Wales Youth Justice Advisory Panel: 26 January 2026

Attendees in person

• Karin Phillips (co-Chair (KP), Youth Justice Board Member
• Paula Williams (PW), Youth Justice Board
• Darren Trollope (DT), Youth Justice Board 
• Sasha Yilmaz (SY), Welsh Government (CSD)
• Lynzi Jarman (LJ), Welsh Government (JPD)
• James Gerard (JG), Welsh Government (JPD)
• Fallon Gallagher (FG), HMPPS    

Attending on Teams

• Martyn Gunter (MG), Welsh Government (ECWL)
• Emma Williams (EW), Welsh Government (Director General ECWL)
• Padraig McNamara (PM), Welsh Government (Health) 
• Mark Bradley (MB), Welsh Government (Health) 
• Sally Rees (SR), Welsh Government (Social Services and Integration) 
• Tom Cartright (TC), Welsh Government (KAS) 
• Alison Lott (AL), Welsh Government (CSD)
• Andrea Brazier (AB), His Majesty Inspectorate of Probation  
• Michelle Davies (MD), Health representative Swansea Bay UHB 
• Paul Biggs (PBi), Police Liaison Unit
• Phillip Bowen (PBo), Youth Justice Board
• Cheryl De Freitas (CDF), Youth Justice Board  
• Rachel Morgan (RM), Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)
• Gill Adams (GA), YOT Managers Cymru (YMC)
• Alan Webster (AW), Ministry of Justice 
• Surinder Randhawa (SR), HMCTS
• Gwen James (GJ), Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner 
• Martina Feilizer (MF), Academic representative
• Julie Davies (JD), Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru (ADSS)
• James Warr (JW), YOT Managers Cymru
• Philip O’Connell (PO’C) on behalf of DCC Nicola Brain 
• Neil Blyth (NB) on behalf of DCC Nicola Brain 
• Rocio Cifuentes (RC), Children’s Commissioner for Wales
• Jay McCabe (JM), YOT Managers Cymru (YMC)
• Dafydd Llywelyn (DLl), PCC Dyfed Powys 
• Eleri Thomas (ET), Deputy PCC Gwent 
• Kirsty Davies (KD), YOT Managers Cymru (YMC)
• Mark Brace (MBrace), Safer Communities Network
• Tim Melville (TM) Chair, Welsh Magistrates Youth Panel Chairmans Forum

Apologies 

• Mike Connolly (co-Chair), Welsh Government (CSD)
• Daniel Jones, Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)
• James White, The Association of Directors of Education in Wales (ADEW)
• Stephanie Roberts-Bibby, Youth Justice Board 
• Stephen Wood, YOT Managers Cymru (YMC)
• Katie Hughes, Ministry of Justice 
• DCC Nicola Brain, Gwent Police
• Louise Lawrence, HMPPS
• Christine Harley, HMPPS
• Lucy Peates, HMPPS

All actions to be completed as soon as possible but no later than 27 February 2026 unless other date specified.

• Action point 1: MB to raise the challenges regarding SLCN during his next meeting with the Executive Directors of AHP and Healthcare Science. (Lead MB)
• Action point 2: MB agreed to have further discussions with the YJS to explore possible solutions in relation to SLCN and to report back at the April meeting of the Panel. (Lead MB and JW)
• Action point 3: MD to share the health related WYJAP papers with wider Health Board counterparts and share any further feedback. (Lead MD)
• Action point 4: EW to identify within Welsh Government the governance arrangements around children and what discussions were taking place regarding a child’s journey. (Lead EW)
• Action point 5: DT to share OoCR indicative milestone plan with the Panel. (Lead DT)
• Action point 6: DCMS and HO colleagues to be invited to attend a future WYJAP meeting to present on Young Future Hubs and Prevention Partnership Panels, respectively. (Lead Secretariat)
• Action point 7: DT and PB to meet with AW to discuss knife possession policy and guidance and the link the with the work being undertaken in Wales on OoCR. (Lead DT, PB and AW)
• Action point 8: A link to WYJAP minutes of 20 October to be sent out to the Panel. (Lead Secretariat)

KP welcomed members to the meeting of the Wales Youth Justice Advisory Panel (WYJAP).

KP advised members the meeting was going to be recorded and to raise a hand if there were any objections. There were no objections.

KP explained Mike Connolly will not be joining the Panel today as he was on annual leave. 

KP welcomed Philip Bowen, YJB Board Member, Cheryl de Freitas, YJB Chief Operating Officer and Emma Williams, Director General Education, Culture and Welsh Language Group in Welsh Government. Welsh Government Health Policy colleagues also joined the meeting as part of agenda item 2. 

Apologies were noted.

