Youth Justice Roadmap: A Child-First Roadmap for Jersey 2025 - 2030

Reimagining Youth Justice:

A Child-First Roadmap for Jersey 2025 - 2030

"Empowering Change: A Child-First Approach to restorative youth justice in Jersey"

R.105/2025

Contents

Minister's Introduction - Connétable Richard Vibert ................................................... 3 Explanatory Notes .................................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary.................................................................................................. 5 Outcomes ............................................................................................................... 6 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 13 Children First ......................................................................................................... 14 Commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 15 Strategic Context ................................................................................................. 157 Building a Safer Community (BASC) ........................................................................ 19

The Children and Young People (Jersey) Law (2022) .................................................. 21 Children, Young People and Families' Plan 2024 - 2027 ............................................ 21 Age of Criminal Responsibility................................................................................. 22

A Systemic approach to the Jersey Youth Justice System .......................................... 23 Vision and Strategic Priorities ................................................................................. 25 Vision and Key Principles for the Youth Justice Roadmap: ......................................... 26 Outcomes - What are the outcomes we want to achieve? ......................................... 27 Measuring progress and impact of the Youth Justice Roadmap. ................................ 35 Delivery and Impact Reviews .................................................................................. 38 APPENDIX 1- Building a Safer Community................................................................ 41 APPENDIX 2 - The existing Jersey Youth Justice Structure and Responsibilities ........... 47 APPENDIX 3 - Proposed Indicators for the measurement of success. ........................ 50

Minister's Introduction - Connétable Richard Vibert

It is with immense pride and a deep sense of responsibility that I present Reimagining Youth Justice: A Child First Roadmap for Jersey (2025-2030). This is not only a Youth Justice Roadmap for change but a bold statement of our collective commitment to creating a youth justice system that reflects the values and aspirations of our island community.

At its heart is the "Child First" philosophy, which sees children as children firstnot defined by their offending behaviours but valued for their potential. This approach prioritises their well - being, supports their growth, and aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), affirming that every child, regardless of their circumstances, has the right to be nurtured, protected, and supported.

This roadmap was not crafted in isolation but builds on the findings of the 2019 Youth Justice Review, emphasising the importance of coordinated, multi-agency efforts to achieve safer communities.  

Building on the 2019 Youth Justice Review, this roadmap emphasises prevention, early intervention, and rehabilitation aiming to address the root causes of offending behaviour, break cycles of reoffending, and reducing the stigma that so often hinders children's ability to move forward in life. The youth justice system should be a pathway to hope, not a revolving door. By placing the child's best interests at the centre of every decision, we can empower them to

repair harm, rebuild relationships, and restore truststrengthening both individuals and our community as a whole.

This is no small undertaking. Realising this roadmap requires a collective effort from government, law enforcement, health, the justice system, education, social services, the third sector, and the wider community.

It will also require courageto embrace innovation, to challenge traditional approaches, and to hold ourselves accountable to the principles and outcomes we have set out.

The stakes are high. Youth justice extends far beyond statistics; it touches lives, shapes futures, and defines the fabric of our island life. A child diverted from crime is not just a reduction in offending; it is a family strengthened, a victim restored, and a safer island.

As we embark on this journey, I extend my deepest thanks to all who contributed to this roadmap. Your dedication ensures that this roadmap is not just a document, but a living, evolving roadmap for meaningful change. Let us work together to build a youth justice system that embodies fairness, compassion, and opportunity, creating brighter futures for Jersey's children and families.

Assistant Minister for Justice and Home Affairs June 2025

Explanatory Notes

Definitions of Terms Used

The terms child, young person and young adult are all defined in the interpretation article of the Criminal Justice (Young Offenders) (Jersey) Law 2014 (as amended}.

• A child is defined as a person who has reached the age of 10 but not yet reached the age of 15.

• A young person is a person who has reached the age of 15 but not reached the age of 18

• A young adult is a person who has reached 18 but is under 21.

For the purpose of this roadmap, the terms child' and children' will be used to refer to all young people below the age of 18.  

This is in line with the definition of a child in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the child first' approach which sees children coming to the attention of the youth justice system as children' first and offenders' second.

It is recognised that the term "youth people " is also used to specifically refer to those aged 18

up to (but not including) 25, particularly those who are care leavers or have a disability. This

definition is outlined in the Children and Young People (Jersey) Law 2022. This Youth Justice

Roadmap focuses specifically on children and young people under the age of 18. This decision

reflects the legal distinction between childhood and adulthood, as well as the significant

changes in rights, responsibilities, and justice processes that occur once a young person turns 18.

In publishing this Roadmap, it is acknowledged that further work is required to ensure that gaps in provision and support are addressed for those aged 18 to 25, particularly for young adults transitioning out of the youth justice system. Whilst this work falls outside the current scope of this roadmap, it highlights the need for future work to ensure a more structured and supportive approach is taken with regards to the transition into adulthood within the justice system.

Executive Summary

Reimagining Youth Justice: A Child First Roadmap for Jersey (2025-2030) outlines a transformative approach to empower a restorative youth justice system in Jersey, emphasising a "Child-First" philosophy. This roadmap aims to create a safer island community by addressing the needs of children involved in offending behaviour primarily through prevention, early intervention, and rehabilitation.

Vision

"To create a supportive and inclusive youth justice system that sees children as children first, prioritises the best interests of all children, empowers them to build pro-social identities, and removes barriers to create opportunities for success. Ultimately we want to support children to become resilient islanders who positively contribute to their communities and break the cycle of reoffending and negative stigmas."  

Principles

The roadmap is built on the findings of a Youth Justice Review (2019)[1], which recommended a multi-agency approach to youth justice, focusing on the rights and needs of children. It aligns with and will be coordinated through the Building a Safer Community framework, prioritising holistic, evidence-based interventions.

The guiding principles for the roadmap are:

1. Best Interest of Children
2. Child First
3. Pro-Social
4. Diversion and Inclusion
5. Safe
6. UNCRC Compliant
7. Equal Access to Rights
8. Participation and Engagement
9. Least Restrictive Measures
10. Victim Participation
11. Accountability
12. Coordinated Services

This roadmap aligns with best practices in youth justice, emphasising a holistic approach that balances the needs and rights of children with the rights of victims and the broader community.

Outcomes

An outcomes-based approach has been adopted to align with the Building a Safer Community Framework[2] (BASC) framework and the Children's, Young People and Families' Plan 2024-2027[3] which will enable the measurement of our success in delivering key actions aligned to the outcomes below.  

The outcomes to be achieved are explained in more detail further in the document, but they are set out in summary below:

Outcome 1: The youth justice system will enable a partnership approach to support a wider systemic approach to engage children in law-abiding and positive behaviours

Outcome 2: Children are diverted away from the formal criminal justice system at the earliest point with appropriate support

Outcome 3: Children who are engaged in serious or persistent conflict with the law go on to achieve positive outcomes

Outcome 4:  Children, families, witnesses and community victims recover and move on beyond the impact of the harm they have experienced

The outcomes are summarised in pages 7-12 and explored in detail on pages 27-37.

