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Healthy Children, Safer Communities Healthy Children, Healthy Children, Safer Communities A strategy to promote the health and well-being of children and young people in contact with the youth justice system © Crown copyright 2009 298969 1p 2.5k Dec 09 (CWP) If you require further copies of this title visit www.orderline.dh.gov.uk and quote: 298969/Healthy Children, Safer Communities Tel: 0300 123 1002 Minicom: 0300 123 1003 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) www.dh.gov.uk/publications DH INFORMATION READER BOX Policy Estates HR/Workforce Commissioning Management IM & T Planning/Performance Finance Clinical Social Care/Partnership Working Document purpose Policy Gateway reference 12738 Title Healthy Children, Safer Communities – A strategy to promote the health and well-being of children and young people in contact with the youth justice system. Author DH, DCSF, MOJ, HO Publication date 08 Dec 2009 Target audience PCT CEs, NHS Trust CEs, SHA CEs, Care Trust CEs, Foundation Trust CEs, Medical Directors, Directors of PH, Directors of Nursing, Local Authority CEs, Allied Health Professionals, Directors of Children’s SSs, Healthcare Managers. Circulation list Description This cross government document aims to help tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour, and contribute to community safety in England. it sets out a strategic approach to inform the work of the Healthy Children, Safer Communities programme board to fulfil the vision that children and young people will be safer, healthier and stay away from crime. Cross reference Youth Crime Action Plan, Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures, Improving Health, Supporting Justice Superseded documents N/A Action required N/A Timing None Contact details Caroline Twitchett Children and Young People Programme, Offender Health Department of Health, Wellington House 133-135 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8UG 0207 972 4221 for recipient’s use CONTENTS Ministerial foreword 4 Executive summary 6 Defining our terms 9 Introduction 12 Section 1 Harnessing mainstream services to reduce offending and re-offending 20 Section 2 Addressing health and well-being throughout the youth justice system 38 Section 3 Making it happen 56 Annexes A Chart of specific action arising from Healthy Children, Safer Communities 69 B Links with government and other major initiatives 82 C Public Sector Agreements, National Indicators and the Every Child Matters outcomes 85 D Regional and local partners contributing to health and well-being work 89 E The Youth Justice System, and case disposal options 91 F The secure estate for children and young people 94 References and endnotes 97 Acronyms 109 3 Ministerial Foreword Phil Hope Vernon Coaker Maria Eagle David Hanson children’s offending behaviour. We want to Our vision is that children and young create safe communities for everyone. people will be healthy and safe, and stay away from crime and anti-social behaviour. Healthy Children, Safer Communities sets out our vision for taking action. It builds on the work We all have a role to play in helping achieve already under way to tackle youth crime and to this goal. But health and partner agencies are respond more effectively to children and young especially important, because health and well­ people’s health and well-being needs. The Youth being exert such a strong influence on how Crime Action Plan is in place, and so too is children and young people think and behave. Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures, our strategy for improving the health of all children and young We know that some children still miss out people. These developments are already making on services designed to give them a good a difference to the lives of children, families and start in life. We know that poor physical and local communities. The recent report from Lord mental health is often linked to problems Bradley has given us added impetus to respond about education and disrupted family life. And to the needs of children and young people with we know, only too well, that if needs are left mental health problems and learning disability. unattended there is a higher risk of children We now have the best chance of helping getting drawn into anti-social behaviour and of vulnerable children and young people to move offending behaviour continuing into adulthood. further along the road to success. The harm caused by youth crime extends Our strategy looks across the entire youth beyond the children and their families – it justice pathway. It identifies where and how we affects their victims and the wider community can intervene earlier, faster and more effectively too. This is another reason for having a shared to meet the health and well-being needs of commitment to tackling the root causes of children and young people. We envisage that 4 Healthy Children, Safer Communities mainstream services will offer them active Healthy Children, Safer Communities would not support and that their health and well-being have come about without the help of the many needs will be identified and met at every point partner agencies who responded to the public of contact with youth justice services. consultation and contributed to this document. It was important that this included the views of To make this happen, we need to create robust children and young people themselves. partnerships at all levels. And we need the support of health services and children’s social Most of all, however, we extend our thanks to care as well as education, justice and adult the people on the frontline who continue to services. This is everyone’s business. give their enthusiasm, dedication and passion to ensure that children and young people can grow up to live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives. Phil Hope Vernon Coaker Maria Eagle David Hanson Minister of State Minister of State Minister of State, Minister of State, for Care Services for Schools and Learners Ministry of Justice Home Office and Government Equalities Office Ministerial Foreword 5 Executive summary Healthy Children, Safer Communities The case for change is a cross-government strategy to We must take decisive action on behalf of improve the health and well-being of children in or close to the youth justice system children and young people at risk of (YJS) because: offending and re-offending. • They have far more unmet health needs than other children of their age. Our vision • They face a range of other difficulties including school exclusion, substance misuse, Our vision is that children and young people fragmented family relationships and unstable will be safer and healthier and stay away living conditions. from crime, and that communities will be safer too. • Contact with the YJS can bring extra problems for some children and young people, including those with learning difficulties, Led by the Department of Health, the strategy communication needs and mental health is a joint document with the Department for problems. Children, Schools and Families, the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice. • Organisational and attitude problems can be barriers to progress. It represents our commitment to make a positive impact on children’s life chances. Its aim is to The task is to intervene more effectively, providing improve children’s health and well-being, help the right help at the right time and in the right tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour, place. When diversion from the YJS has failed, we and contribute to community safety. need to use the opportunity of young people’s contact with it to give them better support. Who is it for? Developing a strategic response The strategy is aimed mainly at senior officers in health and local government who are Work on this strategy started in 2007, originally responsible for directing services for vulnerable as part of a strategy for adult offenders (now children in their area, at both a local and Improving Health, Supporting Justice: The a regional level. It is equally important for national delivery plan of the Health and Criminal managers, commissioners and practitioners Justice Programme Board, our response to Lord in the statutory and third sector services for Bradley’s report). It became a discrete strategy children and families. in 2008, recognising that children have separate health needs and that their legal and service The strategy is for children in England. As health frameworks are also different. is a devolved responsibility in Wales, discussion with the Welsh Assembly Government will help The strategy has been driven by extensive ensure continuing attention to the health and consultation with stakeholders and is informed well-being of children placed in England. by three key sources: • It builds on the Youth Crime Action Plan and on the agenda set out in Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures. 6 Healthy Children, Safer Communities • It responds to the Healthcare Commission and It lists four key objectives: HMI Probation’s findings on the inadequate provision for those in contact with the YJS. • to intervene early to address emerging health needs • It reflects the vision to improve outcomes for children set out in the Children’s Plan and • to ensure children in the YJS pathway access Every Child Matters Programme. services used by all children • to underpin interventions with holistic In addition, the strategy addresses the three assessments, and recommendations relating to children in Lord Bradley’s review of people in the criminal justice • to acknowledge the importance of supportive system who have mental health problems or family and community relationships. learning disabilities. This section explains how we are tackling each Delivering the vision objective and what action is being taken. It discusses improvements to primary healthcare, We will deliver the vision through a three-tier taking a more consistent approach to substance approach described in Sections 1, 2 and 3 of misuse, and initiatives to help keep vulnerable this strategy.

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