Wales Youth Justice Advisory Panel: 20 April 2026

Attendees in person                   

• Mike Connolly (co-Chair) (MC), Welsh Government (CSD)
• 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        
• Martyn Gunter (MG), Welsh Government (ECWL)
• Padraig McNamara (PM),  Welsh Government (Health) 
• Louise Lawrence (LL), HMPPS
• Tim Melville (TM), Welsh Magistrates Youth Panel Chairmans Forum
• Dafydd Llywelyn (DLl), PCC Dyfed Powys 
• Eleri Thomas (ET), Deputy PCC Gwent 
• Megan Pryor (MP), Welsh Government (KAS) 
• Julia Allan (JA), Welsh Government (Enabling People)
• Paul Lewis (PA), Office of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales 
• Philip O’Connell (PO’C) on behalf of DCC Nicola Brain

Attending on Teams

• Mark Bradley (MB), Welsh Government (Health) 
• Alison Lott (AL), Welsh Government (CSD)
• Michelle Davies (MD), Health representative Swansea Bay UHB 
• Phillip Bowen (PBo), Youth Justice Board
• Rachel Morgan (RM), Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)
• Alan Webster (AW), Ministry of Justice 
• Gwen James (GJ), Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner 
• Julie Davies (JD), Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru (ADSS)
• James Warr (JW), YOT Managers Cymru
• Kirsty Davies (KD), YOT Managers Cymru (YMC)
• Mark Brace (MBrace), Safer Communities Network
• Stephen Wood (SW), YOT Managers Cymru (YMC)
• Helen Davies (HD), HMIP 
• Kate Williams (KW), Academic Representative 
• Honor Bailey (HB), Home Office 
• Thomas Hills (TH), Home Office
• Hugh Currie (HC), Home Office

Apologies 

• Sally Rees, Welsh Government (Social Services and Integration) 
• Daniel Jones, Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU)
• Stephanie Roberts-Bibby, Youth Justice Board 
• DCC Nicola Brain, Gwent Police
• Christine Harley, HMPPS
• Lucy Peates, HMPPS
• Andrea Brazier, His Majesty Inspectorate of Probation 
• Emma Williams, Welsh Government (Director General ECWL)
• Rocio Cifuentes, Children’s Commissioner for Wales
• Jay McCabe, YOT Managers Cymru (YMC)
• Martina Feilizer,  Academic representative
• Surinder Randhawa, HMCTS
• Tom Cartright, Welsh Government (KAS) 
• Gill Adams, YOT Managers Cymru (YMC)

All actions to be completed as soon as possible but no later than 29 May 2026 unless other date specified.

• Action point 1: Feedback provided by the Panel to be fed into the ongoing discussions between the MoJ and Welsh Government regarding the YJS budget transfer to Wales. (Lead: Welsh Government Crime and Justice and Justice Policy colleagues and Ministry of Justice Youth Justice Policy Unit)
• Action point 2: Further mapping to be completed by Welsh Government officials to better understand how the oversight of children is managed in Wales. (Lead: Welsh Government Crime and Justice colleagues)
• Action point 3: SW to provide an update on the work of the Steering Group for the Decriminalisation of Care Experienced Children at a future meeting. (Lead: SW)
• Action point 4: Welsh Government officials to revisit the work on Children in Police Custody and next steps with the Police Liaison Unit (PLU). (Lead: Welsh Government Crime and Justice colleagues and PLU)
• Action point 5: Panel members to share comments on the whole system analysis questions with the secretariat. (Lead: All)
• Action point 6: DLl to provide a WYJAP paper to the Panel on Police governance in Wales. (Lead: DLl)
• Action point 7: DLl to arrange for KP and MC to attend a future meeting with the Police and Crime Commissioners. (Lead: KP and MC)
• Action point 8: DT and PO’C to share OoCR indicative milestone plan with the Panel. (Lead: DT and PO’C)
• Action point 9: Welsh Government colleagues to provide feedback at the next WYJAP following attendance at the AHP Executive Directors meeting and discussions related to SLC with the YJS. (Lead: LJ and MBrad)
• Action point 10: PM to share update on the first year of the Mental Health Strategy and the Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Strategy from the Ministerial Assurance Board with the Panel once published. (Lead: PM)
• Action point 11: Home Office colleagues to share Young Futures Prevention programme presentation with the Panel. (Lead: TH and HC)
   

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

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

MC Welcomed Philip Bowen, recently appointed interim YJB Chair and guest speakers from the Home Office, Honor Bailey, Hugh Currie and Thomas Hills. 