Outcome 1: The youth justice system will enable a partnership approach to support a wider systemic approach to engage children in law-abiding and positive behaviours

Outcome 2: Children are diverted away from the formal criminal justice system at the earliest point with appropriate support

Outcome 3: Children who are engaged in serious or persistent conflict with the law go on to achieve positive outcomes

Outcome 4: Children, families, witnesses and community victims recover and move on beyond the impact of the harm they have experienced

Implementation and Evaluation

Executive governance to oversee and drive the implementation of the Youth Justice Roadmap will be vested in the BASC Governance framework under the Assistant Minister for Justice and Home Affairs.

Coordination of the roadmap will be undertaken through the BASC Coordinator and a BASC Youth Justice Partnership is being developed from an existing strategic group to drive implementation.  

The views of children and/or those with lived experience will be represented within the main governance structures and/or their views sought; to ensure the voice of children is being heard. Providing insight into existing provision and to improve the planning and implementation of future strategies, systems, service delivery and programmes.  

This roadmap is subject to ongoing review to maintain a collective, evidence-based understanding of progress and the impact on community safety over time.

This will be supported through the BASC Data Partnership, who will use a range of published data and management information alongside the youth justice data review to measure the impact our changes are having and ensure that the roadmap evolves to meet emerging community safety needs.

Conclusion

Reimagining Youth Justice: A Child First Roadmap for Jersey (2025-2030) seeks to create a fair, proportionate, and supportive youth justice system.

By focusing on prevention, early diversion, and rehabilitation, it aims to build a safer, stronger island community and support children and families in achieving positive life outcomes.

Introduction

Reimagining Youth Justice: A Child First Roadmap for Jersey (2024-2030) is built on a commitment to create a safer island community by addressing the needs of children and young people involved in offending behaviour.

In May 2019, the findings of a review into youth justice in Jersey were published. Included in the review's recommendations was a proposal to –

develop a multi-agency Youth Justice Strategy that addresses the rights and needs of children as perpetrators and victims within the existing children's human rights framework'

Aligned with the Government of Jersey's Building a Safer Community (BASC) framework, this new strategic vision emphasises a holistic approach to youth justice that delivers better outcomes for children and communities. It prioritises prevention, early intervention, and rehabilitation to reduce reoffending and foster positive life outcomes for children, their families and support networks, and our island community.

At its core, this roadmap is underpinned by a "Children First" approach, recognising that many of the children we see entering the system are among the most vulnerable in society and many have complex and multi-faceted needs. It is known that offending often stems from complex social, emotional, and environmental factors with research pointing towards a higher proportion of children in custody having experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACE's) than within the general population.[5]

Our youth justice system should be supporting and challenging children who are at risk of, or are in, conflict with the law to live better lives and help to prevent them from becoming trapped in negative life cycles. By addressing both the behaviour of these children and its underlying causes, we aim to provide holistic, tailored interventions that support children in making positive changes. This includes restorative practices that repair harm, trauma-informed approaches that recognise the impact of adverse childhood experiences and strengths-based interventions that empower children to build on their existing abilities and potential.

In line with the BASC framework, Reimagining Youth Justice: A Child First Roadmap for Jersey promotes collaboration amongst key stakeholders including Justice & Home Affairs, States of Jersey Police, Honorary Police, CYPES, Jersey Youth Service, Probation, Law Officers, Courts, and Health to ensure a coordinated approach that embeds existing partnerships and

develops more effective pathways.

This collaborative effort ensures a unified response to youth offending by providing pathways to a full range of support and interventions. These will not only addresses the root causes of youth offending behaviour but provide the support needed for these children and families to improve the wellbeing and life chances of these children.

We are committed to involving children and families in the design and delivery of services to ensure their voices are heard, respected and that their perspectives and needs are central to our approach. Additionally, our approach is rooted in evidence-based practices, enabling us to evaluate and measure the impact of our interventions effectively using the principles of outcomes-based accountability.

Ultimately, Reimagining Youth Justice: A Child First Roadmap for Jersey' seeks to deliver a youth justice system that is fair, proportionate, and focused on supporting children to thrive, with the goal of building safer, stronger communities for all islanders.

Children First

The treatment of children in conflict with the law, and the delivery of rights-compliant youth justice systems, is now subject to a significant body of international standards.

A "Children First" approach underpins everything we do, emphasising the priority we place on achieving positive outcomes for children, families, and victims.

Jersey's Children First

Jersey's Children First is a standard framework adopted across agencies, services and settings in the public, community and voluntary sectors in Jersey.

A multi-agency group, including parents, developed a Jersey-specific model based on learning in other places which includes:

• Every Child Matters, in England,

• Getting it Right for Every Child, in Scotland

• the Unified Approach to Assessing Children's Needs, in Ireland

It is designed for all those working with children and young people from pre-birth to 19 with emerging or known additional or complex needs/disabilities, including Looked-After Children and those in need of protection.

The approach has additional responsibilities for young people who have been in the care of the States of Jersey and young people in transition to adult services.

It is the vehicle for delivering the five outcomes of the Children, Young People and Families Plan 2024-2027 for Jersey:

• be happy and healthy

• learn and achieve

• enjoy a good standard of living

• feel safe and loved

• be included respected and valued

Services and agencies working with children, young people and families are committed to improving outcomes for them, in particular those who are the most vulnerable. This shared approach enables agencies to work together effectively to ensure children, young

people and families can access the right help at the right time and from the right service.

As stakeholders are trained in the Jersey Children First model, consideration will be given to the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales recently produced Child First framework[6] which is a summary of contemporary research understandings of what works in producing positive outcomes for children in the youth justice system and beyond.

By using Jersey's Children First as a unified model of practice, we are ensuring consistency and a shared vision across services to deliver on the key principles of this strategic roadmap. This will lead to more effective interventions and enhance the system's ability to build a safer community by helping children move away from offending. The partners defined in the outcomes from within the youth justice system will be expected to work to the Jersey Children's First framework, undertaking any relevant training and working practices associated with it and use their reporting practices to evidence this.

ACTION: Partners within the Youth Justice System will be expected to work to the Jersey's

Children First Framework and use their reporting practices to evidence this.

Commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

The UNCRC is a set of rights that apply to all children and  young people.7 8

Every child is entitled to these UNCRC rights, regardless  of their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities, or  any other status. Jersey adopted the convention in 2014 and in doing do has committed to upholding these rights.

The UNCRC outlines 42 rights for children and young  people up to the age of 18. These rights are all  interconnected and equally important. They include the  right to education, the right to equal treatment, the right  to have their best interests prioritised, and the right to  express their views and have them considered in  decisions that impact their lives.

Additionally, the UNCRC establishes the responsibilities  of governments in ensuring that these rights are  respected, protected, and fulfilled.

In particular, the UNCRC sets the foundational principles for youth justice. It specifies the need to treat children as children, and not simply as lawbreakers, and expects the best interests of the child to be a primary consideration with the desire to promote the child's reintegration into community at the earliest opportunity.

