Government to transform care for girls in custody

• New advisory board set up to champion girls’ needs
• Targeted investments made into alternatives to custody
• New training for staff on responding to self-harm

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.

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.

Minister for Youth Justice Jake Richards said:

Girls in custody are among the most vulnerable children in our society, and ending their placement in Young Offenders Institutions was a huge step to improving their care. We’re now going further and transforming the care they receive as part of our Plan for Change.

We are building a system that recognises the unique needs of girls and gives them the support they deserve to turn their lives around.

More broadly, the Government has committed capital investment of over £560 million to reform the children’s social care system and support the refurbishment and expansion of the children’s homes estate.

£40 million is also being invested in foster care over three years and pilots are being funded in West Yorkshire and Kent to develop alternatives to custody and strengthen community support for children at risk of remand, alongside a similar Greater Manchester scheme.

Starting in January 2026, a new approach will be tested to help find better care placements for vulnerable children with complex needs. There will also be new training for staff working in the youth justice system to help them respond to self-harm and provide care that takes past trauma into account.

The Youth Custody Service can place girls in different settings across the youth custody estate, including secure children’s homes, the new secure school and Oakhill Secure Training Centre.

Background

• The full government response is available at Delivering the best for girls in custody: government response – GOV.UK

source: GOV