and families who come into conflict with the law.
The Board was set up to take forward the priorities of the Scottish Government’s Youth Justice Strategy: “Preventing Offending: Getting it right for Children and Young People”. That Strategy concluded in 2020 and we now continue to promote a rights-based approach to youth justice through the new Youth Justice Vision, launched in July 2021.
Since the Board was established, much has been achieved in the youth justice policy space, of which we can be rightly proud. Programmes such as the Whole System Approach have helped to promote collaboration between organisations, professions and families, addressing the needs of young people in conflict with the law. And, during this time, we have seen dramatic changes in the youth justice sector. The number of children under the age of 18 prosecuted in court continues to fall as does the number of under 18s sentenced to custody. We are committed to continuing to drive down further reductions.
We continue to build on this work through the outcomes and priorities identified in the Youth Justice Vision: ensuring children, young people and their families are supported and their rights respected; promoting the delivery of the Whole System Approach to divert young people away from the Criminal Justice System; making sure that where possible and appropriate no under 18s are remanded or sentenced to detention in custody; delivering better support for victims and their families; and gathering high-quality data to inform policy and practice.
The Youth Justice Improvement Board website will host papers from quarterly YJIB meetings as well as other documents and articles relating to the work of the Board as we progress towards achieving the priorities within the Vision. I hope you find it a useful source of information.
Best wishes,
Chair of the Youth Justice Improvement Board