In 2014, the United Kingdom extended its ratification to the UNCRC to Jersey. In 2023, a report on the United Kingdom of Great Britain (including Jersey) and Northern Ireland by a UN Committee on the Rights of the Child made this recommendation:

Recalling its general comment No. 24 (2019) on children's rights in the child justice system, the Committee reiterates its previous recommendations9 and urges the State party to bring its child justice system fully into line with the Convention and other relevant standards and (k) to adopt a child justice strategy for Jersey'[7]

Other general recommendations in the report included.

Develop early intervention for children and actively promote non-judicial measures, such as diversion, mediation and counselling, for children accused of criminal offences, and, wherever possible, the use of non-custodial measures for children, such as probation or community service;'  

End the use of solitary confinement and ensure that any separation of the child from others is for the shortest possible time and is used only as a measure of last resort for the protection of the child or others, in the presence of, or under the close supervision of, a suitably trained staff member'  

The Youth Justice Roadmap is built on a firm commitment to ensuring compliance with the UNCRC and embedding children's rights at every stage of the youth justice system. This roadmap has been developed with these rights at its core, ensuring that proposed actions align with Jersey's legal obligations under the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022.

The Roadmap takes a holistic, system-wide approach which seeks to create a youth justice system where children are treated fairly, ensuring that the best interests of the child remain a primary consideration in all decisions.

The roadmap's commitment to a child-first, rights-based approach ensures that children are not unnecessarily criminalised, and that diversion, rehabilitation, and restorative justice remain central to youth justice.

To achieve compliance with the UNCRC, the roadmap specifically addresses key areas where children's rights could be impacted, including:

• Minimising criminalisation by diverting children away from the formal justice system at the earliest opportunity.

• Ensuring child-friendly justice by making legal processes less intimidating and more accessible.

• Providing appropriate support to children and families to prevent offending and promote rehabilitation.

• Eliminating unnecessary detention and ensuring that should there be a period of detention, that is prioritises children's welfare, dignity, and reintegration into society.

• Embedding restorative justice practices that focus on repairing harm rather than punishment.

Children's participation is a central principle of the UNCRC, and the roadmap has been informed by previous extensive engagement and consultations with children across Jersey. Whilst this engagement has not specifically been on the final draft of this roadmap, the Children's Rights Impact Assessment published with this roadmap evidences the Government and Children's Commissioner engagement with children over many years through consultations, research, and feedback mechanisms on various topics, including Youth Justice. Their views and lived experience have been used to shape the roadmap's direction and outcomes. Moving forward, children will continue to be involved and engaged in meaningful ways to ensure that outcomes from the roadmap remain child-centred and rights-based.

Recognising the evolving needs of children and young people, the roadmap is not a static document. It will be continuously reviewed and refined ensuring that the youth justice system remains aligned with UNCRC principles and continues to protect and empower every child it serves.

Strategic Context

Future Jersey

In 2018, Future Jersey 2017 - 2037 [8] was launched following extensive public consultation, creating a 20-year vision for the island to ensure Jersey's future is shaped by choice, not chance.  

The plan identifies ten long-term "Island Outcomes" grouped under three sustainable wellbeing themes: community, economy, and environment. Each outcome is tracked through measurable Island Outcome Indicators[9], which were recently updated and made accessible via a public dashboard by Statistics Jersey. This enable transparent progress monitoring.

The outcomes define visions of success without prescribing specific methods to achieve them.

Supporting this approach, the Building a Safer Community Framework[10] was introduced to advance the community safety outcome:

All people in Jersey are safe and protected at home, work and in public

Youth Justice Review 2019[11]

The Jersey Youth Justice Review (2019) provided a comprehensive analysis of the youth justice system, emphasising the importance of treating young offenders as children first and offenders second. This is in line with the UNCRC and recommendations from the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry. While highlighting successes like reducing first-time entrants into the justice system and lowering custodial sentences, the review proposed reforms to further enhance outcomes for children.

Key recommendations included:

1. Diversionary Programs: Strengthen and expand early interventions and restorative justice practices to address behaviours before formal justice involvement.
2. Multi-Agency Collaboration: Foster stronger partnerships between justice, education, health, and social care services.
3. Training and Resources: Provide ongoing training for professionals working with young people in the justice system. This training should focus on restorative and trauma - informed practices and understanding the unique needs of neurodiverse individuals to improve engagement and support.
4. Monitoring and Evaluation: Implement systems to assess the effectiveness of youth justice initiatives, with measurable outcomes and regular reviews.
5. Community Engagement: Increase involvement of local organisations and

stakeholders to support children's reintegration and promote positive societal connections.

By integrating these evidence-based recommendations, the Jersey Youth Justice Roadmap aims to advance child welfare, prevent re-offending, and create a more holistic, supportive system for children in conflict with the law.

Building a Safer Community (BASC)15

The Long-Term Community Safety Vision – Breaking the pattern

The BASC Framework provides a comprehensive structured approach to improve community safety through prevention-focused strategies and action, embedding knowledge-sharing and collaboration across stakeholders, including government, the third sector, and communities.

BASC's central philosophy is that preventing crime is more effective than responding after it occurs. Designed to be resilient to political and societal changes, BASC aims to develop a sustainable community safety system that supports proactive strategy design and pathways, data utilisation, and partnerships.

It is imperative that we ensure that children and families are supported from birth to be loved, nurtured, socially included and to develop their strengths and capabilities. Supporting families to achieve better outcomes creates safer communities and reduces the risk of children engaging in anti-social behaviours and crime.  

The BASC framework enables this roadmap to take a more preventative approach going forward in addition to ensuring that any response to children who are in conflict with the law  is focused on supporting these children to fulfil their potential, developing their pro-social identity for sustainable desistance so as to make a positive contribution to society

The BASC Framework also emphasises the need for support and consideration for all those affected or touched by crime throughout the prevention and response continuum. This commitment ensures victims, witnesses, and the community can recover and thrive, reinforcing efforts to build a safer and more resilient community.

Taking a whole-system approach using the BASC framework enables us to get upstream' of problems. We also need to leverage insights from the characteristics of children already involved in the Jersey youth justice system, helping shape preventative pathways and programs aimed at reducing youth offending.  

By simultaneously understanding the demographics of children growing up on the island, we can use this data to ensure our youth justice system is also well-informed and appropriately tailored. This enables us to develop the most effective approaches to support children, should

15 Building a Safer Community (BASC) Delivery Framework (gov.je)

they come into conflict with the law, ensuring that the system is responsive to their needs and circumstances.