Apologies were noted.

MC advised the Welsh Government was in pre-election period and work was being carried to analyse the manifesto commitments. 

MC highlighted the publication of The Southport Inquiry on Monday 13 April 2026 and informed the Panel work was being carried out across Welsh Government to analyse the report findings alongside implications for Welsh Government, maintaining engagement with UK Government. 

AW set out the commitments included in the UK Government Command Paper ‘A Modern Youth Justice System’ published on 12 February 2026. These included a commitment to offer three-year grant funding in England for Turnaround, Remand payments and the Youth Justice Service Core grant. An additional five million allocated over three years to alternatives to custodial remand, with a particular focus on fostering and the reform of the role of the Youth justice Board (YJB). AW explained the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) were continuing to work with the YJB as it refocused its organisational position and take on the role of continuous improvement of the youth justice system (YJS). 

AW shared the intention for the UK Government to publish a cross-government plan for the YJS which would set out the UK Government plans for areas such as sentencing, remand, criminal records and custody. Recognising that the YJS does not sit in isolation and will be taking into consideration other work being undertaken in relation to families, children, victims and communities. 

AW explained the financial position in Wales was different to England and the UK Government were working with the Welsh Government on financial arrangements. As set out in the joint statement published by the Welsh Government and UK Government on 25 March, Turnaround and Remand funding will remain the same for the financial year 2026 to 2027, work will be undertaken to complete the transfer of funding for 2027 onwards. Further work will be undertaken to explore an expanded role for the Welsh Government in Youth Justice in Wales. 

JG explained that there had been several discussions prior to the publication of the command paper and joint statement and there had been challenges due to the electoral cycle in Wales which had resulted in Welsh services not being able to receive the same assurance as their English counterparts. He added it will for the new Ministers to determine how funding for Remand and Turnaround was allocated. 

PB reiterated the YJB had been working closely with MoJ colleagues on the reform of the role of the YJB and that KP and other partners contributions to discussions had been invaluable to ensure that future arrangements work in Wales. 

JD and SW posed a question relating to funding and asked if there had been consideration given by the UK Government to provide additional resource of funding to Welsh Government to ensure the YJS in Wales did not receive a reduction in funding or resources due to administration costs incurred by the Welsh Government. AW responded that there was no additional funding and this was a matter for Welsh Government to take forward. 

Further feedback from Panel included:

• YJS Managers requested to be kept informed throughout the process of the budget transfer to Wales.
• The incoming Welsh Government provided an opportunity to review the strategic approach of the children in Wales within Welsh Government. 
• Consideration to be given to the impact other changes may have on youth justice    services, such as the Police reform. 
• Consideration to be given to ringfencing funds that were being administered to the YJS in Wales once transferred to Welsh Government.

TM raised concerns regarding the impact of parenting in relation to children’s criminal behaviour and the negative behaviour some young males were presenting to girls. He suggested working with educational colleagues to help address the issues. SY responded this had been identified by Officials and further discussions would take place  across Welsh Government to provide a joined-up approach. SY also referenced the recommendations relating to parenting within the recently published Southport Inquiry and welcomed a conversation with TM in the meeting margins. PW added a meeting of the Welsh Youth Court Group had taken place in March which included discussions as to how parents could be included more while the courts were working with children. 

Action point 1: Feedback provided by the Panel to be fed into the ongoing discussions between the MoJ and Welsh Government regarding the YJS budget transfer to Wales.

