The Youth Justice Board's Annual Convention
BUILDING a prevention strategy that effectively tackles the anti-social behaviour of young people and building a profession for youth justice workers – those are the key messages of the Youth Justice Board’s third Annual Convention at the QEII Conference Centre, London, tomorrow (14) and Friday (15).
Lord Warner of Brockley, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board, will tell the 900 delegates of a robust prevention programme which is being put in place and which is being continually strengthened.
Lord Warner said: “From the platform we have established, we have the chance to improve even further the way we tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour and thereby improve the quality of life of local communities and the life chances of young people.”
The convention will be a chance to show what has been achieved in the youth justice system over the past year, from intervention programmes such as Youth Inclusion Programmes and Splash to the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes, which provide a robust and credible alternative to short custodial sentences.
The two-day conference will also focus on building a profession, unveiling a learning and development strategy that will equip youth justice staff with new qualifications.
Also being launched at the convention will be the new effective practice guides, a series of guides compiled from research and experience which will enable youth justice workers to improve the performance of the youth justice system in reducing reoffending.
The Board continues to encourage courts to use the growing number of robust community penalties available as an alternative to custody. Lord Warner said: “The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf has echoed my call for the crown courts to consider more carefully whether use of custody is necessary. We have far too many young people in custody; those on short custodial sentences could be more effectively dealt with on robust community programmes.”
Press Contacts: 020 7271 3075/76/3014
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. Lord Warner will be speaking at the Youth Justice Board’s Annual Convention at 10.50am on Thursday November 14.
2. His speech will be available from the press office on 020 7271 3076/3014 or 07876 546187/ 0771 2750516.
3. The Home Secretary, the Rt Hon David Blunkett, will be addressing the conference at 3.30pm tomorrow.