Key highlights of the BASC Framework relevant to this roadmap include:

1. Dual Focus on Prevention and Response:
   1. Prevention addresses risk factors like adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma, and social inequalities that contribute to criminal behaviours.
   2. Response ensures rehabilitative and trauma informed, restorative justice approaches for those involved in crime including victims, witnesses, and the community - prioritising recovery, reducing stigma, reintegration, and community safety.
   3. Aiming to reduce the flow of children into the system and providing appropriate support to those in the system, to ensure they do not re-offend.
2. The Six Pillars: These pillars guide planning and action for community safety, spanning universal prevention, targeted interventions, enforcement, justice, rehabilitation and recovery, and community.
3. Early Interventions for Children:
   1. Focus on supporting children and families from early childhood to reduce ACEs, social inequality and promote healthy development.
   2. Address potential risk factors such as trauma, neurodevelopmental conditions, social inequalities and communication challenges that often underlie youth offending.
   3. Strengthen family and community ties to prevent exclusion, stigmatism and antisocial behaviour.
4. A Trauma-Informed, Holistic Approach:
   1. The framework promotes understanding the broader social and environmental contexts of crime and criminal behaviours.
   2. It encourages collaboration across all sectors to tackle the root causes of offending.
5. Youth Justice Roadmap Alignment:
   1. Reimagining Youth Justice: A Child First Roadmap for Jersey (2025-2030) integrates BASC principles, emphasising early interventions, diversion from formal justice systems, and the development of pro-social identities.
   2. Custodial sentences are considered a last resort due to their adverse impacts on children's health, education, and reintegration prospects.
6. Community-Centric Philosophy:
   1. BASC emphasises that strong, connected communities are essential for crime prevention and rehabilitation.
   2. It promotes restorative practices to rebuild relationships and provide a sense of belonging for offenders and victims alike.
7. Place-Based, Collaborative Solutions:

o  Drawing on evidence like the CAPRICORN[12] study and Supporting Families Programme[13], BASC highlights the importance of addressing the social determinants of crime through localised, multidisciplinary efforts.

In summary, the BASC Framework aims to create safer, more resilient communities by addressing the root causes of crime, fostering collaboration, and shifting focus from reactive criminal justice processes to proactive, supportive, and restorative practices.

Appendix 1 provides a more in-depth explanation of this roadmap in the context of the BASC Framework.

The Children and Young People (Jersey) Law (2022)18

The Children and Young People (Jersey) Law 2022, effective from 26 March 2024, aims to promote the well-being and safeguard the welfare of children and young people.

The law sets out responsibilities for everyone who works with and, or provides services to children, young people and their families. This law lays the groundwork for this roadmap in that it promotes a holistic, whole-system approach to child welfare by requiring all services to prioritise the well-being and safeguarding of children across sectors.

Providing a legal foundation for collaboration, the law supports this roadmap by aligning services across government and community sectors to ensure children's needs are at the centre of decision-making. It emphasizes the integration of services to prevent vulnerabilities and harmful behaviours that could lead to youth offending.

Children, Young People and Families' Plan 2024 - 2027 19

The Children, Young People and Families' Plan 2024–2027, developed as a response to the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (2017)20, outlines aspirational outcomes that focus on ensuring equitable access to services and opportunities for all children. These outcomes are more than just goals; they act as guiding principles to shape how children in Jersey are supported and thus are integral to this youth justice roadmap.

Through aligning this roadmap to the Children, Young People and Families' Plan and the BASC Framework, it enables us to connect the efforts of various agencies and understand the gaps in the system so that we can foster comprehensive prevention and response mechanisms in relation to the youth offending and the youth justice system. This approach, enshrined in the Children's Law 2022, will enable Jersey to create a more resilient and equitable community where children are better supported to thrive thus reducing risks of exclusion and criminal behaviour.

Age of Criminal Responsibility

"You never know what the outcome could be if you're just winging it instead of basing it on evidence".

Voice of a young person (Crest)

Views on addressing youth offending are often divided, with some favouring punitive approaches, while evidence increasingly supports a "children first, offenders second" perspective. The Independent Care Inquiry, Jersey Youth Justice Review, and UNCRC[14] advocate for a Child First welfare-based approach grounded in developmental neuroscience and child psychology.

Historically there has been some understanding that immaturity in adolescence impacts decision-making, emotional regulation, and understanding consequences thus youth offending.

Neuroscience shows the frontal cortex, critical for reasoning, is still developing into the early/mid-20s, making young adolescents (12–13 years) less capable of grasping the impact of their actions or legal proceedings. There is also an increase in risk-taking behaviours between childhood and adolescence[15].

Based on this and other evidence, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child  recommends a minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) of at least 14 years. Jersey's MACR is 10 years which is significantly lower than other statutory age limits (e.g., for voting or driving), and is not in compliance with the UNCRC. While prosecution of children under 12 is rare in Jersey, criminalising young children increases the likelihood of deeper justice system involvement

Guidance issued by the Attorney General means it is extremely rare for children below the age of 12 to be prosecuted however any criminalisation of children at a young age increases the likelihood of deeper entanglement in the criminal justice system.[16] While children should be held accountable for their actions, this should be done through a "child first" approach that promotes positive change and restorative practices.

The youth justice system needs not only to meet the multiple and complex needs of children who offend, but crucially and for the benefit of society, restore relationships within their families / support networks and communities.

The Minister for Justice and Home Affairs intends to research the changes required, and impact on the current system should the MACR be raised. These findings will inform any law changes required considering any alternative arrangements needed to intervene with children who would have previously entered the formal criminal justice system and to understand the impact on children should the law be changed.

A Systemic approach to the Jersey Youth Justice System

This new Youth Justice Roadmap will become an integral part of an interlocking suite of community safety strategies and programmes that form BASC's wider community safety system. It sets out how criminal justice agencies, wider stakeholders and processes will align to the child first principles. However, in order to ensure that this strategic roadmap is effective, we also need a systemic approach to inform the vision.

Jersey's current Youth Justice System

This roadmap seeks to create a safer community by addressing the challenges faced by children involved in offending behaviours. However, it is crucial to acknowledge the systemic challenges that hinder our ability to achieve better outcomes for these children. These have become increasingly evident throughout the consultancy period in the development of this roadmap.

Below is a summary of key concerns raised in the development and proposed ways in which we hope to address them:

• Attorney General Guidelines: Review and reassessment of the interpretation of the Attorney General's guidelines, particularly concerning their use within the Parish Hall Enquiry (PHE) system to ensure they are adequate to allow for diversionary measures and restorative justice opportunities.

• Understanding and evaluation of the existing Youth Justice system: End to end evaluation of the existing system to understand the opportunity to instigate early and timely interventions and non-judicial measures.

• Lack of early help and diversion p athways ahead of PHE: A thorough examination of existing early help, intervention, and diversionary options, including funding and resource allocation. This will be used to understand what is existing and what is

required and to ensure future programs are structured for success.

• Consistent Application of Diversionary Pathways at PHE: A review of PHE processes to ensure there is a range of diversionary pathways which are consistently applied using  restorative justice practices across all 12 Parishes. These pathways should also ensure that adequate support programs are also in place and accessible to those that require them.

• Timely Decision-Making: Prioritisation of youth cases, with clear decision-making targets (e.g., 14 days for decisions) to ensure prompt intervention and accountability.

• Legislative Gaps: A review of legislative gaps concerning young people, particularly in relation to prevention-related orders and controls.

• Understanding the impact of Court Sanctions: An evaluation of the effectiveness of existing court sanctions for young people to ensure their effectiveness in preventing behavioural escalation.

• Youth Support: A review of the youth support services using outcome-based accountability to ensure effective intervention and diversion practices.

Whilst this roadmap clearly and rightly seeks to shift the focus towards prevention, we need to understand the challenges in the here and now' and address these concerns to ensure that this new strategic vision does not fall short of its evidence-based intentions.

