Committee publication · Correspondence · 14 January 2026 · HC 702
Letter to and from Youth Justice Board, following the 3 December evidence session on Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales, dated 8 & 17 December 2025
From: Welsh Affairs Committee
Summary
Following a 3 December 2025 evidence session on prisons, probation and rehabilitation in Wales, the Welsh Affairs Committee wrote to the Youth Justice Board requesting clarification on two topics: the effectiveness of the Youth Justice Blueprint and whether aspects could be applied to adult offenders, and progress against three focus areas agreed in a 2024 review of the Wales Youth Justice Advisory Panel. The YJB's 17 December response outlined the Blueprint's background, principles, and impacts, including trauma-informed practice training and a new psychology service.
Key findings
- The Youth Justice Blueprint, developed in 2019, centred on a 'children first' approach with trauma-informed practice embedded across prevention, pre-court diversion, community, custody, and resettlement stages.
- Implementation was disrupted by the global pandemic; the delivery period extended to March 2025 with three priority areas: prevention, community, and custody, shifting from original transformational vision to focus on trauma-informed practice.
- Key Blueprint outcomes included guidance on Welsh legislative and policy differences, upskilling practitioners in trauma-informed practice, establishing a psychology service with Enhanced Case Management, and developing a prevention framework for Wales.
- The YJB identified aspects of youth justice applicable to adult offenders, particularly prevention and diversionary approaches, developmental awareness for young adults, and trauma-informed practice, which is producing promising results across England and Wales.
- The Wales Youth Justice Advisory Panel, jointly chaired by Welsh Government and YJB, established three immediate focus areas: partnership with education on schools as places of safety and intervention, and partnership with health on meeting needs of children in contact with the youth justice system.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Welsh Affairs Committee, Ruth Jones MP, Keith Fraser, Youth Justice Board, Welsh Government, Ministry of Justice, Wales Youth Justice Advisory Panel, National Probation Service
Notable line
“There is much that the adult system can learn from youth justice and the delivery of the YJBP …”
Key Quotes
“How effective has the Youth Justice Blueprint been, and are there any aspects of its approach that ought to be adopted with regard to adult offenders?”
“The overarching principles and objectives for the YJBP were to: • Take a 'children first' approach to youth justice, ensure that it is child-centred rather than service focused, ensure that it meets the individual needs of children and responds to their best interests.”
“As a programme of work to evolve an already successful system, it is difficult to directly link quantifiable benefits to the Blueprint. However, in addition to strengthening collaboration across justice delivery partners in Wales the YJBP programme also:”
“There is much that the adult system can learn from youth justice and the delivery of the YJBP; following the evidence to promote prevention and diversionary approaches and ensuring interventions are developmentally informed”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