PM provided an overview of the Mental Health section from WYJAP paper 26 01 26 02. Key points included:

• Welsh Government had identified an increase in prevalence in children since 2020, presenting a critical challenge. The increase in mental health issues was complex and driven by interplay of social, environmental, economic, and technological factors.
• The Mental Health Strategy and the Suicide Prevention and Self Harm Strategy published in 2025 recognised the increased complexity and different contributing factors for children and young people.
• The Mental Health Strategy included a same day access approach to provide services for those who need them.
• A key focus of the Mental Health Strategy was prevention, bringing together key partners such as Social Care, Housing, Education and to also look at the impact of poverty. 
• A number of demonstrator sites were being set up in the initial phase, one of which was within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in a specific area.
• Performance data had improved for children and young people but while progress was positive, further work was still to be done. 
• A 3 year Delivery Plan set out the detail for the first 3 years. 

MB provided an overview of the Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) section of WYJAP paper 26 01 26 02. Key points included:

• Speech, Language and Therapists (SLTs) were included in the 10-year Allied Health Professions (AHP) Framework which aimed to increase the proportion of AHPs delivering community based preventative interventions. 
• Latest data identified in December 2025 there were 825 SLTs registered as living in Wales. 
• Latest data from October 2025 identified 1,593 children waiting for Speech, Language Therapy (SLT, fewer than 2% were waiting over the 14-week referral period compared with. 19% in October 2023. 
• Welsh Government approach has focused on early intervention and prevention through initiatives such as Flying Start. 
• Welsh Government has commissioned Prosiect Pengwin a research programme led by Cardiff Metropolitan University, designed to create new tools and resources to identify and support early speech, language and communication (SLC) development in young children across Wales.
• Welsh Government will be carrying out a consultation on ‘Talk with Me’ campaign, which seeks to drive improvement in the way in which children in Wales are supported to develop their SLC skills. Phase two of the consultation will include extending the age range from nought to five to nought to 11. 
• Welsh Government were exploring developing Minimum Standards to enable all YJS to identify SLCN and the level of support required. 

SR provided an overview of WYJAP paper 26 01 26 03 on Neurodivergence.  Key points included:

• Welsh Government were working with Health Boards to eliminate the three-year waiting list.  All Health Boards were on trajectory to do so. 
• There was a planned prison-based pilot to look at the prevalence rates amongst the prison population with ADHD but also co-occurring conditions such as autism, Tourette syndrome and speech and language.
• Potential to use profiling tools such as the one developed by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Regional Partnership Board. 

JW provided an overview of WYJAP paper 26 01 26 09. Key points included:

• The role of health within Youth Justice Services (YJS) across Wales was not as defined as other statutory partners such as Police and Probation. 
• Whilst early years preventative support for SLCN is welcome, there are still concerns for children in the YJS that had not been picked up earlier via the preventative route.
• YJS speech and language provision was varied and funded through the Youth Justice Core Grant or partnership funds. It was highlighted there was no dedicated provision for YJS available in North Wales or the Vale of Glamorgan. 
• It was important to have services embedded in the YJS to be able to support children while they were in the youth justice system as well as afterwards. This would help to facilitate their engagement with universal services. 

Feedback from the Panel included:

• The importance of exploring enhanced partnership working between Welsh Government, Health Boards and YJS and involving the YJS in relevant consultations.
• Inconsistences of the provision of SLCT was across Health Board areas as well as Wales wide. 
• The importance of SLCT enhanced practice within the YJS which would mean therapists could adjust approach as needed and recommend alternative methods of delivering interventions, such as visual aids and easy read documents. 
• While the 14 week referral target for SLCN may be met, follow up on interventions may not be as timely. 
• HMIP inspection evidence has identified improved outcomes for children where SLCTs were embedded in the YJS. 
• Crucial to ensure that children in the YJS have their needs met prior to transitioning into the adult justice system.
• The cohort of children waiting for a Neurodivergence diagnosis may not be attending school or they may be receiving a reduced timetable which can affect the pathway into receiving a diagnostic assessment. 
• To consider health inequalities as the cohort of children may be from disadvantaged communities, ethnic heritage communities, particularly when considering the disproportionality within some communities. 
• Children and young people should not have to be in contact with the YJS to receive the specialist intervention and support they require.
• To recognise the role of universal services particularly universal youth work. 

MB welcomed the feedback from the Panel and agreed to raise the challenges regarding SLCN during his meeting with the Executive Directors of AHP and Healthcare Science. MB and EW agreed to have further discussions with the JW to explore possible solutions in relation to SLCN and to report back at the April meeting of the Panel. 