In doing so we can better support children who are at risk of, or are, in conflict with the law, effectively promoting prevention, accountability, and positive behavioural change, ultimately contributing to a safer island community for all.

A high-level overview of the current Youth Justice System can be found in Appendix 2.

A systemic approach to youth justice data

In the context of this Jersey youth justice strategic roadmap, the BASC Framework embeds a consistent approach to performance measurement and management enabling us to understand how the delivery of this strategic roadmap is contributing to the wider island

outcomes. BASC adopts the methodology from a model called Outcomes Based Accountability (OBA) for this purpose[17].

The current youth justice system in Jersey showcases pockets of good practice with regards to data but suffers from systemic challenges, particularly in data collection, analysis, and coordination. Key issues include:

• Existing datasets are often built around what is easy to measure, not what we need to know. There is too much data telling us how much agencies have done, not enough telling us how well they did it, and even less about the difference they made.

• Demand for new data can be driven by well-intentioned but superficial understanding of performance management rather than a systematic approach.

• Too often there is a disconnect between performance measurement – collecting data – and performance management – using it to understand what is actually happening and actually make a difference.

Through the existing BASC Data partnership, we hope to move beyond a system where data collection is driven solely by service needs to one with a holistic regard for the needs of the youth justice system and processes.

This will play a critical role in -

• identifying local trends in youth offending and understanding the causes and forces at work

• understanding whether individual service contributions are working as intended by making a positive difference for the children engaged with them.

• providing invaluable insights to help inform the design and evaluation of early intervention, targeted support, diversion and other prevention interventions further upstream.

• helping inform our understanding of the collective impact of BASC strategies on community safety outcomes.

This thinking underpins the Vision and Key Principles of the roadmap.

Vision and Strategic Priorities

Island Outcome

The agencies that work together in the youth justice system and their partners from across different departments, agencies and sectors all work together to make a difference to the shared island outcome.

All people in Jersey are safe and protected at home, work and in public.

The Responsible Ministers of the Government of Jersey's vision for Children and Young People is:

It is our vision that all children should have an equal opportunity to be safe, flourish and fulfil their potential.'.[18]

Vision and Key Principles for the Youth Justice Roadmap:

Our vision for the Jersey Youth Justice Roadmap is:

"To create a supportive and inclusive youth justice system that sees children as children first, prioritises the best interests of all children, empowers them to build pro-social identities, and removes barriers to create opportunities for success. Ultimately we want to support children to become resilient islanders who positively contribute to their communities and break the cycle of reoffending and negative stigmas."

This vision sets out what we want to achieve, not how we set about achieving it. The work to deliver this vision will be underpinned by the key principles below.

These key principles will be central to how youth justice in Jersey is developed, understood, delivered and assessed. They reflect Jersey's international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

1. Best Interest of Children: The youth justice system will prioritise the best interests of the child, acknowledging their unique needs, rights, and potential.
2. Child First: All children within the youth justice system will be viewed and treated as children first, ensuring their developmental needs are recognised.
3. Pro-Social: The system will support children in developing their pro-social identity, building supportive relationships with services and the community that empower children to fulfil their potential and make a positive contribution to island life.
4. Diversion and Inclusion: Children will be diverted from formal criminal justice processes at the earliest possible stage, with support to promote social inclusion, minimise stigma whilst also addressing their needs.
5. Safe: The safety of children in the youth justice system will be a top priority.

6. UNCRC Compliant: The rights of children will be respected at all times, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
7. Equal Access to Rights: Children in the justice system will maintain access to their rights and entitlements unless those rights are restricted in accordance with the law, ensuring compatibility with human rights.
8. Participation and Engagement: The views of children, families and their caregivers will be sought and respected with an emphasis on active participation and collaboration.
9. Least Restrictive Measures: Children will be dealt with in the least restrictive manner, with deprivation of liberty used only as a last resort and for the shortest appropriate period.
10. Victim Participation: Victims should have their voices heard, their needs met and, where appropriate, the opportunity and support to share their views and take part in restorative processes.
11. Accountability: Services will be held to account for their role within the youth justice System and in prioritising the best interests and addressing the needs of children.
12. Coordinated Services: Youth justice services will be delivered in a coordinated manner using the Jersey's Children First Model incorporating trauma-informed and restorative approaches and contextual safeguarding.

These principles align with best practices in youth justice, emphasising a holistic approach that balances the needs of children with the rights of victims and the broader community.

Outcomes - What are the outcomes we want to achieve?

Reimagining Youth Justice: A Child First Roadmap for Jersey (2025-2030) forms part of a collective effort to make our community safer. An outcomes-based approach has been adopted to align with Future Jersey and the BASC framework. This will enable the measurement of our success in delivering key actions aligned to these outcomes detailed below.

Outcome 1: The youth justice system will enable a partnership approach to support a wider systemic approach to engage children in law-abiding and positive behaviours.

Outcome 2: Children are diverted away from the formal criminal justice system at the earliest point with appropriate support.

Outcome 3: Children who are engaged in serious of persistent conflict with the law go on to achieve positive outcomes.

Outcome 4:  Children, families, witnesses and community victims recover and move on beyond the impact of the harm they have experienced.

Outcome 1: The youth justice system will enable a partnership approach to support a wider systemic approach to engage children in law-abiding and positive behaviours

Outcome 2: Children are diverted away from the formal criminal justice system at the earliest point with appropriate support

Outcome 3: Children who are engaged in serious or persistent conflict with the law go on to achieve positive outcomes

Measuring progress and impact of the Youth Justice Roadmap.

Outcome 4: Children, families, witnesses and community victims recover and move on beyond the impact of the harm they have experienced

How will we know what success looks like?

As part of the implementation of the Building a Safer Community Framework, a BASC Data Partnership has been formed which brings together data and governance functions from across government and the wider community who provide data, analysis and governance to support and contribute towards community safety.

The purpose of the BASC Data Partnership is to provide an evidence-base to the BASC framework and associated activities.

We need quality data to help understand –

• If our community is getting safer, or not.  

• The context and stories behind key trends in crime and disorder

• Which interventions are working, which aren't, and why?

The data partnership can share their collective data, insights and intelligence to enhance local understanding of community safety issues, highlight risks, inform response, and measure the impact and effectiveness of interventions, strategies and policy.

Reimagining Youth Justice: A Child First Roadmap for Jersey (2025-2030) sets out four Strategic Outcomes. Unless we measure progress against these, they are just words, but these outcomes have real meaning. They articulate what we are trying to accomplish and provide an explicit sense of an important public purpose - to enable more children to lead fulfilling lives,

free from crime.  

Such success requires a collective effort. Criminal justice agencies contribute towards this effort but are never solely accountable for the outcomes. In most cases, however, they are best placed to measure and help interpret the results.

The purpose of measuring progress is to make informed judgements about how to make a difference. Any significant change in the data poses an operational and analytical question: "What caused the change?" The answer should affect future results. If we don't know what contributed to those results, we cannot learn and improve.

