A Girls in Youth Justice Board will be established to bring together senior leaders and experts from NHS England, government, charities, and the Youth Justice sector to improve their care and outcomes, with self-harm among this group at concerning levels.
Crucially, the Board will include individuals with lived experience of the youth justice system and seek to promote effective gender-specific practices. It will meet for the first time next month, marking a significant milestone in the Government’s efforts to deliver lasting change for some of the most vulnerable people in society, News Cover reports, citing UK government.
Despite making up less than 2 per cent of the youth custodial population, girls account for over half of self-harm incidents – and are five times more likely than boys to be victims of sexual assault.
Today’s announcement follows Government action in March to permanently end the placement of girls in Young Offender Institutions, after an independent review by Susannah Hancock recommended the move to better address the complex mental and physical health challenges of girls in custody.
Instead, girls will now always be placed in settings more suited to their needs such as Secure Schools or Secure Children’s Homes.
The Government has now published its full response to Ms Hancock’s review, setting out further steps to improve the support provided to girls in the youth justice system as part of its Plan for Change.
