Launch of Healthy Children, Safer Communities

Following the publication of the Offender Health Strategy - Improving Health, Supporting Justice - in November, today sees the publication of Healthy Children, Safer Communities which addresses the health needs of children and young people in contact with the youth justice system.

This is the national delivery plan of the Health and Criminal Justice Programme Board,  and is intended to help realise the vision 'that children and young people will be safer and healthier and stay away from crime, and that communities will be safer too.' It also  addresses the implementation of Lord Bradley's recommendations that are relevant to children and young people.

The strategy consists of three main sections:

(1) Harnessing mainstream services to reduce offending and re-offending

which includes the key objectives of early intervention, accessing mainstream services, holistic assessments and recognising the importance of family and community relationshsips.

(2) Addressing health and well-being throughout the youth justice system

including diversion, improved  primary and specialist healthcare services for young offenders, good health information for courts, promotion of health and well-being in the secure estate and continuity of care.

and (3) Making it happen

including the objectives of a coordinated approach to improving health and well-being, services that make a difference and high quality provision and improved outcomes.

The strategy recognises some of the problems faced by those who experience multiple needs; "They may not have qualified for help because each different problem they had was not in itself serious enough to attract attention, even though the combination of problems put them at high risk." It promises improved co-ordinated responses to dual diagnosis and smoother transitions from children's to adult health services, between the youth and adult justice systems and between the secure estate and the community.

Revolving Doors Agency's work on Transition to Adulthood, as part of the T2A Alliance, highlights the need for improvement in these areas.

To read the strategy in full, please follow the link here.