HM Inspectorate of Probation, the Care Quality Commission and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and Estyn are publishing the results of a report today that examines the impact of alcohol misuse by children and young people who offend.
Frances Done, chair of the YJB, said:
“The link between alcohol misuse and offending has been a longstanding issue which the YJB has constantly raised on national platforms. We believe that all young people in contact with the youth justice system or, at risk of becoming an offender, should be entitled to screening, assessment and early intervention where they have misused alcohol. Where a need is identified we believe that there should be uninhibited and speedy access to universal, targeted and specialist treatment.
“We welcome the evidence of good progress being made by YOTs in England and Wales, particularly in relation to the range of interventions on offer, with creative and flexible methods being used. We are pleased to see that there have been some excellent examples of more direct input by parents and carers through parenting groups and direct support. We will be monitoring how these interventions are used following the introduction of the Scaled Approach and the Youth Rehabilitation Order, particularly the Intoxicating Substance requirement.
“We remain concerned about the matters raised regarding eligibility of young people to be referred into CAMHs services and acknowledge that there is more work to be done in this area. The YJB has continually raised the needs of young people with alcohol problems and will continue to challenge government departments and other national and local bodies to improve their services to this group of young people.We will also have an opportunity to address the other matters raised in the report about assessment in our review of assessment and interventions. As part of this review we will be investigating how substance misuse issues, including alcohol, are covered in Asset and Onset.”