Utilising the collective efforts of the BASC data partnership alongside the service performance reporting of the individual services and departments within the youth justice system we can develop a systematic review to understand how well we are doing and what needs to improve.  Delivery of the Outcomes' of this roadmap is a shared responsibility – no individual agency can single-handedly deliver results at this population level. Therefore, we need to devise

Indicators. To help us understand our progress towards the big picture outcomes.  

Service performance measures are also important as they help us address three fundamental questions relating to the customers' or users' of those services within the Youth Justice system:

- How much did we do?

- How well did we do it?

- Is anyone any better off?  

Currently, we do not have a whole system approach to understanding the youth justice system with many challenges to this as previously highlighted. As such there will be a structured approach to inform the measurement of progress of this roadmap.

Stage 1 – Data Review and Data Development Agenda

Initially, the BASC Data Partnership will support a Youth Justice Data Review which will then inform a data development agenda. To do this, the Data partnership will need to address the following questions:

• What key youth justice metrics are already in place? This will involve mapping capacity and capability of existing data functions across partner agencies and verifying existing data.

• What are the gaps in our current data sets in measuring effectiveness and impact?

What will we do to fill these gaps?

• What does good look like elsewhere?  

• How do we incorporate opportunities the voice of children and their families as service users in these metrics?

Stage 2 – Metrics for the measurement of success.

To provide a high-level overview of the impact of this roadmap the BASC Data Partnership will need to use the work from stage 1 for constructive discussion amongst the key partners of the roadmap to devise metrics. In developing this roadmap some thought has already been put

into proposed metrics and included in Appendix 4. They are a starting point to be used to promote a discussion about the underlying data that will help disaggregate, interpret and

deepen our understanding of the headline figures.

Delivery and Impact Reviews

The publication of a roadmap should be the beginning, not the end of a process. Ongoing review helps ensure the roadmap is working as intended and identifies further opportunities to improve.

The proposed actions are intended to enhance the youth justice system that has the best interests' of the child as a primary consideration and makes a positive difference to children's lives.

Executive governance to oversee and drive the implementation of the Youth Justice Roadmap will be vested in the BASC Governance framework under the Assistant Minister for Justice and Home Affairs.

The governance structure of BASC and Youth Justice within the BASC Governance Structure.

Coordination of the Roadmap will be undertaken through the Justice and BASC Coordinator and a BASC Youth Justice Partnership is being developed from an existing strategic group to drive implementation.

The Proposed membership of this group is as follows:

• Justice & Building a Safer Community Coordinator (JHA)

• States of Jersey Police (SoJP) – Deputy Chief of Police

• States of Jersey Police (SoJP) – Head of Criminal Justice Department

• States of Jersey Police (SoJP) – Chief Inspector – 24/7 Response & Community Policing

• States of Jersey Prison Service (SoJPS) – Prison Governor

• Probation and After Care Service – Head of Probation

• Associate Director of Young People's Services (CYPES)

• Honorary Police – Chef de Police

• Representative from Law Officers Department

• Representative from Courts

• Director of Children's Services (CYPES)

• JHA Analytics Manager

• Director of Mental Health, Social Care & Community Services (HCJ)

• Representative from Jersey Customs and Immigration Service

• Associate Director Engagement & Participation for Children (CYPES)

• Associated Director of Education (CYPES)

• Representatives from Third Sector = coopted as required

Other members coopted as required and with agreement of the members of the partnership.

Associated task and finish' groups will be set up and coordinated by the BASC Youth Justice Partnership members for specific workstreams as required. Clear terms of reference will be created across all groups to ensure these groups are effective.

The views of children and/or those with lived experience will be represented within the main governance structures and/or their views sought; to ensure the voice of children is being heard, to provide insight into existing provision and improve the planning for future strategies, service delivery and programmes.

This roadmap is subject to ongoing review to maintain a collective, evidence-based understanding of progress and the impact on community safety over time. Supported through the BASC Data Partnership, we will use a range of published data and management information alongside the youth justice data review to measure the impact our changes are having.

APPENDIX 1- Building a Safer Community

The Long-Term Community Safety Vision – Breaking the pattern.

The BASC Framework'[20] puts in place an overarching framework which provides the means to share, embed and enhance the knowledge base required to get ahead of community safety issues. Its underpinning philosophy is that it is preferable to prevent crime from happening in the first place rather than to respond to it after the event.

Recognising the importance of prevention and the influence of the social determinants of health on community safety issues, it involves stakeholders across Government, the third sector and the wider community.

The purpose of BASC is to develop a wider community safety system' and embed it into our way of working to facilitate better strategy design, partnerships, use of data and improved community safety outcomes. As such, BASC is positioned as an enduring framework designed to stand the test of time and provide continuity which is not affected by political cycles, changing community safety challenges, priorities and delivery strategies. The Jersey Youth Justice Roadmap is one of many strategies which will sit within the context of the BASC Framework.

Addressing both PREVENTION and RESPONSE, the BASC framework has 6 pillars which identify key components of prevention and response to community safety. These 6 pillars provide a

clear framework for collaboration, planning and action to shape how we identify and respond to current and emerging community safety issues, from universal prevention through to

rehabilitation and recovery.

The BASC Framework emphasises the need for support and consideration for all those affected or touched by crime throughout the prevention and response continuum. This commitment ensures victims, witnesses, and the community can recover and thrive, reinforcing efforts to build a safer and more resilient community.

Currently, Jersey remains systemically orientated towards a responsive criminal justice system' with long-established partnerships and processes. We are not properly organised to realise the full potential of a range of earlier opportunities, well beyond the remit of the police and courts, to tackle the risk factors that drive criminal behaviours in the first place.

It is imperative that we ensure that children and families are supported from birth to be loved, nurtured, socially included and to develop their strengths and capabilities. Supporting families

to achieve better outcomes creates safer communities and reduces the risk of children engaging in anti-social behaviours and crime. The BASC framework enables this new Youth Justice Roadmap to take a more preventative approach going forward in addition to ensuring

that any response to children who are in conflict with the law is focused on developing their pro - social identity for sustainable desistance.

 With this aim Jersey can empower these children to fulfil their potential and make a positive contribution to society. The BASC framework further reinforces the Children First approach and provides a local framework to embed this with regard to community safety.

The Building a Safer Community Framework

Jersey's Youth Justice Roadmap in the context of the BASC Framework.

The PREVENTION pillars of the BASC Framework

The foundations for lifelong emotional and physical health are laid down through the cognitive, emotional and physical development that occurs in the first critical years of our lives. Where that development is disrupted, the evidence highlights an increased risk of future problems with physical and mental health, criminality, substance misuse or exploitation and abuse.[21]

Behavioural self-regulation difficulties during childhood, including antisocial behaviour and aggression, are highly predictive of children's involvement in criminal activity during adolescence. Many of these behaviours will arise from adverse childhood experiences and trauma which, left unchecked, these children can disrupt and detach from universal services.[22]

It is clearly evidenced that a system that delivers improvements in children and young people's health, well-being and life opportunities can break the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage[23]. Targeted support for these children and their families can create positive change and pre-empt the youth justice interventions that may otherwise follow in the future.

