Barnet Council Youth Justice Service has been awarded Youth Justice SEND Quality Lead Status with a Child First Commendation
Barnet Council's Youth Justice Service has been awarded Youth Justice SEND (special educational needs and disability) Quality Lead Status with a Child First Commendation, which recognises consistently high levels of practice with children who have SEND.
Youth Justice SEND Quality Lead Status is awarded to teams that provide evidence and case studies of improved outcomes for children in their borough achieved through effective partnership working.
Barnet’s Youth Justice Service works with children aged between 10 and 18 years who have come into contact with the criminal justice system and supports them to help make changes in their lives, so they do not re-offend or cause further harm to the community.
These children often have additional needs and vulnerabilities, and as such are supported by a dedicated multi-agency team that includes; social workers, youth justice officers, police officers, probation officers, forensic psychologists, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, youth workers and restorative justice workers.
Pauline Coakley-Webb, Cabinet Member for Family Friendly Barnet, said: “We’re extremely proud to have received this award. In Barnet, we strongly believe all young people should be given a second chance, and this achievement is a well-deserved testament to the strategic and operational commitment, investment, and endeavour over an extended period. I would like to extend my congratulations and thanks to the teams who work daily to help the borough’s young people.”
Amongst some of the features of Barnet’s work that contributed to this award were:
- A long-established relationship between the Local Authority SEND Team and the Youth Justice Service
- Co-located, integrated and highly specialised multi-agency team
- Strong links to Pupil Referral Unit, Virtual School and a large number of Borough schools and academies, increasing opportunity and impact of early identification and early help
- A clear and sustained commitment to resettlement and after-care
- A very strong and child focused Youth Justice Plan which has been endorsed by the Youth Justice Board
Barnet Youth Justice Service was further awarded a Child First Commendation, which is testimony to the partnership’s child focused approach.
For more information on Barnet’s Youth Justice Service, visit: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/young-people/youth-justice-service