Action point 1: MB to raise the challenges regarding SLCN during his next meeting with the Executive Directors of AHP and Healthcare Science

Action point 2: MB agreed to have further discussions with the JW to explore possible solutions in relation to SLCN and to report back at the April meeting of the Panel. 

KP thanked everyone for their contributions to raise the understanding of the topics discussed and the willingness to have further engagement. KP asked for MD to share the health related WYJAP papers with wider Health Board counterparts and share any further feedback with the Panel. 

Action point 3: MD to share the health related WYJAP papers with wider Health Board counterparts and share any further feedback with the Panel. 

In response to the challenge raised by GA and RC that children and young people should not have to be in contact with the YJS to receive the specialist intervention and support they require, KP requested EW to identify within Welsh Government the governance arrangements around children and what discussions were taking place regarding a child’s journey. 

Action point 4: EW to identify within Welsh Government the governance arrangements around children and what discussions were taking place regarding a child’s journey. 

ET provided an update on WYJAP Strategic priority partnership with Policing. WYJAP paper 26 01 26 03.  Key points included:.

• Policing in Wales has an established Child Centred Policing portfolio and the strip searching of children is one of the main priority areas for that group. The Chairs of this group are Deputy Chief Constable, Nicky Brian, Police and Crime Commissioner, Dafydd Llywelyn and Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Eleri Thomas.
• The Police Liaison Unit have also created a data dashboard for the Child Centred Policing portfolio, focussing on stop search. This collates data from across the four Welsh forces on stop search (including strip searches) and allows central governance and scrutiny in the Child Centred Policing portfolio.
• A Steering Group has been established jointly chaired by PCC Dafydd Llewellyn and Paula Williams, Director of Operations YJB Cymru to take forward actions to implement work on Out of Court Resolutions (OoCR). 

DT added an indicative milestone plan for the work of the OoCR had been developed and would be shared with the Panel. 

Action point 5: DT to share OoCR indicative milestone plan with the Panel. 

MG provided an update on WYJAP strategic priority partnership with Education WYJAP paper 26 01 26 04. In addition to the contents of the paper, he added work was progressing on a Pan-Wales Weapons in School Protocol, with an announcement due in February 2026. 

KP asked KD to provide feedback from the recent Exclusions and Detention Forum. KD explained the focus of the Forum had been on the impact of rising exclusion rates.  Draft guidance had been developed for schools to improve transparency, consistency, accessibility and to ensure parents were fully included. KD and KP had provided extensive feedback on the guidance from a YJS perspective, including trauma informed and positive language, to ensure it detailed the support in place for the child and the wider family. The final meeting of the Forum in February would offer opportunity to comment on the revised draft guidance as well as undertaking a review of the attendance codes to ensure the accurate range of circumstances were recorded for children. 

KP referenced information papers WYJAP paper 26 01 26 05 Update on Young Future Hubs from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and WYJAP paper 26 01 26 06 Update on Young Futures Prevention Partnership programme from the Home Office (HO). SY added Welsh Government continued to work with DCMS and HO on both programmes of work and UK Government officials would be invited to attend a future WYJAP meeting to provide a further update. 

PW added the Welsh Chapter for the Prevention Partnership guidance had been circulated to partners by HO colleagues for comment. 

Action point 6: DCMS and HO colleagues to be invited to attend a future WYJAP meeting to present on Young Future Hubs and Prevention Partnership Panels, respectively.

AW reported that Turnaround Programme funding had been secured for three years in England, with one year confirmed for Wales pending discussions between UK and Welsh Government on devolution and funding arrangements. Further updates would be provided once intergovernmental discussions had concluded.  

The Panel agreed the minutes of the previous meeting to be a true and accurate record.  Actions were noted. 

In relation to paragraph 4.5 of the minutes of the last meeting KP asked AW for an update following his offer to link with Policing leads in Wales to discuss and progress the recommendations in the HMICFRS thematic report on the effectiveness of diverting children from the criminal justice system. AW reported that HMIP Chief Inspector had reviewed all the recommendations within the thematic report, one area linked to the work was the UK Government plans in relation to knife possession with policy and guidance signed off by UK Government. DT offered to have a discussion with MoJ colleagues regarding knife crime and the link with the work being undertaking on OoCR in Wales. 

Action point 7: DT and PB to meet with MoJ to discuss knife possession policy and guidance and the link the with the work being undertaken in Wales on OoCR. 

KP informed the Panel the minutes for 20 October 2025 would be published on the Welsh Government website. A link will be sent out to the Panel.

Action point 8: A link to WYJAP minutes of 20 October to be sent out to the Panel.  

KP advised the next meeting of WYJAP was scheduled for 20 April 2026 at 11:00. The meeting would be an in-person event with a working lunch option available and encouraged members to attend.