Two SEND awards for Wirral’s Youth Justice Service

Congratulations to Wirral’s Youth Justice Team!

Wirral’s Youth Justice Service (YJS) recently applied for Youth Justice SEND Quality Lead status. The YJS achieved this status on their first try and also received a Child First Commendation!

To be able to achieve the awards, the YJS had to collect evidence over several months. This evidence shows how the team excel in supporting children and young people with SEND:

• There is excellent communication between the YJS and the SEND Teams across Wirral's Local Area SEND Partnership. Children with SEND needs are quickly identified and supported.

• Preventative work in Wirral is outstanding. Multi-agency meetings take place to share data and local insights. This helps to identify young people who are at risk. These individuals might engage more in crime, anti-social behaviour, or drop out of school. These issues can harm their safety, wellbeing, and chances for the future. This multi-agency process provides a strong support package for young people seen as 'at risk'.  

• Another key initiative is the Deferred Prosecution pathway. This is a partnership between Merseyside Police and the Wirral YJS. It aims to help young people avoid being criminalised.

• The team is dedicated to continuously improving. The YJS service is always looking for new ways to help children in youth justice pathways. Plus, those at risk of entering the youth justice system.

The YJS is a multi-agency service. The YJS has social workers and youth justice workers. It is also made up of staff from education, police, probation and health. The YJS helps young people aged 10 to 17 who have committed offences. The service also does preventative work. Volunteers support young people aged 10 to 18. They focus on young people involved in or at risk of anti-social behaviour or crime.

The team are supported one day a week by Dr Melissa Carey. Dr Carey provides enhanced case management and supervision. She is a member of the core Educational Psychology team, and also an associate tutor for the Doctorate Training with Manchester University.

To find out more about the service visit Youth Offending.