Research shows that many children in the youth justice system have histories of trauma, often including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

Additionally, speech, language, and communication challenges are often prevalent in these children. Research indicates that a significant portion of justice-involved children have underlying language deficits, sometimes as high as 23% in certain populations[24]. These experiences and challenges often go unnoticed or are misinterpreted as behavioural issues, which unless addressed in early years can have long-lasting impacts on behaviour and development, significantly increasing the likelihood of involvement in the justice system.

A study by Dinkler et al. (2017) found that trauma, combined with a genetic predisposition to neurodivergence, increases the chances of having multiple neurodevelopmental conditions. Furthermore, children with such conditions are overrepresented among those excluded from school and those in residential care, increasing their likelihood of interacting with the youth justice system3233

This evidence provides a compelling argument for the need for early interventions for children and families to reduce the opportunities for ACES and adverse environments which may negatively impact a child's early years development.

Taking a whole-system approach using the BASC framework enables us to get upstream' of problems. We also need to leverage insights from the characteristics of children already involved in the Jersey youth justice system, helping shape preventative pathways and programs aimed at reducing youth offending.  

By simultaneously understanding the demographics of children growing up on the island, we can use this data to ensure our youth justice system is also well-informed and appropriately tailored. This enables us to develop the most effective approaches to support children, should they come into conflict with the law, ensuring that the system is responsive to their needs and circumstances.

At the heart of the BASC Framework is also the concept that strong communities are safer communities. BASC is not just about building partnerships between agencies and clarifying their roles and responsibilities in a complex community safety landscape. It also recognises that communities themselves are vital players in supporting children and families to create a safe and just society. This potential is not always fully recognised or facilitated.

The familiar African proverb says that it takes a whole village to raise a child. Another great African proverb is.

"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth."

When children offend, the best outcomes come through reconnecting them to their community and creating a sense of belonging by building bridges between the child, their families and their community. If children are left on the margins of community life, we should not be surprised if the outcome is continuing disaffection, further isolation and continuing problems.

BASC's broader ambition of community development is beyond the scope of the Youth Justice System, however the key stakeholders are well positioned to help support the process. We are working towards the same outcome, promoting community safety, fewer victims and creating a sense of belonging and acceptance within the island community.

We need to design an explicit restorative framework founded on the principles of working with' people (families and stakeholders), rather than doing to' or for'. When we work with and alongside others, rather than make decisions about (without) them, positive changes are more likely. There is a significant role for statutory agencies, the third sector and wider community to play in supporting families to provide a loving and safe island for our children and to support children at risk of or in conflict with the law to (re)connect with their community.

The RESPONSE pillars of the BASC Framework

The RESPONSE domain in the BASC Framework covers the point where children interact with criminal justice agencies through formal processes and rehabilitation. It also considers the effects on victims and the wider community impacted by the crimes. For public confidence in this phase of the justice system, agencies must adequately meet victims' needs, as their experiences in the process can influence their recovery, trust in the system, and the effectiveness of justice.

It is important to note that only a small proportion of children engage in persistent criminal behaviour. For most, brushes with the law are part of a short-lived phase of boundary-testing, and even fewer progress to serious or long-term offending.  

Early interventions at the initial contact with Police and the Parish Hall System are critical to shaping children's long-term outcomes and ensuring community safety. Earlier Stage Diversion, which provides short-term, targeted interventions and support for children involved in low level offending such as used in Northern Ireland have been highly effective. [25] . Multidisciplinary efforts through this strategic roadmap will focus on earlier interventions to support children to develop pro-social identities and diverting them from the justice system at the earliest point, enabling them to reach their potential and contribute positively to society.

Formal justice system involvement in the courts should be a last resort, based on the severity of harm caused and ongoing risks to public safety. Any sanctions should prioritise rehabilitation and public protection. Although children must face consequences for their actions, the emphasis should be on diversion and restorative justice, leading to positive community reintegration rather than punitive measures.

Research has consistently shown that custodial sentences for children pose significant risks to their well-being and development. These sentences can weaken family ties, harm mental health, disrupt education, and expose children to criminal influences. Studies indicate that time in custody can lead to increased mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, making reintegration into society more difficult[26]. Additionally, custodial environments often disrupt education, creating long-term educational setbacks.

These findings suggest that alternative interventions, such as restorative justice practices and community-based rehabilitation, could provide more effective support for children who offend, reducing recidivism and promoting positive life outcomes.

Looking at the small number of children appearing in Jersey courts, these individuals often present with complex needs, including adverse childhood experiences and vulnerabilities to exploitation. A purely punitive approach may exacerbate these issues.

Studies suggest that trauma and neurodivergent traits (such as autism, ADHD[27], and language difficulties) frequently co-occur in these children, further complicating their ability to engage with the justice system effectively[28].

This body of evidence underscores the need for trauma-informed and neurodiversity-aware approaches in youth justice systems to better support these children and prevent further escalation of their behaviours.

The CAPRICORN [29]study by Public Health England emphasised,

"Children and young people in contact with the justice system have been shown to have poorer health outcomes than children in the general population. Almost all the causes of childhood offending lie outside of the direct influence of the youth justice system. Therefore, it is crucial that health, education, social care, law enforcement and other services form a collaborative approach to preventing offending and reoffending behaviour in children by addressing health and social determinants of offending and reoffending behaviour. Importantly, if there is to be a direct impact on practice and implementation then a local, place-based approach is essential for success."

A collaborative, place-based approach among health, education, social care, and law enforcement is crucial to address the determinants of offending behaviour. The BASC framework provides the opportunity to leverage this type of holistic approach in Jersey for the first time.

Rather than judging children solely on their offenses, we must consider the broader context of their experiences.  

The "Pair of ACEs Tree" serves as a reminder of the social determinants that can underpin youth crime system and reinforces the words of Professor Hal Wootten, AC, QC.

By all means let us remember that criminal conduct lies at the end of a road along which the offender has often made numerous choices to go in a particular direction but let us also remember that many factors beyond the individual's control set him or her on the road and defined the choices available and the degree of knowledge and the consequences that attended the choices.'

39

The Pair of ACEs Tree indicating multiple types of ACEs and the relationship to adverse community environments.

Seeing this roadmap in the context of BASC, enables partners to recognise the inter - dependencies with broader Government and Island wide initiatives to tackle key drivers of multiple disadvantages such as adverse childhood experiences and adverse community environments so that all understand their contribution to enhance community safety.

39 Ellis, W., Dietz, W. (2017) A New Framework for Addressing Adverse Childhood and Community Experiences: The Building Community Resilience (BCR) Model. Academic Pediatrics. 17(2017) pp. S86 - S93. DOI information: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2016.12.011

APPENDIX 2 - The existing Jersey Youth Justice Structure and Responsibilities

The justice structure in Jersey is designed to uphold the rule of law while focusing on the welfare of the community, particularly children. It operates within a unique legal framework, which is supported by the States of Jersey Police (SOJP), the Honorary Police, Law officers Department (LOD), Courts, Parish Hall Enquiry (PHE) system and Jersey Probation and Aftercare service (JPACS).