DT provided an overview of the key themes of the youth justice system analysis these included:

• Majority of children that had come into the youth justice system were managed within the community, with 3% of children from Wales entering custody. 
• Majority of offence type recorded was violence against a person.
• YJB Annual statistics showed a reduction in First Time Entrants (FTEs) and a reduction in arrests.
• KPI snapshot data identified 23% of children in the youth justice cohort were identified with Additional Learning Needs (ALN). 
• 81% of children completed their Out of Court Resolution (OoCR) which was positive. 

In response to the questions set out in the whole system analysis JD suggested the relationship with children’s services to be considered as a priority area, she added there were wider reforms taking place with children’s services in Wales and a programme of reform around fostering in Wales. KP added the importance of understanding how the oversight of children is managed in Welsh Government, referring back to the action point from the last meeting.

Action point 2: Further mapping to be completed by Welsh Government officials to better understand how the oversight of children is managed in Wales.

MP added there was data available on children, particularly children in care and offered to work with colleagues should this be considered a priority. 

SW informed the Panel the Steering Group for the Decriminalisation for Care Experienced Children had been reestablished, he added the group had previously developed the All-Wales Protocol for the Decriminalisation for Care Experienced Children and gathered data. MC requested SW report back to the Panel on the work of the group. 

Action point 3: SW to provide an update on the work of the Steering Group for the Decriminalisation of Care Experienced Children at a future meeting. 

ET highlighted alongside the work of the decriminalisation of Care Experienced Children, work had been undertaken on Children in Police Custody which to date had not been progressed. 

Action point 4: Welsh Government officials to revisit the work on Children in Police Custody and next steps with the Police Liaison Unit (PLU).

MC welcomed further comments on the questions within the presentation and for them to be shared with the secretariat. 

Action point 5: Panel members to share comments on the whole system analysis questions with the secretariat. 

Partnership with Policing 

DLl informed the Panel the Child Centred Policing meeting planned for 7 April 2026 was unable to take place. He highlighted there remained to be some inconsistencies in terms of strategic leadership in relation to Child Centred Policing the four police forces across Wales.

DLl explained the two Out of Court Resolutions (OoCR) groups chaired by DT and PO'C had merged. The group was progressing well, with strong stakeholder engagement. He added there was positive work taking place such as a reduction in police custody and arrests, police forces across Wales now have an authorising officer in place.

DLl agreed to provide a formal paper with a focus on police governance at a future meeting. KP welcomed the update on police governance and agreed it would be beneficial for she and MC to attend a future meeting of the four Police and Crime Commissioners. KP highlighted the importance of setting timelines for the work of the OoCR. DT advised the Task and Finish Groups were expected to deliver their proposed All Wales approaches to the Working Group on 18 June.  An indicative milestone plan would be developed following the meeting of the working group and shared with the Panel in readiness for the meeting on the 6 July. 

Action point 6: DLl to provide a paper to the Panel on Police governance in Wales. 

Action point 7: DLl to arrange for KP And MC to attend a future meeting with the Police and Crime Commissioners. 

Action point 8: DT and PO’C to share OoCR indicative milestone plan with the Panel.

Partnership with Health

MBrad provided an update on action point 1 from the previous meeting: MB to raise the challenges regarding SLCN during his next meeting with the Executive Directors of AHP and Healthcare Science. He confirmed he had raised challenges at the meeting on 13 February 2026. The Directors recognised it was a significant challenge and while decisions are made on clinical need, children’s services are a priority for all Health Boards. The group extended an invite to Welsh Government Justice Policy Lead to attend the meeting on 5 June  and has shared contact details for all Speech Language and Communication Leads from within each of the Health Boards with Welsh Government colleagues in order to pick up local issues directly. 

In relation to 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. A meeting took place to discuss WYJAP paper 26 01 26 09 with a further meeting planned and feedback will be provided at the next WYJAP. 

