Definitions
A list of some of the terms used in this manual and their definitions.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Appropriate adult | When we refer to an appropriate adult, as required under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and accompanying Codes of Practice, we are describing; the parent or guardian, a person representing that authority or organisation, if the child is in local authority or voluntary organisation care, or is otherwise being looked after under the Children Act 1989 or the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, a social worker of a local authority, an appropriate YJS worker, another responsible adult aged over 18. |
| Child First | A comprehensive evidence base which states the most effective way to reduce offending and create fewer victims is to focus on making sure children seen as children first rather than as offenders. For more information see ‘What is Child First?’ |
| Children | We define a child as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. This is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and civil legislation in England and Wales. The fact that a child has reached 16 years of age, is living independently or is in further education, is a member of the armed forces, is in hospital or in custody in the secure estate, does not change their status or entitlements to services or protection. |
| Connectivity | Connectivity is the secure file transfer system responsible for moving data i.e. Asset+ files and Quarterly data returns, between YJSs and the Youth Justice Application Framework (YJAF). |
| Child looked-after | A child who has been in the care of their local authority for more than 24 hours has ‘looked-after’ status. Whilst looked-after child remains the statutory description in England and child looked-after is the statutory description in Wales, terms such as ‘child with care experience’, ‘child in care’ or ‘children we care for’ are amongst the different terms used. |
| Complex needs | The Youth Justice Board (YJB) defines children with complex needs as those experiencing a breadth and depth of interconnected problems, such as trauma, mental health, and neurodevelopmental issues. Because these needs span multiple domains (health, social care, education), they cannot be addressed by a single agency and require integrated, multi-agency support. |
| Pro-social identity | Children see themselves as someone who will benefit other people or society as a whole and are less likely to get involved in negative or criminal activity. |
| Scaled Approach | The Scaled Approach was a model of practice in which the level and frequency of intervention were determined largely by their assessed risk with higher‑risk scores leading to more intensive contact. Evidence showed that risk‑led, formulaic models could result in over intervention, increased stigma and that more intervention does not automatically produce better outcomes. This approach is no longer used because it does not align with the guiding principles of Child First which requires services to respond to children by focusing on their rights, needs, strengths and circumstances rather than primarily on risk. The move to Child First has replaced the scaled approach with a needs‑led, relational model of practice, where professional judgement, collaboration with children, and supporting positive identity development are central to producing good outcomes. With the change to a Child First approach to Youth Justice, the advice on determining how often you should see a child has been revised. It is much less prescriptive and is now based on each child’s individual needs. |
| Secure children’s home (SCH) | Some SCH’s look after children detained by the courts as well as those on welfare grounds. For the purposes of this guidance, when we refer to SCHs we mean the former. |
| Secure training centre (STC) | STCs accommodate children aged 12 to 18. STCs have a higher staff to child ratio, compared to YOIs, and are smaller in size. |
| Secure school | The secure school is a specialist form of youth custody for children aged 12 to 18 who are remanded or sentenced to custody. It combines education, care, health and therapeutic support within a secure environment, with a focus on rehabilitation and improving outcomes for children. |
| Self-identity | This is how a child sees themselves and their place in the world. If a child has a pro-social identity then they feel empowered to make the right choices in their behaviour and with wider life decisions, including relationships. |
| Sex | We use ‘sex’ to classify whether children are male or female as per the protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010. |
| Vulnerability | When we use the term vulnerable with regards to a child, its use is in a specific technical, legal or regulatory sense. This is necessary because ‘vulnerable’ is an imprecise term and it can cover a broad range of characteristics and behaviours. |
| Wales | We will state, ‘in England’, where there are differences with Wales as a result of devolution. |
| Young adult | We define a young adult as someone who is 18 or over. For example, when a young adult is transferring to the adult probation service. |
| Young offender institution (YOI) | There are two types of YOI, one for 15 to 17-year-old boys and one for 18 to 21-year-olds. When we refer to YOIs within this guidance, we are only referring to the establishments that hold children. |
| Youth justice service (YJS) | Throughout this guidance we now refer to ‘youth justice services’ rather than the statutory definition of youth offending team. This is to acknowledge the evolution of services in all their guises and to move away from the stigmatising language of ‘offending’. |
| Youth Justice Application Framework (YJAF) | YJAF is a digital platform used by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and youth justice partners to support assessment, case management, reporting, and information sharing for children in the youth justice system. It facilitates data exchange between Youth Justice Services (YJS), the Youth Custody Service (YCS), secure establishments, and the YJB. |
| YJS management board | A YJS management board, also known as a YJS partnership board, should be formed to provide strategic direction with the aim of preventing offending by children. The role of the YJS management board is to determine how the YJS(s) is to be composed and funded and how it will; operate and what functions it is to carry out, determine how appropriate youth justice services are to be provided and funded, oversee the formulation each year of a draft youth justice plan, oversee the appointment or designation of a YJS manager, agree measurable objectives linked to key performance indicators, including the standards for children in the youth justice system. Members of a YJS management board should be empowered with the capacity to make strategic decisions. The YJS management board oversees the budget. |