Community Policing

Community policing has an important role to play in this Jersey Youth Justice Roadmap. It represents a different style of policing to the traditional, reactive model where police officers respond to calls for assistance from the public. Community policing embeds officers in local communities to build relationships, understand issues and help develop sustainable solutions. Community policing is delivered by both the States of Jersey Police and the Honorary Police force.

The nature of the role of community police officers provides unique opportunities to engage with children on a more sustained basis, giving them a voice, building trust and demonstrating that community policing is also done with them and for them, not just to them. However, this approach needs to be consistent and based upon building positive relationships with children to promote healthy and trusting community development. All police officers should be trained to recognise that children and adolescents perceive, process and respond to situations differently and community officers should be exemplars of this approach.

When children do offend, Parish Hall Enquiries and the Probation Service are key to building genuine partnerships between the criminal justice system and communities. Both offer real opportunities to identify, connect and mobilise the strengths of the individual and the community around them, with a shared commitment to change lives not to simply seek retribution.  

Jersey Youth Justice System Agencies:

APPENDIX 3 - Proposed Indicators for the measurement of success.

These indicators are intended as a starting point for discussion for all stakeholders, some of which will sit outside the criminal justice system. Any potential issues should be identified to –

• identify if better alternatives are available.

• consider whether controls need to be put in place to mitigate any concerns.

• ensure precise definitions for all terms used in these Indicators are in place to ensure common language across agencies.

Outcome 1: Children engage in law-abiding and positive behaviours

Target population: All children in Jersey

What might success look like?

• A sustained reduction in total crime known to be committed by young offenders, most likely combined with reductions in crime most frequently associated with children.

• A sustained reduction in the number of individual children who come into conflict with the law (offenders), with decreasing numbers of first-time offenders over time, fewer first - time offenders going on to become repeat offenders and the repeat offenders becoming less prolific and causing less harm.

Apparent trends must be cross-checked against other evidence and competing interpretations.

Outcome 2 - Children are diverted away from the formal criminal justice system at the earliest point with appropriate support

Target population: Child at risk of or in conflict with the law

This is an example where a headline Indicator may also have a dual role as a service performance measure. A significant discrepancy between the diversion rate across parishes, for example, would invite scrutiny of the reasons.

Consistency is required around the offence types included.

This Indicator necessarily flows into another that measures the outcomes of community - based diversions. We need to understand whether they work. If not, the question is not whether the concept of diversion is flawed, but how to improve the intervention programmes.  

What might success look like?

A sustained, high proportion of child offenders diverted into meaningful community-based interventions.

Outcome 3 - Children who are engaged in serious of persistent conflict with the law go on to achieve positive outcomes

Target population: Children in the formal justice system

positive lives. Some of those should exist in the "what difference did we make' service performance metrics.

Definition of crime/process offences included (e.g., traffic offences) remains essential.

This headline Indicator also has a dual role as a service performance measure. A key focus is the difference we make for individuals involved within the youth justice system, including interim outcomes such as improved qualifications and relationships. It is about what works and why. In an effective performance management system, the managers responsible for different interventions would track these results and be in a position to brief leaders on their response.

What might success look like?

Long-term evaluation shows low rates of re-offending amongst more serious offenders dealt with by courts system, thanks to effective post-sentence rehabilitation interventions.

Outcome 4 - Children, families, witnesses and community victims recover and move on beyond the impact of the harm they have experienced

Target population: Children who are victims of crime

• % of victims (in specified offence categories) who achieve positive outcomes in all six victim wellbeing categories within 12 months of reporting a crime

In the interim period, we can develop a selected suite of service performance measures from different agencies who can report on some of these outcomes for their individual client groups.

What might success look like?

The ambition would be that victims do not become repeat victims, and the evidence shows that they receive effective support to recover from their experiences.

BASC@Gov.je

[1] States Assembly | R-70-2019

[2]  Building a Safer Community (BASC) Delivery Framework (gov.je)

[3] Children, Young People and Families Plan 2024 - 2027

[4] Restorative practices are approaches used to build relationships, strengthen communities, and repair harm when conflict or wrongdoing occurs. In youth justice, restorative practices involve working with young people who have caused harmoften through crime or antisocial behaviourand those affected, such as victims, families, or communities. The goal is to encourage accountability, empathy, and understanding, helping the young person take responsibility and make amends, while giving victims a voice and promoting healing.

[5] Adverse Childhood Experiences in children at high risk of harm to others: A gender perspective. Nina Vaswani (January 2018) (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/63124/)

[6] Final-Child-First-Toolkit-Guidance-Document-.pdf (yjresourcehub.uk) 7 The UNCRC | Children's Commissioner for Jersey

8 UN0332751.pdf

[7] Concluding observations on the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'

[8] Future Jersey

[9] Island Outcome Indicators

[10]  Building a Safer Community (BASC) Delivery Framework (gov.je)

[11] Social Enquiry Report

[12] Collaborative Approaches to Preventing Offending and Re-offending In Children (CAPRICORN)

[13] Supporting Families  - GOV.UK

18 Children and Young People (Jersey) Law 2022

19 Children, Young People and Families plan 2024-2027

20 Independent Jersey Care Inquiry

[14] Children's Human Rights | Children First

[15] A Social Neuroscience Perspective on Adolescent Risk-Taking

[16] McAra, L. and McVie, S (2007a) "Youth Justice? The Impact of Agency Contact on Desistance from Offending", European Journal of Criminology, Vol. 4, No. 3 pp 315- 345

[17] Outcomes Based Accountability is a model designed by Mark Friedman as set out in his book Trying Hard is Not Good Enough'. The model is used extensively in the USA and around the world, underpins the Programme for Government in Northern Ireland and is widely in use across UK Local Authorities. Locally, it formed the basis for Future Jersey and the Jersey Performance Framework and is also widely used in

the voluntary sector.

[18] Children Young People and Families' Plan 2024-27.pdf (gov.je)

[19] Supporting Families Programme Research Briefing 2023, CBP-7585.pdf (parliament.uk)

[20] Building a Safer Community (BASC) Delivery Framework (gov.je)

[21] InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development (harvard.edu)

[22] PHW-WHO-ACEs-Handbook-Eng-18_09_23.pdf (phwwhocc.co.uk)

[23] EISS_Cost_Comparison_Report.pdf (qub.ac.uk)

[24] Neurodisability among Children at the Nexus of the Child Welfare and Youth Justice System (springer.com)

32 Neurodiversity – a whole-child approach for youth justice (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)

33 Neurodisability among Children at the Nexus of the Child Welfare and Youth Justice System (springer.com)

[25] Strategic Framework for Youth Justice - 2022 - 2027 (justice-ni.gov.uk)  

[26] Mental health needs of young offenders in custody and in the community | The British Journal of Psychiatry | Cambridge Core

[27] Neurodisability among Children at the Nexus of the Child Welfare and Youth Justice System (springer.com)

[28] Neurodiversity – a whole-child approach for youth justice (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)

[29] Collaborative Approaches to Preventing Offending and Re-offending In Children (CAPRICORN)

[30] Criminal Justice (Young Offenders) (Jersey) Law 2014

[31] Parish Hall Enquiries