In terms of Minimum Standards MBrad noted Bridgend YJS recent inspection report by HMIP received an excellent rating and noted they had very good access to Speech, Language and Communication Therapists as well as other health professionals. He advised the intention was to review the report and other areas of good practice within Wales. 

SW referenced the Forensic Adolescent Consultation Service (FACS) model for Enhanced Case Management and Trauma Informed Practice and suggested a similar model could be created for Speech, Language and Communication Needs in Wales. 

In relation to the Mental Health, PM informed the Panel of the intention for an update to be provided on the first year of the Mental Health Strategy and the Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Strategy to the Ministerial Assurance Board.  PM agreed to share the update with the Panel following its publication. 

Action point 9: Welsh Government colleagues to provide feedback at the next WYJAP following attendance at the AHP Executive Directors meeting and discussions related to SLC with the YJS. 

Action point 10: PM to share update on the first year of the Mental Health Strategy and the Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Strategy from the Ministerial Assurance Board with the Panel once published. 

Partnership with education 

In addition to the information set out in WYJAP paper 26.04.26.03, MG highlighted work had taken place with universities including Wrexham, South Wales and Bangor to develop strategies for behaviour in the classroom. The work focused on engagement with parents directly. There had been work undertaken between MoJ and Department for Education on identifying children of prisoners. An ESTYN Thematic Review had taken place on the education welfare service.  MG explained the Exclusion and Detention Guidance was being finalised with plans to publish in the near future. 

TH provided an overview of the Young Future Prevention Partnership programme. He explained the purpose of the programme was early intervention, to ensure children being drawn into crime were identified and offered positive diversionary support. 

The programme consists of two key components, the Young Futures Hubs being led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) and the Young Futures Prevention Partnerships led by the Home Office. 

The Young Futures Hub established the first of eight early adopters hubs going live across the course of April, with a further 42 due to be rolled out by 2029.

The Prevention Partnerships have conducted a review of the youth early intervention and crime prevention landscape across England and Wales, established panel pilots and continued work with the National Youth Agency. 

Young Future Panels are based on good practice identified in Greater Manchester. The primary aim was to identify and intervene earlier with children whose needs were unmet before adverse outcomes could develop. 

In the first year of delivery April 2025 to March 2026 the 20 Violence Reduction Units received additional funding and were tasked with piloting at least one Young Futures Panel. Insights from year 1 delivery:

• 53 Young Futures Panels established across England and Wales. One panel in South Wales and 2 in North Wales. 
• Over 2,500 children were discussed at a Panel. 
• Over 1,500 of those children were referred into positive support. 

As the programme is 6 months into an 18-month test and learn pilot, continuity will remain a key theme into the second year of the Young Futures programme. With that in mind, there have not been any major changes to how Young Futures Panels are to be delivered in 2026 to 2027. 

Action point 11: Home Office colleagues to share young Futures Prevention programme presentation with the Panel. 

HB provided an overview of the work being undertaken by Home Office (HO) relating to Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in gaming environments. With 90% of children playing online there were real risks for them, and the current frameworks did not fully reflect gaming specific harms. HB shared 90% of minors on gaming platforms were engaging with strangers and 10% of teenage gamers were being asked for explicit images.

To address the risks the HO has launched a gaming sector roundtable which will meet every four months, engagement has included representation from law enforcement, the gaming industry and the third sector. The HO is also working with the Australian and Canadian Government. 

HB highlighted the rise in children monetising their own sexual abuse material through gaming currency for compensation and that work was being conducted with payment processes. 

HB welcomed Panel members to contact her for more information. 

Agenda item not reached. Please refer to WYJAP paper 20.04.26.06.

The Panel agreed the minutes of the previous meeting to be a true and accurate record.  Actions were noted. The Panel were advised the minutes would be prepared for publication on the Welsh Government website.

MC advised the next meeting of WYJAP was scheduled for 6 July 2026 at 11:00 at the Welsh Government office in Merthyr Tydfil. While the meeting would be hybrid members were encouraged to attend in person.