About us

We are a non-departmental public body responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales.


Who we are

We are an organisation of around 100 people and our headquarters is in London.

Our vision is for a youth justice system that sees children as children, treats them fairly and helps them to build on their strengths so they can make a constructive contribution to society. This will prevent offending and create safer communities with fewer victims.

Our responsibilities

Within England and Wales we’re responsible for:

  • using information and evidence to form an expert view of how to get the best outcomes for children who offend and for victims of crime
  • advising the Secretary of State for Justice, government departments, local authorities, those working in youth justice services and other organisations about how well the system is operating, and how improvements can be made
  • identifying and sharing best practice
  • promoting the voice of the child, including taking advice from our youth advisory panel of children and young adults who have current or previous experience of the youth justice system
  • commissioning research and publishing information in connection with good practice
  • monitoring the youth justice system and the provision of youth justice services
  • making grants, with the approval of the Secretary of State, for the purposes of the operation of the youth justice system and services
  • providing information technology related assistance for the operation of the youth justice system and services

Our priorities

Our priorities are to:

  • pursue our vision of a Child First youth justice system
  • influence the youth justice system to treat children fairly and reduce over-representation
  • prevent harm through exploitation
  • reduce the numbers of children in custody; improve the experience of children in custody and improve resettlement and transition outcomes for children

More information is within our strategic and business plans.

Corporate information

Access our information

Jobs and contracts

Read about the types of information we routinely publish in our Publication scheme. Find out about our commitment to Welsh language scheme. Our Personal information charter explains how we treat your personal information.